Going through the back door: Chronically ill academics’ experiences as ‘unexpected workers’

Abstract

Framed around the notion that chronically ill academics are unexpected workers in an able-bodied work environment, we draw on 35 interviews with Canadian academics with multiple sclerosis (MS) to explore their experiences of seeking accommodation. This analysis draws on and extends Goffman's (1959, 1963) theoretical concepts of ‘frontstage’ and ‘backstage’ performances and ‘stigma’ to show that getting accommodation needs met is not a straightforward process for many academics with MS. We find that seeking accommodations is highly dependent on whether or not one has disclosed having MS to others, and what institutional supports exist to assist disabled faculty members. We draw on the metaphor of ‘going through the back door’ to make sense of this finding. This analysis advances understanding of how chronically ill employees within a particular organizational culture do (or do not) get their needs accommodated, thereby adding to knowledge on chronic illness and disability accommodation in the workplace. It also sheds new light onto how the backdoor metaphor can be applied to understanding lived experiences of disability and chronic illness.