Unfiltered Story #262953

(I am legally handicapped. I have sinus tarsi syndrome, which means there are days when the nerves in my ankle get inflamed and I cannot walk unassisted. My husband will help me on these days, but it has been frequently making him 15 to 30 minutes late to his job at the university where we both work (about once or twice a week). I have no control over these flare ups and I cannot predict them. They make it extremely difficult to get ready in the morning. The parking situation at the university is so bad that even a handicap sticker does not help most days and most student handicapped parking is still a quarter mile from my office. We have asked for a later start time for my husband so he won’t be late to work on these days, but his boss and HR refuse. We meet with the HR personnel to discuss options.)

Me: “There are days where I literally cannot walk without my husband’s help and my walker. We are doing well to only run behind 15 minutes when this happens.”

HR Person: “I get that we all have days where we end up behind a school bus or the car won’t start, but it is your responsibility to make sure you get up in plenty of time to get to work even with your disability.”

Me: “I am not trying to be difficult, but I cannot predict these days. My disability is similar to unpredictable events like you described. They just happen more frequently.”

HR Person: *awkward pause* “Let’s see if we can get you access to the teacher lots so you can find parking easier.”