Michelle
More about me...
Michelle goes to an Anti-TNF clinic to have her medication assessed.

Michelle goes to an Anti-TNF clinic to have her medication assessed.
Michelle found ibuprofen to be 'quite an effective pain relief' but it caused a stomach ulcer and...

Michelle found ibuprofen to be 'quite an effective pain relief' but it caused a stomach ulcer and...
Michelle always felt sick for several hours after taking methotrexate. She chose to take...

Michelle always felt sick for several hours after taking methotrexate. She chose to take...
Michelle declared her arthritis when applying for jobs. She felt that this would help her get an...

Michelle declared her arthritis when applying for jobs. She felt that this would help her get an...
It’s difficult because the feeling is that when you’re ticking that box, you know, “Is this the kiss of death here? Am I kind of guaranteeing that I’m not going to get an interview? Are they going to look at it and think, ‘Oh, well, she’s disabled. She can’t do the job’?” Which is completely wrong. It’s, it’s the other way round actually. Normally employers nowadays, if you tick the disabled box, saying, “Yes, I have a disability” and you meet the minimum requirements for the post, they have to give you an interview. That’s normally the case. And I applied for a job as an international recruitment officer. And in the real world really I’ve got nowhere near enough experience and I thought, “Hang on, have I got an interview? You know. I meet the minimum requirements but all the other kind of add-ons, not, the, the, the desirable criteria, not really.” And I had ticked the, “Yes, I’m disabled” box. So I thought with that one, “Well, I think I’ve just been given an interview because I meet the, the minimum requirements, and I don’t think I’ve really got any chance of actually getting the job.” So I didn’t bother going to the interview. Which I don’t know if it was a mistake, but I didn’t really want to just go to an interview just because I’m meeting their, their criteria, their target of, of interviewing people who have disabilities because they have to. So that, that’s, that’s a tough one. And I don’t know, it depends how much I want the job as well. So if I really really wanted a job, I would tick the disabled box and say, “Yes, I’ve got a disability.” And then if I got an interview I’d definitely go for the interview, because I wouldn’t want to take the risk. Because sometimes if you don’t, I think if you don’t tick the disabled box, then it comes up at, at a later date that you do have a disability, you can get in trouble. They can say, “Well, no, you didn’t tell us at the time. We can’t offer you the job. We needed to make adjustments for this post. And because we weren’t aware of it then, you know, you’ve kind of lied to us.” So it, it’s, it is tough. But if it’s, I will say if it’s a job that someone really wants, then they need to declare it. It’s best to be straight upfront from the start.
Michelle's friends accept that she can have difficulties walking but her housemates don't seem to...

Michelle's friends accept that she can have difficulties walking but her housemates don't seem to...
People like to have a choice about their treatment. They do not always like to be told what to do
