The MS Society has been involved with the Conference Board of Canada as well as the Public Policy Forum. They have looked at MS in the workplace. The Public Policy Forum report called “Condition Chronic” looks at chronic disability and diseases.
If you look at the key messages in such reports, the broad message is that, really, we need to look at a fundamental renewal of our support system. Having this committee look at it is a first step to using that episodic disability lens.
In terms of the stigma piece you're talking about, it's education awareness. One of the suggestions in the “Condition Chronic” piece is putting together a national strategy in terms of employer best practices. In the last 10 years I've seen movement in the episodic disability arena in terms of some research, but we need more. We need to look at that. Stigma is definitely hard, and what perpetuates it is that individual you hear in that situation.