Tourette’s syndrome, stigma and workplace adjustments

Supporting workers with Tourette’s

Summary:

Melina Malli discusses the occupational implications of Tourette’s syndrome and how accommodating workplaces can help address the discrimination commonly experienced by working-age people with the condition.

Most of us have heard about Tourette’s syndrome (TS) within the context of a joke that has to do with blurting out offensive language. Although many may consider humour as something innocuous, it is exactly these puns and jokes that cultivate and perpetuate misconceptions and construct limited perspectives on what Tourette’s is¹.

Tourette’s syndrome was once considered a rare condition, but recent studies demonstrate a prevalence of almost one per cent of the school-aged population². Despite popular beliefs …

 

Dr Melina Malli is a research fellow at the Oxford Institute of Population Ageing, University of Oxford.

Author: Malli M

Tags disability discrimination

Occupational Health at Work December/January 2023/2024 (vol. 20/4) pp16-19

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