I yawn a lot, don’t take it personally: MS, TV and me

When I was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis in 2011 it was a shock, to say the least. After three bouts of vision loss, one whilst working on the studio floor of The One Show, I was called into Moorfields eye hospital and given the hammer blow - I had relapse and remitting MS and it’s incurable.  

The internet said I would end up in a wheelchair. I would lose control of my bowels. I should avoid stress and not over exert myself physically. So there was no way I could maintain a career in the fast paced, relentless, physically and mentally demanding landscape of TV Production was there?

Fast forward 11 years and I am writing this in my gym kit, about to nail a 45 minute strength class. I've had a successful career in TV, climbing the spikey ladder to Series Producer on a food and travel show. Oh, and there’s not an incontinence pad in sight. 

Living with a disability and working in TV isn’t easy, but it is possible, especially now.

The pandemic forced us to reevaluate our working practices and out of it grew hybrid working, in my view the most inclusive policy to hit the TV industry EVER. For people like me, avoiding the stresses of travel and the constrictions of an office is invaluable. 

As Creative Director of Gritty Talent I keep fairly standard hours but I work from home most of the time, often starting at 7.30 when I’ve got the most energy and taking a nap around 3pm when I’m really tired. Fortunately my colleagues know that I yawn a lot, they don’t take it personally. Sometimes I work from bed, the sofa, my office, a cafe, the garden - I listen to what my mind and body need to do my best work and flex my location and schedule depending on it. 

This flexibility and non-adherence to a traditional 9 - 5 schedule allows me to work with my power, rather than fighting through a quagmire of fatigue, just because it’s the accepted thing to do. 

And it’s not just me and my disabled brethren who appreciate flexible working, a survey found that 87% of people want to work flexibly, rising to 92% in young people. The business case is clear - it creates less absenteeism, improved retention of staff and 9 out of 10 employees state that it improves their productivity. 

Flexible working isn’t always possible in TV, long days on location are often unavoidable. But asking for adjustments that make this more manageable for you is not. As a person with a disability, be it physical or neurological, you have the legal right to ask for a ‘reasonable adjustment’ to do your work. Whether it’s taking a taxi rather than a ten minute walk, working from home the day after a shoot or always having a chair near you to rest your legs - you can and should ask for whatever is reasonable to look after yourself while on the job.

Many of the TV companies we work with now embrace flexible working and the needs of their disabled talent - but not all do. I fear there are many people out there who would benefit from flexible working and reasonable adjustments but don’t have the courage to ask. 

So my message to employers is simple - offer flexible working wherever possible.

And my message to everyone else? Don’t just work for the industry, make the industry work for you too. 

For more resources for your production, check out https://www.grittytalent.tv/disability