Focusing on the experiences of people who have health conditions that are usually ‘invisible’ or ‘hidden’ to others, this very informative edited book explores the dynamics of exclusion and marginalisation of employees in working relationships. Working Bodies: Chronic Illness in the Canadian Workplace juxtaposes narrative stories told by people who have chronic health conditions with empirical studies, and in the process shows that personal troubles are more than just an individual problem – they are common experiences and public issues (Wright Mills Citation1959). While there is a clear focus on the specific situations of workers who have chronic illness in Canada, there is much that resonates with experiences of disabled people in the United Kingdom and other countries with similar employment structures. Overall, the book provides a wealth of information and a detailed overview of the literature and research on the subject.
The book is edited by three well-qualified Canadian academics and chapter authors include civil society representatives as well as junior and senior academics. There are three main sections: confronting and negotiating attitudes; perspectives on accommodating chronic illness; and experiencing chronic illness in the workplace. Each includes one or more brief narrative story told by a worker who has a chronic health condition and several chapters that present empirical evidence linked to the issues raised in the story. Chronic illnesses, as defined in the book, include impairments such as diabetes, osteoarthritis, mental health conditions, multiple sclerosis, myalgic encephalomyelitis and arthritis among a long list of other possible conditions. The authors acknowledge definitional problems and draw attention to the fact that symptoms may fluctuate, resulting in workers’ uncertainty and insecurity about the possibility of working from day to day.
If there is one main message in the book, it is that employers and other workers often do not accept the need for reasonable accommodations and adjustments. On the contrary, there is often resentment and opposition. The authors clearly illustrate that the existence of formal legal rights is no guarantee that rights will be accorded and they explain why so many people with ‘hidden’ impairments are reluctant to establish or disclose their status. This discouraging finding points to the widespread need to change this situation and to find ways of doing do. Examples are also given of where successful adjustments have been put in place, but these often had to be fought for, usually with the assistance of trade unions. In workplaces that have these kinds of support structures, workers were more likely to be able to successfully negotiate adjustments and accommodations.
A small point concerns terminology and clarity. The editors argue that chronic health conditions need to be thought of as separate from other impairments, such as mobility and sensory impairments, and there is case to be made for this. In the introductory chapter it is recommended that the term disability is used to refer to social oppression and is not viewed as arising from impairment. Of course it should be borne in mind that terminology has different meanings in the United Kingdom and Canada, but I found that the terms disability and chronic illness were used rather interchangeably at times, resulting in some confusion. Relatedly, the experiences described by people with chronic health conditions in the book are characteristic of disablism and I would have been interested to see some commentary on the links between health and disability issues. This being said, the differences in terminology across countries are well understood and this does not diminish the impact of Working Bodies, which is a valuable and informative addition to the literature.
While not acquainted with the authors, I was sorry to read of the death of the lead author, Sharon-Dale Stone in 2014. Evidently a committed advocate of disabled people’s and disabled women’s rights, this work is a good tribute to her contribution to effecting change and social justice.
School of Sociology and Social Policy, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK
[email protected]
© 2016 Sarah Woodin
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09687599.2016.1167366
Reference
- Mills, C. Wright. 1959. The Sociological Imagination. New York: Oxford University.