hi yalinda here. sry to hear your struggles. i too have arthritis in my hands and arms with tons of pain at timees but i am still kicking. the reason i am responding though is to inform you and others of your rights under the ADA- american disabilites act. i work in the field with many disabled persons who often leave their empoyment still wanting to work but accomadations at their employer are never made to do so. i have pulled up the ADA regulations for employers and am pasteing it here for review. hope that is ok?
what it means in a nut shell is accomadations should be made to meet YOUR needs as arthritis is covered in the disabilities, i looked, and these needs might be a change in position at your current job. that means if you do heavy work and need light work they are required, unless it causes hardship (which can be vaugue) to accomadate that need due to your disability. your employer does not have to pay the same rate of salary however it would be based on the job discriptions and level. ie. skilled emplyment changed to reception work answering phones might be a lesser pay but your employer accomadated you. i find often people i work with wanted to still work but felt they had to quit because of their disability and never asked their employer to accomadate their needs prior. then i end up working hard to create skills and find them employment all over again. also with blindness, which is my specialty, you can be on disability SSDI and still earn money at a job. i am uncertain about the other disabilities?
here is a seg of the law
TITLE 29--LABOR
PART 1630--REGULATIONS TO IMPLEMENT THE EQUAL EMPLOYMENT PROVISIONS OF THE AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT--Table of Contents
Sec. 1630.9 Not making reasonable accommodation.
(a) It is unlawful for a covered entity not to make reasonable
accommodation to the known physical or mental limitations of an
otherwise qualified applicant or employee with a disability, unless such
covered entity can demonstrate that the accommodation would impose an
undue hardship on the operation of its business.
(b) It is unlawful for a covered entity to deny employment
opportunities to an otherwise qualified job applicant or employee with a
disability based on the need of such covered entity to make reasonable
accommodation to such individual's physical or mental impairments.
[[Page 343]]
(c) A covered entity shall not be excused from the requirements of
this part because of any failure to receive technical assistance
authorized by section 506 of the ADA, including any failure in the
development or dissemination of any technical assistance manual
authorized by that Act.
(d) A qualified individual with a disability is not required to
accept an accommodation, aid, service, opportunity or benefit which such
qualified individual chooses not to accept. However, if such individual
rejects a reasonable accommodation, aid, service, opportunity or benefit
that is necessary to enable the individual to perform the essential
functions of the position held or desired, and cannot, as a result of
that rejection, perform the essential functions of the position, the
individual will not be considered a qualified individual with a
disability.