Teaching and RA

Working with a chronic condition or a disability can be very difficult but you're not alone in this. There are many ways of accommodating a disability in the workplace, ranging from little things like e.g., doing most of your teaching sitting down and instead of using the blackboard, use a computer or overhead projector placed on your desk, to changes in your hours. When I worked in an office, I was working 80% (with a salary that was pro-rated to 80%) and occasionally worked from home. Obviously, a teacher needs to be in the classroom, but you might have wriggle room in terms of prorating your time.

It is clear that you need accommodation from your employer and the good news is that they legally have to accommodate you. The Americans with Disabilities Act is a fantastic piece of legislation that has helped people with disabilities and chronic conditions like RA to find and keep jobs (more information here). As well, the Equal Employment Opportunities Commission also exists to help people in your particular situation (their website is here). As I'm Canadian, I don't know much about teaching in the US - are you unionized? If so, your union steward should be able to give you more information about accommodation. Your particular school board may also already have policies in place.

I suggest that you poke around on the websites that I linked to in the above paragraph for more information and contact staff at the ADA and/or EEOC offices - they will be able to tell you more about how you start the process of requesting accommodation.

Of course, seeing your doctor to discuss options that will be more effective in controlling your RA is also a significant factor in getting you back to work. You may also request a referral to an Occupational Therapist to get some input on possible energy-saving techniques and technological doodads that may help you in your job.

Good luck!