Issues in employment and career development for people with multiple sclerosis: Meeting the needs of an emerging vocational rehabilitation clientele

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is one of the most prevalent neurological disorders in the world. It is an often progressive, degenerative disease of the central nervous system (CNS), characterized by damage to the myelin sheath which insulates white matter tracts within the brain and along the spinal cord. Myelin is a fatty tissue that enhances the transmission of electrical impulses to and from the CNS. Destruction of the myelin slows and/or impedes the delivery of messages throughout the neural chain (which sends signals between the brain and the rest of the body through the spinal cord).