Sarajane Siegfriedt, manager of the nonprofit disAbility Resource Center in Everett, teaches people with disabilities to stand up for themselves. The center also trains businesses how to work with disabled people. One of her clients is Susinn MacMerchys, who has had problems at her Everett workplace. The company she has worked for for 21 years has allowed her to work on weekends and has gotten her an air filter to lessen her exposure to chemicals, but she said she needs more help. People don't get it.
People think it's funny.
Just this week MacMerchys filed a union grievance against the company. The firm put out a memo asking workers to wear less fragrances, but didn't back it up. MacMerchys, who takes five prescriptions and uses an asthma inhaler, said some co-workers get hostile because she is invading their space. Siegfriedt said most businesses don't understand their responsibility to employees. She said society as a whole needs to wake up to the problems chemicals cause.