Employment
Most people with epilepsy are able to work in the full range of jobs. Neither the condition itself or the treatments for it will affect their ability to work. There are people with epilepsy serving successfully in every walk of life. Unfortunately, epilepsy is often still stigmatized and people face discrimination. Sometimes people are reluctant to tell their employers they have epilepsy or seizures because they learn through bitter experiences that it can be used against them.
Employment Issues
People with epilepsy can face significant challenges in the workplace, and many advocacy efforts are underway to increase the employment and success rates for people with epilepsy in the workplace. The Americans with Disabilities Act was enacted to prohibit disability-based discrimination. Many provisions of the ADA have particular impact on people with epilepsy, including inclusion for safety-sensitive jobs and reasonable accommodation.
Questions and answers about Epilepsy in the workplace and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) http://www.eeoc.gov/facts/epilepsy.html
Safety-Sensitive Jobs
People with epilepsy are able to perform a wide array of jobs safely and effectively and are successfully employed in a variety of jobs that might be considered high-risk: police officer, firefighter, welder, butcher, construction worker, etc. Depending on the degree of seizure control, it is entirely possible that a person with epilepsy may pose no greater risk on the job than the average person without epilepsy. There are some jobs, however, where the perceived risk to public safety is so high that the federal government has established rules limiting who can perform these jobs.
Changing Jobs
You may want to change jobs for reasons that have nothing to do with epilepsy. Or, you may have to change jobs because of your seizure disorder. Regardless of the reasons, there are some issues - like transportation, health care, disability insurance and retirement funds - to keep in mind if you decide to look for a new job. Review these issues in changing jobs.
Click here for more information on employment issues from the national Epilepsy Foundation website.
Accommodations
If an individual is having difficulties in performing job duties due to a disability, it is important for the employee to consider whether an accommodation should be sought. Employers are not responsible for providing accommodations where the disability is not known to the employer. Moreover, the employee experiencing difficulties in performing job duties will want to address the problem prior to the employer taking any type of adverse or disciplinary action related to job performance. For more information on accommodations click here.
