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Anna Valentine, 30, lives in Devon. She was diagnosed with osteoarthritis in 2007.
‘The major thing is that I can’t stand for long, and the fatigue that goes with constantly being in pain and on painkillers. I’m a lecturer in performing arts. Teachers usually spend a lot of time standing at the front of the classroom but I can’t really do that – I use a wheelchair most days.
I was signed off work for six months for an operation. I had a stream of meetings, and we decided on a phased return. The key is, you’ve got to talk. The college occupational health visitor and I decided I’d never be able to work full-time again. Now I have one day off a week.
The college had not had to deal with disabled staff before. There have been teething problems, but they have been very accommodating. My colleagues have been great and my students take it in their stride. I’m there for my brain, not my ability to wave my legs around.
Access to Work have been a great help. They’ve supplied things like an electric stair climber and easy chairs so I can have a rest. I use a computerised whiteboard from my lap, and writing comes up on the big whiteboard. It’s continuity of care that concerns me. It’s taken a year for everything to kick in – what if something gets worse or if things need replacing?
We used to live 20 minutes away, now I can see my office from my house. If I’m having a bad day I can get home almost instantly. Not everybody can do that.
There are days or weeks when it’s really difficult, but I take pride in my work. In the six months that I was off, I went completely bananas.’
