Sue Morgan is a Project Administrator working on the Industrial Digitalisation Technology Centre (ERDF) project, and she’s a member of our University staff Disability Focus Group.
Sue also has a rare neurological disorder and she’s keen to raise awareness of hidden disabilities and encourage a greater understanding of disability in the workplace.
I have a rare neurological disorder called Idiopathic Intercranial Hypertension (IIH), which causes spinal fluid (CSF) to become raised and cause pressure around my brain.
It can cause disabling daily headaches and visual loss, which can be permanent. The raised brain pressure can press the nerves supplying my eye (also known as papilledema) and this can affect my vision, causing blurring, pulsating tinnitus, brain fog and dizziness.
My IIH was diagnosed around 15 years ago and the initial treatment, at that time, was a lumbar puncture to relieve pressure from the brain. In my case, my optic nerve was being crushed and putting my eyesight at risk.
I now have a Lumbar Peritoneal shunt in my spine to permanently maintain the level of CSF, however, the numerous lumbar punctures and revision surgery has left me with chronic back pain and although more controlled, headaches, brain fog and permanent damage to my peripheral vision.
My biggest workplace barrier is the chronic back pain and headaches, but I limit any impact this has on my workload by making small adjustments to my working day.
With my managers support, I’ve completed an Access to Work assessment to provide me with the correct equipment to enable me to thrive and succeed in the workplace.
This, along with an extremely understanding manager who knows I need to stand on a regular basis, makes my workday so much easier.
I would encourage anyone with a disability to their manager to discuss options available to them to make any adjustments needed, it could just be one mall thin that makes a huge difference.
I joined the Disability Focus Group to help and support people like me with a hidden disability and I hope sharing my story it will encourage others to seek the support they need.