Logistics at a Crossroads: ⚙️ Volume 18: The Disability Gap
When cancer treatment ends, the expectation is that life returns to normal.
But in reality, “remission” doesn’t mean “restored.” It means rebuilding — slowly, painfully, and often without understanding from the workplace.
As an ovarian cancer survivor, I’ve lived it.
You go from weekly chemo and scan anxiety to suddenly being told, “You're good to go!”
Except you’re not.
You’re still exhausted.
You’re still navigating follow-ups every few months.
You still wake up with days where your body — or your mind — simply says no.
In logistics, there’s no real language for that kind of recovery.
“Light duty” doesn’t mean flexibility.
It means fewer boxes, maybe. But not less pressure.
The Truth About Invisible Disabilities
Whether it’s cancer recovery, autoimmune conditions, mental health, chronic pain, or fatigue disorders — invisible disabilities are real.
But they are rarely accommodated meaningfully in physical or fast-paced logistics environments.
Instead, workers push through — silently.
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HR might check a compliance box.
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Supervisors may say, “You’ve got this.”
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But real support? Modified hours? Grace? It’s rare.
We are not designed to operate at 100% after major trauma — and yet that’s exactly what’s expected.
What Needs to Change
🛠️ It’s time for logistics leaders to stop relying on outdated definitions of accommodation.
We need:
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✳️ Flexible scheduling for treatment follow-ups and fatigue days
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✳️ Training for supervisors on how to support—not shame—disabled employees
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✳️ Space for recovery that isn’t tied to a time clock
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✳️ Recognition that showing up in any form is strength
Because the truth is:
Not bouncing back doesn’t mean we’re broken.
It means we’re still here.
Volume 18 is the start of our Systems We Survive arc — where we unpack how outdated systems quietly fail the very people who power this industry.
Next up: Volume 20 – Rejected, Redefined
We’ll explore what happens when aging workers are quietly pushed out of logistics roles — and the hidden cost of ignoring experience.
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