Suffering in silenceDespite a law designed to protect them, many people with disabling conditions are unaware of their rights. Carole Concha-Bell tells of her experiences.Being diagnosed v. 诊断；被诊断为（diagnose的过去分词）with a disabling condition is always a shock. Learning to live without the guarantee of health is like having to unlearn vt. 忘却；抛掉以前的想法；去掉…的弊习a previous life. The implications n. 蕴涵式；暗指，暗示；含蓄，含意；卷入for your working life may seem intimidating 吓人的、令人不安的.There is the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) 残障歧视法, of course. But does it really provide the protection in the workplace that parliament n. 议会，国会intended v. 打算；准备? Are employers merely paying lip service to 口头上承认the DDA? Or are they even aware of an employer's legal duties and responsibilities义务与责任?In my experience, it is the latter. I have received little support from employers to whom I have revealed v. 透露（reveal的过去式）；显示my condition. This has often left me feeling at a disadvantage and wondering adj. 疑惑的；觉得奇怪的why I bothered doing so in the first place 首先，第一，原本.I had been struggling with illness long before 很早以前；在…以前很久I was diagnosed. In practical terms 实际上；在实践中the diagnosis did little to aid me有助于. Of course, it enabled me to understand my body, my limitations and set me on a course to stabilize vt. 使…坚固；使…安定；装稳定器my symptoms. But it brought a new dilemma n. 困境；进退两难；两刀论法. Where I had previously struggled to work while ill, ignorant adj. 无知的；愚昧的of why my body was misbehaving vi. 作弊；行为不礼貌, I now had a name for my daily struggle: Lupus (狼疮). This is a chronic (慢性的) auto-immune 自身免疫的disorder that can affect virtually adv. 事实上，几乎；实质上any system in the body. It also leaves a huge, dark question hanging over my head when seeking employment: should I tell my employers I have a condition? It is a dilemma that continues to be a root cause of anxiety [æŋ'zaɪətɪ] both for myself and for thousands of other UK employees.The rocky road 坎坷崎岖的路to my unfortunate enlightenment about work and disability began just after graduatio n n. 毕业；毕业典礼；when I'd set my sights on a career in communications and landed my dream job with a respected p ublic relations consultancy (咨询公司) in Bristol. But while I was learning the art of media relations, my body w asn't quite making it in health terms. I often went to work with swollen limbs n. [解剖] 四肢and fevers. At my first a nd last performance review 服务表现检讨；业绩评价, my boss was amazed that, despite my many capabilities, I hadn't quite taken control of my responsibilities. A few months later, my contract n. 合同；婚约wasn't renewed and I plunged 投入；跳进；使陷入further into new depths of ill health.However, I was determined not to be beaten and returned to the interview trail. My next job was in publishing. But despite a shining adj. 光亮的；华丽的performance at the interview, I felt like a fraud n. 欺骗；骗子；诡计. How long would it be before I sank into ill health and depression n. 沮丧；洼地；不景气；忧愁again?The job was to end with a monumental adj. 不朽的；纪念碑的；非常的bang when I became so poorly I could no longer f unction n. 功能；[数] 函数；vi. 运行；活动；. A few feverish adj. 发热的；极度兴奋的weeks in bed ended in specialist appointment, where I was diagnosed with Lupus and rushed into hospital for fear that 生怕，唯恐；以免；以防万一it may have attacked my interna l adj. 内部的；内在的；国内的organs.The next 12 months were filled with confusion n. 混淆，混乱；困惑. I had no idea about benefits, felt alienated (被视为另类) by the medical establishment 医疗机构and lived off 靠……生活my savings until I was broke. I realized 意识I needed help from my family and moved to London.As soon as I felt better, I marched into a marketing recruitment n. 补充；征募新兵consultancy n. 咨询公司；顾问工作and, within 10 minutes, I had impressed the interviewer enough to be offered a job with the agency. We agreed on a decent adj. 正派的；得体的；相当好的salary and I told him I had arthritis (关节炎) and would need to work a four-day week.Things went well at the start but soon the client 客户meetings began to fall on my day off, and I rarely le ft the office on time. I began to slip both in health and professional terms n. 术语；学期；期限；条款. The 10-hour days cras hed around my head; no amount of make-up 化装化妆组成could disguise my ill health as I battled against the odds迎难而上，成败之际，冲破万重的困难to prove to myself that I could still make it in the business world. I often cried on the bus on不久前my contract was due to be made permanent adj. 永久的，永恒的；不变的, I was called to the boss's office and given the "talk" about how my performance n. 性能；绩效；表演；执行was slipping, how awful I looked. Ifelt too weak to fight back and agreed to leave. No attempts to 尝试企图offer adjustments to my job, such as bein g able to work from home, were ever made. I had a case for unfair dismissal n. 解雇；免职under the DDA, but was i gnorant of this at the time.An estimated 10 million people in the UK, or 17% of the population, qualify for disability status under the DDA. I have encountered v. 遇到；曾遭遇a number of them: the liver-diseased boss; the co-worker with a heart condition; and my asthmatic (哮喘的) trainee-teacher friend. None had disclosed (透露) their conditions to employers, and all were feeling the strain n. 张力；拉紧；负担；扭伤；血缘of not doing so.To access your rights under the DDA and to request " reasonable adjustments" to your working conditions or your workplace requires disclosure 披露；揭发. I had warned my former employer about my condition but it served li ttle purpose收效甚微. They were ignorant about their obligations 债务义务责任to their disabled staff.However, there are plenty of forward-thinking organisations that have inclusive recruitment n. 补充；征募新兵policies; are more likely to employ a worker with a disability; and are more aware of their legal duties. The public secto r 公共部门out-performs the private, but not always the voluntary, according to studies for the Disabilities Rights Co mmission委员会.I decided to give the voluntary sector a go and was surprised to be offered flexible working conditions and other solutions to meet my needs as an employee. But given the choice, I would still prefer a career in the private sector, which for me is more dynamic n. 动态；动力, has more attractive salaries and offers better prospects n. 前景；预期；潜在顾客；远景展望than the voluntary or public sectors.Despite the advances of the DDA, there will always be an army of workers who will soldier on 继续服役；坚持着干；迎着困难干, maybe aware of their rights but choosing to remain silent for personal reasons. It is important, though, to recognize the significance of the act, the protection n. 保护；防卫；护照it affords and the obligations that employers have to us as employees and as human beings.。