Schools will often request additional information on how to support their student. This is a sample letter that can be modified for use with your patient.

Dear Educator,

I am writing to give you an update regarding this student who has a medical condition. Accommodations and modifications are essential so that this student will be able to participate in the school curriculum.

General recommendations

• Create a support network at the school for this patient. Identify a key ‘Case Coordinator’, as well as a core group of adults who can get to know the patient better and provide support.
• If there is not already an Individualized Education Plan (IEP), then create an IEP with supports.
• Create an environment where students feel accepted, and are not judged on the basis of their physical appearance, including weight and body type. Negative comments, teasing and harassment must be avoided. In addition, positive comments such as « You’re looking great today, did you lose weight? » should be avoided as well. Positive comments are still judgment, and this student is sensitive to judgment.

Flexibility

• Be flexible and understanding that the student may need time for doctor’s appointments
• Be flexible about deadlines for assignments

Curriculum recommendations

• Teach media literacy skills so that students understand the unrealistic and false messages that the media sends us about unhealthy body types.
• Focus physical education on healthy active living rather than on losing weight.
• Teach students a non-dieting philosophy, whole nutrition and eating all colors of foods
• Provide general information about eating disorders. There are curriculums about mental health and eating disorders available, such as through www.teenmentalhealth.org. Avoid showing Hollywood movies or other dramatizations about eating disorders they may inadvertently glamorize having an eating disorder.
• Don’t show videos on animal cruelty. For children at risk, it may be traumatic and lead them to become vegetarian, which can lead to food avoidance/phobia and contribute to developing an eating disorders.

Acceptance

• Do not exclude the student from activities on the basis of physical size or shape

Avoid activities that may lead to judgment over their bodies.

• Avoid weighing students in front of each other.
• Avoid measuring students’ body fat with calipers.

Reduce physical exertion

• Understand that the student may become more easily fatigued and tired, and may thus need accomodation for more frequent rest periods

Connection

• The most important way to support any student, with any issue, is to provide an environment where they feel that the adults care. Show your caring by spending time with the student, taking time to get to know the student. When the student talks, listen to the student’s feelings, and validate those feelings. Even if the student says things that you do not agree with, try to avoid the natural tendency to jump in with criticism, advice or correction.

For example : Student says, « I’m fat. »

Try to resist the urge to simply jump in with « No, you’re not fat, you’re beautiful. » It is well meaning to try to give the student your perspective, but if the student has very low self-esteem, then your perspective is interpreted as you simply arguing and not validating how they feel. Instead, use connection before correction.. Connect with how the student feels before correcting... 

Start with « You think you’re fat?  Tell me more… »

Validate, « Wow, that must be very hard… It can’t be easy feeling that way…"

If you feel that the student might be ready, perhaps ask tentatively if the student would be open to your suggestion, « Can I give you my opinion?" 

And if the student seems somewhat open, then you can say something like, "You’re a beautiful person… And here are all the reasons… You have a beautiful smile... You are sweet and gentle..."

Monitoring

• If you hear the student talking negatively about his/her weight or body, then speak further to the student. Let others know, such as the student’s parents, the school guidance counselor, social worker or other necessary staff who can provide support.

Examples of Common Workplace Accommodations

Accommodations should be based on your needs and the employer’s resources. There is no standard list of reasonable accommodations, but here is a list of commonly provided workplace accommodations:

• Job coach assistance in hiring and on the job mentoring as necessary. Job coach/mentor could be from an external agency or be from within the organization.

• Flexible scheduling to accommodate effects of medications, time for appointments, more frequent breaks, switch to temporary part-time hours without fear of losing job.

• Changes in supervision, for example how feedback and instruction are given, or having weekly supervision appointments to check in and prevent problems before they can happen.

• In training, allowing more time for tasks to be learned, or allowing for individualized, one-on-one training.

• Appropriate technology like a tape recorder to tape instructions, head phones to block out loud noise, etc.

• Modifying work space or changing location so it is quieter, fewer distractions; allowing an employee to work at home.

• Allowing an employee to exchange minor job tasks with others.

Rights and Responsibilities of the Employer & Employee

The Employer Should:

• Create and maintain an atmosphere where people feel comfortable asking for accommodation, including providing information about the organization’s policies and creating ways for requests to happen confidentially.

• Assume that the employee’s request for accommodation is made in good faith.

• In a timely manner, work with the employee (and a professional, if necessary), to explore all options for accommodation.

• Maintain records of the request and steps taken to deal with the request.

• Maintain and respect confidentiality issues.

• Pay the cost of the accommodations, including fees for any medical certificates required.

• Request only information that is directly related to developing an appropriate accommodation.

• Ensure that managers and supervisory staff will not tolerate any discrimination or harassment as a result of an illness or an accommodation.

The Employee Should

• Tell the employer you need an accommodation, due to a disability, and give them the information they need to understand what the limitations are and what accommodations would address them.

• If requested, provide supporting documentation or medical certificates.

• Meet all relevant job requirements and standards once the accommodation has been provided.

• Continue to work with the employer to ensure that the accommodation remains effective and to check in with how you are doing.

SOURCE

Adapted from “Employment” , in “From Rollercoaster to Recovery”.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

• The Alberta Human Rights Commission has additional information on responsibilities for employers around employees with addictions issues
  http://www.albertahumanrights.ab.ca/publications/bulletins_sheets_booklets/ sheets/protected_grounds/drug_and_alcohol_dependencies.asp