My only observation on that is that you’re not obliged to tell a prospective employer you even have MS, let alone that you have received medical advice not to work!
Personally, I’m in favour of telling the employer about the MS, as if you opt not to, you cannot receive the full protection of the law. The employer is not obliged to accommodate something they could not know about, because the employee never said.
But, just like telling mere acquaintances about your personal financial arrangements, it’s a judgement call about how much self disclosure is appropriate. If I were serious about looking for a new job, I’d never, ever let on that I’d received medical advice not to (not that I have, but if I had).
I think this takes me right back to the earliest posts in this thread. Why would a consultant tell anyone he or she can’t or mustn’t work, if the desire is there? It does seem unusual that they would try to be so prescriptive in someone’s life, as to tell them what they can and can’t do. Especially with a condition like MS, where there are very few things that are provably always detrimental, and so much depends on the person’s own choices, priorities and commonsense.
I do wonder about the context of this “advice”, and whether it was with a view to supporting a benefits application. If the patient shows a desire and a determination to work, would they ever be told they mustn’t? For certain types of work, possibly, yes, if it’s intensely physical, or they would be climbing pylons or something. In certain fields, there are clear dangers with trying to ignore you have MS! But a blanket ban on ALL work, including sitting in an office? It seems unlikely, especially when the patient has an established track record of voluntary work. How could they be OK for one, but not the other?
If the official medical view is that it would be “dangerous” to work, then surely, that should apply to unpaid work as well?
I only know of one person who’s ever been told in no uncertain terms they mustn’t work, and that was a former boss who was found to be at imminent risk of a heart attack, and told he MUST stop immediately. He returned to the office only to explain what had happened, and to say: “Everything you need is on my desk - Good luck!” There was no handover, no nothing.
He went straight home, and they initiated ill health retirement. I don’t think MS is at all like that - you’re not “dicing with death” if you make the choice to try to work. It might work out OK, it might not, but a long history of successful volunteer activities is as good a guide as any.
Tina
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