Disclosing Episodic Disabilities in the Workplace
- Leah Ison
- Feb 28
- 2 min read
One of the many barriers that the disability community faces - is employment. Addressing these barriers requires a concerted effort from employers, policymakers, and society as a whole to create more inclusive and supportive work environments.
The following blog post was provided by Realize Canada and talks about 'episodic disabilities' in the workplace.
For many people – and for many employers – the term “episodic disabilities” is a new one. Episodic disabilities are chronic health conditions characterized by fluctuating periods and degrees of illness and wellness. These periods can be unpredictable in duration, types of symptoms and frequency of recurrence. For example, a person who is living with depression, arthritis, diabetes, HIV, or long Covid might be well for several months, only to experience several episodes of illness in a row. Each episode may be different in terms of the symptoms experienced, how long it lasts, and how intense the symptoms are. There are multitudes of episodic disabilities affecting countless people daily. (Realize)
In fact, episodic disabilities are on the rise. On December 1st, 2023, Statistics Canada released findings from the 2022 Canadian Survey on Disability (CSD). The survey found that “27% of Canadians aged 15 years and older, or 8.0 million people, had one or more disabilities that limited them in their daily activities. The rate of disability in Canada has increased by 5 percentage points since 2017.” (Statistics Canada, 2023) There is a complex array of factors driving this increase across the country, including the rising number of people reporting long-term effects of COVID infection, however, the two most significant factors Statistics Canada has identified are, “the aging population and the large increase in mental health-related disabilities among youth and working-age adults.”
It begs the question: how do employers create a safe environment for employee disclosure of episodic disabilities, so to not only glean understanding, but to provide support and accommodation?
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