Multiple sclerosis and academic work: Socio‐spatial strategies adopted to maintain employment

Maintaining paid work and the occupational identity it entails after onset of multiple sclerosis is important and beneficial. Research consistently shows that employees with multiple sclerosis who are more highly educated and in positions with greater occupational prestige are more likely to remain in the workforce. We ask: what is it about the specific workplaces in which such workers are employed that facilitates these employment outcomes? To answer this question we conducted an exploratory pilot study involving 10 semi‐structured interviews with Canadian academics with multiple sclerosis. Respondents’ adoption of socio‐spatials trategies related to travel, spatio‐temporalr outines, and social networks was central to maintaining a place in the academic workforce. Factors such as flexibility, access to resources, and symptom fluctuation enabled these strategies. The findings show that the relationships between place and occupation are complex in that multiple physical and social spaces and also roles are invoked in maintaining a particular occupational identity.

Key Words:

• Multiple sclerosis
• University
• Employment
• Place
• Occupation