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Needing help at work

Posted: Fri 04 Aug 2017 6:30 pm
by Emma_Jayne
Hi just wondering if anyone can help, I need a magnifier screen cover for tills at work and it needs to be suitable for touch screen tills. Anyone got any places I can look I've been searching online but can't seem to find anything suitable.

I've been to occupational health and they suggest software for the tills but my company is unable to put this onto the system and won't get me a bigger screen or anything else I've suggested so basically I need a magnifier that can clip onto the screen

Re: Needing help at work

Posted: Sat 05 Aug 2017 10:40 pm
by Bulls Eye
Your employer has to make reasonable adjustments and comply with the Equality Act. You may find this thread helpful -

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=16288&p=74284#p74284

Be assertive and do everything in writing and put it on file. You should be getting support from Access to Work and RNIB as well as your GP and eye hospital consultant opth and optometrist. This charity should also be helping you.

Re: Needing help at work

Posted: Sun 06 Aug 2017 7:49 am
by Emma_Jayne
The adjustment they have made and say is reasonable is taking me off tills altogether which is neither practical or helpful to anyone its leaving me struggling with my depression, because in a small shop with only 4 staff remember at a time having g one not do tills puts more strain on the rest. And they all resent me for it.

Access to work won't help because work have made some adjustments by getting me a handheld magnifier and the cost need to be over a certain about for a big company.

I tried vista Friday and am waiting for a call back from them but I'm at the end of my tether this has been going on for over a year now since I had my first crosslinking treatment

I dont know how much more I can take things with my KC aren't good and thing at work are getting impossible. .

Re: Needing help at work

Posted: Sun 06 Aug 2017 10:53 am
by Anne Klepacz
I don't know if such a clip on screen exists. I can't see anything like it on the RNIB list of magnification devices http://shop.rnib.org.uk/magnification.html though that doesn't mean it doesn't exist. And they do have various hands free magnifiers - I don't know if any of those would work for you. Vista should know more (and they have a shop/office in Leicester where you could go and try things out).

Re: Needing help at work

Posted: Sun 06 Aug 2017 11:33 am
by Bulls Eye
Hi Emma

I wish I had the solutions to help you but I dont and all I can say from my KC journey is that you are no alone.

As KC progresses it starts impacting on your life and without an effective caring medical support team - GP, optom and opth consultant, the charities - RNIB, this charity you are extremely vulnerable in the world of work.

Sadly as I discovered its self help theres nothing out there other than the signposting techniques all of them employ.

PM me on here if you wish and I would be happy to discuss further if you feel that would be of any help.

Re: Needing help at work

Posted: Sun 06 Aug 2017 12:11 pm
by Bulls Eye
Anne the link you supplied. Who is responsible for having to pay the cost of the devices the employee or the employer?

Re: Needing help at work

Posted: Mon 07 Aug 2017 10:00 am
by Bulls Eye
Emma some links on this site I came across which may help although they are dated as since they were published the government has introduced the Equality Act -

http://www.keratoconus-group.org.uk/pub ... ers_A4.pdf
http://www.keratoconus-group.org.uk/pub ... eaflet.pdf

Also this however I found it difficult to follow due to the poor sound quality -
http://www.keratoconus-group.org.uk/conferences/2011/

Re: Needing help at work

Posted: Mon 07 Aug 2017 1:53 pm
by Anne Klepacz
Re cost of devices, if they're recommended by the Access to Work scheme, then Access to Work can pay up to 80% of the cost with the employer paying the rest. Though as Emma says, there are restrictions on what AtW will pay, which have come in with all the benefits cutbacks in recent years. There's various info about Access to Work on the gov website, but the fullest is the one for employers https://www.gov.uk/government/publicati ... -employers
which sets out the financial restrictions.

Re: Needing help at work

Posted: Mon 07 Aug 2017 7:09 pm
by Bulls Eye
Emma were you are at now there should be a health care plan in place by the NHS Health professionals to give you the support you need to get through this. These are the people who should be taking the lead, not you, not me not this charity.

Until you get the backing you need you are extremely vulnerable at work especially if you have not been designated as a disabled person under the Equality Act. There lies the root of the problem.

Its sad that this charity does not adequately represent or speak out for us.

I have read all your posts and your situation has been going on for a long time so I am not suprised your at "breaking point" So sad your not geting supportt from this charity other than signposting to documents which I imagine overloads you with information and traumatises you further.

Try to relax, meditate and listen to calming music when it gets really bad.

Re: Needing help at work

Posted: Tue 08 Aug 2017 7:57 pm
by Emma_Jayne
I spoke to the RNIB who pushed me back to ATW which won't be able to help still.

They also said the only thing I can really do it have another meeting with the area manager and HR at work then take it to a tribunal but because work have said that I can't use tills and thats considered a reasonable adjustment to my job role that might be enough for them to get away with not helping me even though thats massively impacting my mental health now and the fact that manager keep going on that they need me on the tills isn't helping.

I'm stuck between a rock and a hard place might as well just give in with the whole mess