Dorissa is a Public Health Advisor who assists with COVID-19 initiatives in New York City. At the start of 2021, she was diagnosed with an extremely rare autoimmune disorder. She found it challenging to navigate motherhood, work, and her newly diagnosed illness. Dorissa experienced ongoing difficulty requesting reasonable accommodations such as a job transfer, shift change, and frequent breaks to manage her illness, as well as the flexibility to care for her daughter amidst abrupt pandemic-related school closures. Feeling defeated, Dorissa reached out to A Better Balance for help.
“I felt very frustrated because I was very well-informed,” Dorissa said. Now, she speaks out about her experience to advocate for expanded legal protections for parents, caregivers, and disabled workers.