Introduction:
Why I’m Writing This
I’ve spent the last eighteen months navigating work as a legally disabled academic in England, hoping for fair flexibility to protect my health. Instead, I’ve faced rigid policies, loss of income, and the exhausting requirement to repeatedly justify why I need to work from home—even when teaching online. This is my story, and a wider reflection on what “equal rights” and “reasonable adjustments” should mean in practice.
A Career Compromised: From Manager to Lecturer
• I was employed as an academic manager for one and a half years.
• When I requested flexibility to work from home due to my disability, the request was refused.
• I resigned from the managerial role and took a pay cut to move to three days a week.
• I transitioned into lecturing because I was told that’s the only way to get flexibility.
The irony? Even for online classes, we’re expected to deliver them from campus.
Online Teaching, But Not from Home
• My role involves teaching online students.
• Despite this, a blanket rule demands delivering those online sessions from campus.
• On days when my health makes travel difficult (which is nearly every day), I must email to explain “what’s wrong” and ask permission to work from home.
This process feels intrusive and inconsistent. It turns a health need into an administrative hurdle. It’s not dignity; it’s gatekeeping.
What UK Law Says: Equality Act 2010
• Under the Equality Act 2010, employers must make reasonable adjustments to reduce or remove disadvantages faced by disabled workers.
• Reasonable adjustments can include changing hours, duties, and location—such as working from home—when it enables equal access to work.
• Guidance from ACAS reinforces that employers must actively make adjustments, not simply consider them.
If online teaching can be effectively delivered from home, insisting on campus attendance—especially without individual assessment—looks less like equality and more like inflexibility.
Red Flags: Where This Falls Short
• A blanket campus requirement for online delivery ignores individual health needs and feasible alternatives.
• Requiring repeated disclosures about my health to secure day‑by‑day permission undermines privacy and creates avoidable barriers.
• Forcing a role change and pay cut to gain minimal flexibility suggests failure to explore reasonable adjustments in my original role.
Collectively, these practices don’t feel like equal treatment. They feel like obstacles.
What a Proper Adjustment Should Look Like
1. A documented request outlining how disability affects work and what adjustments will help (e.g., scheduled remote delivery for online classes).
2. An interactive discussion focusing on essential duties, safeguarding, technology, and realistic on‑site needs.
3. A written adjustment plan: predictable remote days, appropriate equipment, confidentiality around medical information, and periodic reviews—without requiring daily permission or detailed health disclosures.
The Human Cost
• Financial strain from losing a managerial salary.
• Physical and emotional toll of commuting when unwell.
• The stress of constantly having to “prove” I need flexibility, rather than having an agreed plan.
Equal rights should mean practical, humane support—not hoops to jump through.
What Could Have Been Reasonable
• Fixed remote teaching days for online delivery, with clear parameters and IT support.
• A formal adjustment allowing home‑based preparation and delivery, with occasional campus presence only when genuinely necessary.
• A confidentiality‑respecting process where medical evidence is provided once and stored securely, not re‑requested ad hoc.
A Call for Better Practice
• Policies should be flexible enough to account for disability and role realities.
• Adjustments must be individualized, predictable, and dignified.
• Online teaching should be deliverable from home where it’s safe, effective, and reasonable.
This isn’t about special treatment. It’s about removing avoidable disadvantage.
What I’m Doing Next
• Seeking a formal reasonable adjustment meeting with a written plan for remote delivery of online classes.
• Asking HR to handle medical information confidentially and eliminate the need for repeated disclosures.
• Considering a grievance or ACAS early conciliation if a fair adjustment isn’t agreed.
Conclusion:
Equality Must Be Lived, Not Just Legislated
Being disabled shouldn’t mean a forced demotion, reduced income, and daily scrutiny for basic flexibility. The law sets a standard—employers must meet it with compassion and common sense. If online classes can be taught from home safely and effectively, then requiring campus presence by default isn’t reasonable; it’s a barrier. I’m sharing this not just for myself, but for anyone in Kent and beyond who’s being told “no” when the fair answer should be “let’s make this work.”
If you’re going through something similar, you’re not alone. Advocate for yourself, document everything, and seek support—your health and dignity matter.
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