Today mark’s International Day of people with disabilities, encouraging an inclusive and accessible future for all those living with a health impairment, working together to remove and overcome barriers.
At Carnival we’re working hard to build an inclusive community where employee experience is personalised and people feel valued and that they belong. We want to support you to be able to bring the best version of yourself to the work place.
Guest Relations Representative Kelly Lawton, has worked at Carnival UK for nearly five years.
Like 83% of disabled people, Kelly became disabled during her working life when she was diagnosed with neurological condition, Multiple Sclerosis (MS) in 2017. Here she shares her inspirational story about working with multiple sclerosis.
Kelly Lawton
“I’d been working for Carnival UK in the Reservations team for two years and had just become a team coach when I started to develop unusual symptoms in May 2017. Following multiple trips back and forth to my GP, a MRI scan confirmed that I had multiple sclerosis. I went from being an active, bubbly and able bodied individual to having that taken away from me. As well as worrying about my symptoms and my deteriorating health, I also had the added worry of what the future would hold – how would I be able to manage everything? Would I be able to work again?
Unfortunately, just as I was trying to come to terms with living with this condition, shortly after my diagnosis, I suffered a further set back when I was taken ill with an infection in my leg and hospitalised for nine weeks. The infection provoked a relapse with my MS symptoms and I developed vertigo, numbness and a loss of feeling down my left side. During this time, my priority was to get better so that I could return to work. I had to build up my muscles and learn to walk again. Fortunately, through the help and support of the Carnival Occupational Health team, reasonable adjustments were made and I was finally able to start my phased return to work in October 2017, gradually building up my working hours from a couple of hours a day to part time, and then eventually back to full time hours in January 2020. Back in the office, Facilities undertook a desk assessment and provided me with equipment to support my posture and reduced mobility. Being supported with small changes like simply being able to sit by the window to increase my vitamin D exposure made a real difference.
Now three years on, a flexible working pattern and the ability to work from home makes it possible for me to be able to continue to do what I love. Having Multiple Sclerosis often results in a restless night’s sleep so I usually start my working day at 10am to give me more time in the morning. Working through until around 6:30pm ensures that I am not finishing too late. Facilities have supported me to be able to work at home through replicating the reasonable adjustments they made at Carnival House to my own home office with a specialist desk and chair.
The nature of my role in Guest Relations, managing and responding to our Feefo scores means that I can work flexibly and at any time of the day, allowing me to work around my symptoms. I’ve worked in the travel industry all my life – it’s a huge passion of mine and I have a lot of experience so it’s really encouraging that Carnival value me as an employee and I am able to continue to utilise my skills and expertise.
I’m really fortunate in that my team leader has really taken the time to understand my condition so that she is able to better support me and she always treats me like I’m sat next to her in the office. Even though I am often working remotely, my team also do what they can to make sure that I feel included.
As a positive, outgoing and bubbly person, I am determined not to let my disability define me. It has enabled me to look at things in a different light and I now see things from another viewpoint. For example, when I’m trying to find a parking space and I see someone using a disabled parking bay without a blue badge. It makes you appreciate things I used to take for granted.
My advice to anyone who develops a disability is never give up. There are options, and there is support out there if you have the courage and the determination to ask for it.”
We’re working hard to build a better working environment for all of our colleagues but the only way we can continue to create an inclusive and accessible workplace is to have a better understanding of who we are doing it for. So if you have a health impairment and feel as though you would benefit from some reasonable adjustments in the workplace, speak to your line manager about a referral to Occupational Health and don’t forget to update your details on My HR Portal.