This article contains information that has been corrected from a previously-published version.
Your Physician/Specialist is integral in the process of you having appropriate accommodations. However, due to the fairly unique nature of our profession, you need to have a very concrete discussion with your physician/specialist about specific accommodations that you need. If, for example, you suffer from carpal tunnel syndrome, voice to text software can relieve pressure on your injury until it heals. However, many of our needs are more complex and require an understanding of how we work.
Throughout your workday, you sit, stand, type, lecture, moderate, interact with small groups and large groups, stare at screens, work under halogen lights (these inspire migraines for me), deal with noise and other forms of stimuli, and I’m sure you can add to that list. Further, there are the less tangible elements of our roles. We spend a lot of time listening to students, hearing their stories, connecting them to appropriate resources when they need them, dealing with students in acute crisis, dealing with instances of violence, and dealing with instances of harassment, as well as dealing with systemic forms of racism, sexism, and discrimination which are taxing and prevent us from being well in our work environment.
It is imperative that you explain to your physician/specialist the kinds of tasks you conduct regularly, and under what conditions. If you are hard of hearing, holding student meetings in a shared space may inhibit you from being able to fully participate. So, for example, your specialist may suggest that one on one meetings be held in a conference room, and that meetings with a group of people ensure that only one individual is speaking at once. Please note that no one but you, your specialist, and your accommodations specialist from HR, would be aware of the reason for any accommodation. In other words, your manager should never state that Anna Ainsworth is hard of hearing so we should speak one at a time. Rather that norm should be established in a universal format so everyone can be included (we do this in our classrooms with Universal Design—we deserve the same).
Sometimes a specialist may determine that a reduced workload is an appropriate accommodation. Make sure to walk through the specifics of that suggestion before presenting it to the College. It may be that you are able to work a full workload but can only do so remotely. That is an important distinction. The more clarity your specialist has of the nature of your work, the more suitable their recommendations can be.
There are also times when we require leave from the workplace to deal with health/psychosocial recovery. Article 17.01 of the Collective Agreement states that faculty are able use any short-term disability credits (i.e., “sick days”) that have been earned, including credits unused from previous years. Please note that i3 reports short-term disability credits in the form of “hours” – you can divide your report bank of hours by 8.8 in order to arrive at your total number of available sick days. Partial-Load faculty also accumulate and may use short-term disability credits according to their length of contract and teaching hours, as outlined on the chart provided in Article 26.08B of the Collective Agreement. That chart lists the number of teaching hours that a PL faculty member may miss due to illness or injury, with no deduction of pay.
Your health and well-being are most important, so when you find yourself needing to take time to heal, please do so. Faculty frequently resist taking time away, but I have yet to meet a faculty who regretted taking the time to heal. Your job will be there when you return. As well, partial-Load job security rights under the PL Registry will not be threatened by taking sick days. If faculty require more time to heal, there is also the option of long-term disability leave, for which one may qualify after 130 days of absence. Again, you remain an employee and will return to your job when you are well. You can find different types of leaves available to us all in our Collective Agreement, Articles 17-22.
We want to work with you to create a workplace that is inclusive and safe for all.