ADA accomodations and coworker harassment

[Betty3]

It seems the OP might suffer from doing a major life activity - bending.

ADA amendment act of 2008: MAJOR LIFE ACTIVITIES.—

"(A) IN GENERAL.—For purposes of paragraph (1), major life activities include, but are not limited to, caring for oneself, performing manual tasks, seeing, hearing, eating, sleeping, walking, standing, lifting, BENDING, speaking, breathing, learning, reading, concentrating, thinking, communicating, and working."

 

[sioraf]

I can't put my own pants, socks or shoes on most morning and have to have help from my husband. Personally, I think that is a major life activity, but maybe pants are overrated =) I also found out yesterday that in addition to all of my other back issues, I have a herniated disc and degenerative disc disease in my lumbar spine. It makes me glad I refused to bend this weekend as I could cause further herniation any time I do. I have had the fibro my whole life and the OA for years, and I have worked through a lot of pain and it doesn't bother me, but the nerve pain from my back is just intense, like nothing I have ever had before.

As it turns out, my boss had decided that I was not going to do this particular task ever anymore, that they would reallocate, instead of giving me a stool. My coworkers are probably rightly pissed off about it, I am little pissed off about it, but they get to decide what the accommodation is, so it's out of my hands I guess, because not doing it does work. I would go find a new job, but my plan is to move within the next year and as it takes 6 months to train at a new place for my job, I feel like it would be fairly awful of me to do that to a new employer - my current job knows I am leaving. Additionally, the job I am at now is severely short on staff - if I were to leave too, most everyone would be forced to work weekends, overnights and double shifts. And they don't have anyone new starting until April, and it will then take 4-6 months to train those people before they can be fully functional in the position. So I kind of feel like anything I can do for them now would be good. After we move, if I work at all, it will probably only be 1 or 2 days a week.

Thanks for all of the advice.

 

[Betty3]

I'm glad you got an accommodation even though it wasn't your first choice. The best of luck to you.