Employment may be one of the most important goals for you and your family. Many people with myasthenia continue to work.

The decision to tell your employer about your myasthenia is yours, and you are not legally obliged to. However, you may wish to inform your employer if you think you may need some help or adjustments now or in the future to do your job.

Reasonable adjustments

If your myasthenia has a significant impact on your day-to-day life, it is likely to be classed as a disability under the Equality Act 2010. This means that your employer has a duty to make “reasonable adjustments” to allow you to continue to work. Adjustments could be to your working pattern, place of work, duties or hours or could include providing equipment or accessible facilities. An adjustment is likely to be “reasonable” if it is practical, affordable, and doesn’t have a detrimental impact on the business. Whether or not an adjustment is deemed reasonable, therefore, can depend on the size of the business.

Driving

If your job involves driving, you must notify the DVLA of your myasthenia as it is an offence under the Road Traffic Act 1988 to fail to notify the DVLA of a disability. Read more about driving and myasthenia.

Your employer

Your employer can't dismiss you just because you've become disabled, and you also can't be selected for redundancy just because you're disabled. It is also against the law to discriminate against you because of your disability when you are applying for jobs. 

Your employer should not apply the same blanket sickness absence policy to you if you need more time off sick due to your disability. They must also obtain medical evidence and consider all reasonable alternatives before dismissing you because you’ve had a lot of time off sick. If they do not, it may be disability discrimination. Please contact us for advice if you are in that situation.

You may be able to claim benefits if your ability to work is affected by your myasthenia. For more information, have a look at our benefits and welfare advice page or contact us for advice.

Information for schools / colleges