Employers should know that people with young onset Parkinson’s (or most of us) can do exactly the same as people without. I am currently working, and I have been working with young onset Parkinson’s for 2 years. I do you feel supported by my employer/co-workers. The most debilitating issues with regards to my working capacity are tremor/Dyskinesia/Dystonia. The particular time of the work day that I find more difficult than other times is when I get tired, which can happen at all times of the day.
Strategies or techniques that may be helpful to support me to stay in the workforce longer could include flexibility to work around fluctuating symptoms, writing aids such as voice-to-text software to reduce the need to type, a hands free phone, reduced hours and working from home. A formal process has not been undertaken to determine my work capacity and support requirements, and it probably would be useful. Regarding my thoughts on disclosure of young onset Parkinson’s to your employer, I’m glad I said it right away and it gave my employer a good opportunity to provide support. I have not sought advice about my rights as an employee. Some advice about how we deal with talking about Parkinson’s to a potential new employer could be useful.
