MDF Magazine Issue 72 December 2023

arranged to do her rotation with a spine surgeon. That same
surgeon offered her a full-time position when she graduated.
do everything that they can so that she can do her job to her
highest potential.
By 2017, Corinne had been experiencing some leg and hand
weakness for a couple of years. She noticed that she fatigued
quickly on stairs and had some difficulty with her fine motor
skills. When Corinne received her diagnosis, her initial emotion
was fear. She was uncertain if she would be able to navigate
the physical requirements of her new job as her disease
progressed. She evaluated the physical requirements that her
position required – manipulating limbs, injecting patients
with medication, making rounds – and was fearful that disclosing
her diagnosis would put her job in jeopardy.
Never one to back down from a challenge, Corinne and her
husband began researching and discussing her options.
Corinne’s husband, Luke Grgas, is an avid researcher and
planner. He collected resources and information that enabled
her to assess her abilities and potential accommodations that
she might need. Her initial fear that her career would be over
before it started soon gave way to faith and determination
that she could – and would – continue to follow her dreams
on her quest for success.
Because she was already hired but had not yet started her
new position at the time of her diagnosis, Corinne had not
had to consider disclosing her disability in the interview process
but needed to decide how to disclose as a hired employee.
Nervous to disclose, she first met with a family friend who
works in the HR field and discussed things to consider when
disclosing a disability and her rights under the Americans with
Disabilities Act. She reviewed appropriate and empowering
ways to verbalize her needs. She then met informally with the
spine surgeon who had hired her and disclosed her diagnosis.
She also met with the HR manager at her health network for
a formal disclosure and to discuss the disease process and
potential future needs. Corinne shares that the surgeon and
her team have been nothing but extremely supportive. They
were eager to make accommodations and put a plan in place
for the HR manager to check in with Corinne every 6 months
to see if needs have evolved or changed.
Accommodations at work
Corinne uses a power wheelchair as her primary mode of
mobility at work. She can walk for a few moments at a time,
but her legs become weak and unsteady making her prone to
falling. She also has drop-foot and wears AFOs [ankle-foot
orthoses – Ed.] on both feet to help limit the increased fall
risk. When working at the hospital clinic or while doing
rounds on the surgery floor, Corinne will usually use her
wheelchair to get from room to room and then leave the
chair outside of her patient’s room and walk in. On days
when she experiences a higher level of muscle fatigue, she
stays in her power chair while visiting patients.
At work, HR provided Corinne with equipment that allows her
to use voice to text dictation for charting and making notes to
accommodate muscle fatigue in her hands. “With the way
that technology is going, I think there is a lot of opportunity
for people with disabilities to have careers now. Which is
incredible. I encourage people to pursue that,” Corinne says,
adding that working reinforces how able she is.
Because she works in a medical facility, there were not many
physical barriers that needed to be addressed. The bathrooms
are accessible and every building on site has elevators.
When staying late to finish charting one night, Corinne
learned the hard way that the front desk attendants lock
those elevators when they leave for the evening. Stranded on
the third floor, Corinne needed to be carried down three
flights of stairs by a nurse colleague – who then also carried
her heavy power chair down those same flights. Corinne
quickly developed a protocol with the front desk to ensure
that someone reaches out to her before locking the elevators
at night.
Grateful that her HR representative is diligent in checking in
with her every six months, Corinne advises others to be proactive
in updating their own HR departments as their needs
change. “It’s really nice that my employer reaches out to me,
but you can’t expect that. So really advocate for yourself as
your needs progress,” she says. “It can feel scary to ask, because
you don’t want to be a drain on your company, and you
want to be valuable. But sometimes you need to ask for what
you need so that you can be valuable.”
Corinne at graduation
“They have made me feel very valuable,” Corinne shares,
elaborating that her employer has made it clear that they will
Corinne and her husband, Luke
Corinne approached her HR representative with the need to