To disclose or not to disclose: a phenomenological and autoethnographic account of teaching while living with a hidden illness

Multiple Sclerosis (MS) affects more than 130,000 people in the UK (PHE, 2020). It is a degenerative disease of the central nervous system, currently without a cure, which can affect a wide range of physical and cognitive functions. Whilst there are many studies that explore the impact of the disease for those who have been diagnosed with MS, including the potential effect in the workplace and surrounding the issue of disclosure, there is a significant dearth of literature relating to how MS affects people specifically in the teaching profession. The aim of this study is to explore teaching with a hidden illness – namely MS, and this was broken down into two main areas of focus: firstly, how compatible is having MS with being a member of the teaching profession, and secondly, what factors are considered when contemplating whether to disclose (or not).

Grantor dc:publisher

Oxford Brookes University

Year dc:date

2023

Author dc:creator

• Perona-Wright, Kit

Contributors dc:contributor

• Wright, Susannah
• Alexander, Patrick

Statement dc:rights

• All rights reserved

Language dc:language

en

DOI dc:identifier

https://doi.org/10.24384/e7jx-j325

OAI identifier oai:identifier

tle:16e22cc1-217e-4e3b-88a6-97bea5f64151:d6bd9758-527a-46cd-bfe2-c433766e8fca:1