Employment

People with Marfan syndrome are cautioned against contact sports, heavy lifting, exerting excessive force.

Work considerations

In pursuing any kind of employment, consider the full job experience, not just job roles. You may wish to consider some or all of the following, which can be vitally important to anyone with chronic medical issues:

Work environment, including ergonomics
Work-life friendly policies like telecommuting, job sharing, and part-time work schedules
Health insurance (many Marfs prefer PPOs to HMO/POS plans that restrict which doctors you can see)
Disability insurance (both short-term and long-term disability policies are important)
Life insurance
Time off policies (including paid holidays, sick leave, vacation, sabbaticals, etc.)
Retirement plans (with a special focus on provisions for early withdrawals if employee becomes permanently disabled)

Careers good for people with Marfan syndrome

If you have Marfan and think your career or job is an ideal one, list it below.

Librarian or library worker (except for jobs where lifting lots of books at a time is expected)
Computer software engineer
Science writer/technical writer/technical editor

Discrimination in the job interview process

Generally speaking, it is illegal for companies to ask you health-related questions during the job interview and application process. Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act lists these interview questions as prohibited:

Do you have a heart condition?
Do you have asthma or any other difficulties breathing?
Do you have a disability which would interfere with your ability to perform the job?
How many days were you sick last year?
Have you ever filed for workers' compensation? Have you ever been injured on the job?
Have you ever been treated for mental health problems?
What prescription drugs are you currently taking?

If you have an obvious disability, or have chosen to disclose that you have a disability, an employer may ask during the interview whether you require reasonable accommodation to perform the job.

Once an organization has offered you a job, they may ask you health-related questions, as long as they ask these questions of all new hires, not just you.

Related Resource:

Job Applicants and the Americans with Disabilities Act, from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission website.

Reasonable accommodation once you are hired

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) also requires employers to make "reasonable accommodations" that allow employees with disabilities to perform their jobs. This might mean allowing a chronically ill person who has low energy to work a part-time schedule. It might mean providing ergonomic equipment for an employee with a bad back. It might mean altering how an employee does his/her work to reduce stress on a weak heart. When an employee requests a reasonable accommodation, the employer must meet the need unless it would cause the employer undue hardship.

Related Resource:

Enforcement Guidance: Reasonable Accommodation and Undue Hardship Under the Americans with Disabilities Act, from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission website.