Allergies/Sensitivities - The Social Responsibility?

[Gemme]

Originally Posted by Kobi

If a kid at a school has such a sensitivity that all peanuts and peanut vapors in a 10 mile radius (exaggeration here)need to be eliminated, it is reasonable for your child to be tutored at home or attend school via teleconferencing. That seems to be a reasonable compromise.

I read a story not too long ago about a girl who uses a robot to 'attend' school due to her heightened allergies. This is absolutely an option.

http://denver.cbslocal.com/2011/10/2...ous-allergies/

Originally Posted by Linus

So I have a question: if the smell of food is making her sick, what does she eat? I realize how sensitive odour allergies can be but I have to say this is a first. I would suggest to management that perhaps telecommuting might be a better option for this employee so that they can better control their work environment (i.e., home) if it is that extreme.

Originally Posted by Medusa

Ha! Good point! I get that sometimes people heat up really odorous things in the microwave and that it can sometimes be really foul (hello! fish in curry sauce!) but I gotta say that she seems to be sensitive to even the "smell" of hot tea. It was suggested to her to just work from home all the time and her reponse was that she wanted an office so that she could shut her door.

We'll see where it goes!

Something 'smells' ba dum BUM with this lady.

Originally Posted by Linus

Could she being going beyond what she is actually experiencing just to get an office?

Ding, ding, ding!

We have a winner.

[JustJo]

I suspect that Medusa's co-worker is angling for an office, too...what she's doing seems rather extreme. The smell of all food? Really?

Adults, I think, should be capable of managing their allergies and informing people what they need in order to be safe and comfortable. However, there are some times when that just won't work. Reasonable accomodations are...reasonable. Telling people they can't eat any food or ever use any scented product in their everyday work environment...ever...doesn't seem reasonable.

Having said that, I think it's a very different situation when it comes to life-threatening allergies in children. Children need special protection and are not as able to regulate and control their environment...let alone be able to foresee all of the potential dangers.

I was once on a plane where they announced that a child onboard had a severe allergy, so no peanut products would be served and please do not open any peanut products carried on board. I'm a diabetic and the food I had brought with me was....you guessed it...a PB sandwich. I explained my dilemma to the flight attendant (on JetBlue) and she was able to bring me soup and crackers instead. I was perfectly happy with that accomodation, for both the child and for me. Yes, low blood sugar can be serious for me....but I don't need to endanger a child's life so I can eat a particular thing.

I don't tend to wear a lot of scent...it's a light and occasional thing for me. I never wear scent when traveling or to the gym....or when I was taking my mother for chemotherapy appointments. I respect close quarters and sensitivities as much as possible...that's just courtesy.

[aishah]

Originally Posted by Gemme

I read a story not too long ago about a girl who uses a robot to 'attend' school due to her heightened allergies. This is absolutely an option.

http://denver.cbslocal.com/2011/10/2...ous-allergies/

i'm wondering how realistic of an option this is for poor/working class or rural parents and kids, where schools aren't willing to make those kinds of accomodations or pay that much money (if they even have that kind of money). not to mention, in this case, this girl's allergies seem to be more extensive, but in the case of a peanut allergy, i don't feel that it's an unreasonable accommodation to not have peanuts in the school environment - in most cases the school is required to provide the least restrictive environment for the child. not to mention...a robot is nice but it doesn't completely deal with the issue of isolation for the child.

[Gemme]

Originally Posted by aishah

i'm wondering how realistic of an option this is for poor/working class or rural parents and kids, where schools aren't willing to make those kinds of accomodations or pay that much money (if they even have that kind of money). not to mention, in this case, this girl's allergies seem to be more extensive, but in the case of a peanut allergy, i don't feel that it's an unreasonable accommodation to not have peanuts in the school environment - in most cases the school is required to provide the least restrictive environment for the child. not to mention...a robot is nice but it doesn't completely deal with the issue of isolation for the child.

I think that the docs and family were thinking along the lines of keeping her alive, first and foremost, and then dealing with social issues later but I see your point. She is pretty restricted as to where she can go and who she can interact with.

I don't know how realistic it is for everyone, but I'm glad it's an option out there for someone in that dire of a situation. For me, if I had medical issues like that, I'd prefer to that to, say, living in a bubble.

This is a guess, but I think that kids in rural areas might not have as many allergies. At least not the ones that can be caused by or aggravated terribly by a lot of the pollution we come in contact with daily. I wish all kids had the experience at least one summer of being able to get out of the city and away from hordes of people and enjoy nature a bit more. Fresh air and more natural surroundings do a body good.

Except if you're allergic to hay, dairy, meat, etc.

[Beloved]

My daughter is allergic to tree nuts but peanuts are ok. The first time she reacted it was really scary. I carry an epipen for her at all times. Nut allergies are so scary because they can be so severe and nuts can be hidden in so many things.

[Apocalipstic]

Based on my own allergy experiences I have a hard time even guessing what someone else should do. As populations increase, so will allergies becasue there are more people to have them.

There are different types of allergies. Food allergies like peanuts, turkey, peppers, tea, chicken, shellfish have nothing to do with pollution and are not something only people in urban areas suffer from. I do think many people have no idea what all they are allergic to unless they have testing done and allergy clinics are more plentiful in the city.

Maybe I am over sensitive this morning, but it seems to me that we might be a bit more compassionate?

On the other hand, I get that its annoying when someone can't even stand to smell you tea, or have peanuts on the same flight as you. I really like what JJ said about compromising when the issue came up for her.

It must totally suck to know every person at work hates you because they are being inconvenienced...I do know that I would not be demanding everyone change for me though. Not sure what the balance is.

[aishah]

i didn't have worse or better allergies growing up in a rural area, just different ones...i've found when i'm in rural areas i tend to react more strongly/quickly to dust, dirt, animal hair, etc. and have fewer problems with things like fragrances and chemicals (which i associate with car pollution, being indoors, or in an urban environment). i'm always allergic to dust and dander, but the allergies are way worse at my friend's house who lives down a dirt road in the middle of nowhere or at my sister's - the town i grew up in is near a peanut factory and even though i'm not really allergic to peanuts, the dust from the peanut factory causes my sinuses to go nuts and my eyes to swell up.

i think compromising can be a really good thing in many native cultures, smudging is a really important practice and it involves fragrant plants and smoke which can be triggering for folks with mcs. i was organizing a scent-free healing justice practice space at amc last year and one of the compromises we ended up having was to have the native healers smudge outside, away from where the massage/reiki/acupuncture area was.

[Random]

Originally Posted by Apocalipstic

Yes, some people go overboard, but some people are pretty hurtful complaining about other people's allergies.

We don't have allergies to inconvenience you. It's not pretend.

As long as you are OK with my asthma attacks when I come in contact with something I am allergic to I don't even know is there, you can hang out with me.

This hits home with me...

I had to *explain* myself to HR when I had an allergy/asthma attack at work... My lead had the cube next to me and had went heavy on her musk that morning... Her need to feel pretty vs my need to breath...

Nothing like being told you just need to suck it up when your airways are closing...