Dear Colleagues,

Please send some healing energies and loving strength my way. Due to severe and chronic pain, for the past year I have been unable to use my arms to type on a computer, use a mouse or trackpad, write with a pen, stylus, or piece of chalk, or lift anything weighing more than 0.5 pounds.   

This is why I have been mostly off-line during the past year, combining medical leave and unpaid leave from my tenured position as Associate Professor.

Fortunately, the injury to my arms has not dampened my passion for philosophy, and I remain fully committed to doing research, teaching, and serving the academic community. On difficult days, I remind myself that Socrates never used his arms to type on a computer, and yet he managed to teach effectively and publicize his research with the assistance of others.

Back on May 7, I requested that my employer provide reasonable accommodations to my disability so that I could return to work this fall.  Due to significant delays and difficulties in the negotiations, I have still not received all the accommodations I need.

Good news: the University has agreed to provide a speakerphone for my office with speed dial.  They have also approved my request to teach on a modified work schedule so that I can manage the severe pain in my arms.  I will still carry a full workload, it will just be spread out over 12 months in a different way than other full-time faculty.  (Instead of teaching 3:3, I'll teach 2 in fall, 2 in spring, and 2 over the summer.)

Because the University has so far refused to do so, I have personally purchased speech recognition software and hired a trainer to customize that software so that I can use Blackboard to upload course materials and PeopleSoft to submit final grades.

Bad news: The University has refused to hire a job assistant (a simple matter of assigning one graduate student to help me 10 hours/week) and won't permit me to bring my own job assistant onto campus, because of liability issues. 

Classes start Wed Sept. 4 and I envision myself walking onto campus with my heart open and a job assistant by my side so I can get back to doing philosophy. For now, I am in bed with a severe cold and sore throat. I'm down for the count, but I WILL GET BACK UP AGAIN!

NOTE:  I'm going to stay offline for a while as arm pain is beginning to increase.  Please send me your good wishes mentally, as I won't be able to respond to e-mails or phone calls while I'm sick.