Easing Back Into the Cuture and Routine at Work

It can be helpful to pay a couple of visits prior to the actual first day back, to reaquaint yourself with staff, the environment, and to break the ice for going back. Having a support group to bounce ideas and any possible challenges off of, is important to the readjustment. Additionally, please consider contacting the Job Accommodation Network (Dept. of Labor site online) to inquire about reasonable accommodations for GBS. Rests, ergonomics and pacing yourself are immediate things that come to mind. Having the equipment closer to you sometimes is necessary, being allowed to sit instead of stand for prolonged periods of time, are other examples of accommodations. A letter from your doctor stating the need for the accommodation may be required by the employer. Sometimes settings on the computer (MS Accessibility) that enlarge the fonts, change background to black with white type, adjustments in screen resolution, and specialty software such as readers, JAWS, Dragon Dictate, Zoomtext, can augment eye fatigue, double vision, and tracking problems. One of the biggest challenges can be looking normal and assuming everything is back 1oo percent when the body needs time to build endurance again. This is where accommodations can make or break the success. Best wishes!

Disability Program Navigator