work at home

[Guest guest]

Dawn,

Most people who work from home either have something arranged with

their employer, or they are self-employed with their own business.

Perhaps you might want to think about starting your own business.

As for your cubicle " life " - you are entitled to several breaks,

including lunch/dinner etc. Under the Americans With Disabilities Act,

(ADA) employers must make 'reasonable' allowances for disabled persons

in the workforce. Since all you need is to get up and move around a

bit, I'd suggest going to talk to your Human Resources Manager first -

simply explain your needs due to CMT. If you have a letter from your

doctor attesting to your need to move around a bit and not sit so much,

that might help.

~ Gretchen

[Guest guest]

Dawn,

I second Gretchen's advice. My employer came to me and asked if there was

anything they could do. Also, I offer to do extra work. I volunteer for

committees inside and outside of the office. I try to make myself as useful to

the agency and my superiors as possible. I am convinced that my HR manager

asked to help because I make a valuable contribution to the success of the

agency. We are valuable employees in spite of our challenges.

Tom

[Guest guest]

Hi Teri,

I don't currently work at home, but have some ideas that I hope are

helpful. I'm employed as a programmer / analyst. I drive to work

each day, but if needed, I could conceivably work from home. I

don't think I would ever qualify for disability - even if the CMT

gets really, really bad, my brain should still be functioning

normally - at least as normally as it does now!!

We have VPN access set up for some of our employees. VPN stand for

virtual private network. It ties their computer at home to our

network as if they were actually in the building working at their

regular PC. They have to already have a PC and internet access at

home. Any job that requires working on a computer could be done

from home with minimal trips - if any - to the office.

I'm not sure what work you've done in the past - if it's involved

computers - great! If not, there are web courses available in many,

many areas.

I haven't researched assistive computer devices for those who are

unable to use a regular keyboard, but know they do exist. My mouse

is a quill mouse - much bigger than a regular mouse and a lot easier

to hold onto. It's also more sensitive to touch - so easier to

click. There's optional software that you can purchase that they

call " clickless " - haven't looked into it. (www.aerobicmouse.com)

Another thought - an internet based business. You could sell just

about anything you have an interest in. (I have an eBay store -

just don't have time to devote to growing it to the point I can quit

my job.) I've seen ebooks and woodworking plans sold on ebay - you

write or design it once and sell it over and over again. Any

product you can imagine. Services - web or graphic design,

research, etc. Sky & your imagination are the limit here.

Just a couple of possible options....

Tonya