Has anyone stated on a job application that they suffer from e and been sucsessful

[Bellesbark]

I was just wondering if anyone has managed to overcome this signifigant hurdle? I certainly have not,im talking about sending a cv,forms to a faceless company that has no knowledge of you whatsoever,be good to hear if anyone has.

Neil,

I have been in your situation often. Over the years I decided that unless my condition got in the way of fulfilling the job duties I was'nt going to fret about it any more. If hired I would do my job and I always seemed to feel even safer after my probation period. It's a shame we have to think this far ahead. I have had jobs where, once hired I felt for me to be more successful at my job I should let them know of my seizure disorder. One job I was on the computer a lot so I spoke with HR about looking into providing me with the type of computer that makes it not so likely to have a seizure due to the pixels. Basically, I don't tell them anything that I don't believe they need to know. I feel one needs to both 'take care of themselves' as well as advocate for their needs. Unfortunately we need to be careful in how this is done. I had decided I was'nt going to make excuses or lie about my condition. I just decide what, and when if ever things are mentioned. I hope this might be a bit helpful. Good Luck!

 

[Bellesbark]

Just wanted to clear this up,no one on this site applied for a job,stated they had e and were employed? That says it all in my book....................crap.

Neil,

I meant to include - there have been jobs where I indicated 'controlled seizure disorder'. If it gets questioned I speak very openly about it. That it does'nt stop you from doing your duties, absenteeism is'nt a problem etc. If you have seizures that do effect your ability to show at work then I would just think of a way to answer such a question very vague but true. Again, good luck! There are good people and employers who are fair but take care of yourself. :0)

 

[Crash]

Hi Bellesbark,
Welcome to the forum,thank you for your input.Your right there are some fair employers out there we just need to find them.Although i get the feeling in a lot of cases if it came down to two of you equaly qualified going for the same post,you would lose out due to your epilepsy.I know people say this is against the law and so is that but these laws are broken countinly,they are impossible to police.The funny thing is if we lie on our application we are breaking the law too,its a catch 22 situation.
One thing i do is be quite selective about where i apply to,stress is a trigger so i only apply for jobs i think im going to be quite relaxed in,rather be in a positon im going to be stressed out all day.In the end though,id rather be happy and broke than miserable with money.

 

[Bellesbark]

Neil,

Thanks for my welcome! ). Yes, it is stressful itself having to worry about how and who and when to tell???? Then the stress kicks in and 'Boom!' A seizure! Now that's irony for ya. Unfortunately, I have been 'let go' from jobs quite a few times and it was very obvious to me and others that my performance was not being called into question. Again, I wish you the very best and please let me know if you've found a comfortable place to work. TTFN!

 

[Mono]

With some organisations here you're actually more likely to be hired if you have what could be considered a "disability". I initially got my government job through a disability placement program (fixed term) and when my contract was up I managed to find another job within the organisation incredibly easily because of the "quota" they try to acheive each year. There's different percentages for different minorities like women in upper management, people with a disability, people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, native folk etc. I think for disability it's about 9 point something percent that they try to acheive.

So whilst I didn't apply and have epilepsy on my forms as I didn't have the diagnoses at the time, I am certain it wouldn't make a difference if I were to put it on a future application. (FWIW I have a developmental disability and psychiatric impairment and this was what was on my previous forms).

 

[Crash]

Hi Mono
Looks like you may have sparked a mass exodous to Australia!!! No,but seirously,sorry about your diagnosis,its good that you are working and that epilepsy isnt holding you back,i suppose its even harder now to find employment with the economy and all.But i must go job hunting tommorow,all this laying in bed until noon has to stop...lol!!! All the best.

 

[Mono]

Hi Neil! Australia's unemployment rate is actually super low at 5.1% (as of July 2011) so there's a lot of demand for skilled workers. Simply put there's very few employable people in that 5.1%

Good luck with the job hunting, you'll find something perfect eventually!

 

[Woodland]

I understand people's concern with the legalities of being discriminated against due to them having E. However you may want to keep a few things in mind. Whether something is immoral or even illegal is NEVER the issue in these situations. The real issue is whether or not the situation is worth pursuing when you feel that you have been discriminated against.
So some questions that you need to ask yourself before pursing any legal proceedings or involving any gov't agency (ADA, etc).
1) Can you prove discrimination?
2) Even if you can. Is it worth pursuing?
3) Do you really want to sue to obtain employment at an employer who has demonstrated that they do not want to employ you? If they are forced to employ you, how well do you think they are going to treat you?
4) Are you willing to be blackballed by other potential employers simply because you have demonstrated that you are not afraid to stand up for yourself?

If you don't believe that HR's don't pay attention to employer discrimination lawsuits then you are in for a rude awakening. Employers, insurance companies, physicians and various other entities break laws on a regular basis simply because, from a financial standpoint, they know that their misconduct is not worth the cost of taking legal proceedings against them. Even if you decide to report these employers to the various anti-discrimination agencies (which obviously don't cost you any money), you are still risking being blackballed by other employers. With respect to your present employer, unless you can prove discrimination and your legal council believes that your punitive damages will be enough to support you for the rest of your life, it may be best to avoid proceedings and taking the risk of being blackballed by other employers. It's easier said than done but it's probably best to find another employer. As far a pre-employment screening, it's usually best just to walk away and move on to the next employer. It's their loss, not yours. Why do you want to be employed by a company that obviously discriminates against us and most certainly discriminates against others who have different medical conditions?
You may want to reconsider providing your E information on your cover letter and use it as a screening tool for yourself. At least you would know that any potential employer who is aware of your E and still calls you for an interview is obviously not concerned with your medical issue. Think of it as "thinning the herd" by reducing the number of potentially discriminating employers.

 

[Crash]

I think as some of the posts on this thread have said,by not saying you have e,its a chance to get your foot in the door.Some people have no choice but to work for a company that would perhaps have not employed them due to there e because of their financial situations.

As you say about discrimination,there are a lot of pros and cons to consider.I took a company to court about ten years ago,it was a long drawn out process over a year in fact and just for damages,i wouldnt have gone back even if i was offered my job back.But your right,i certainly did not recieve a life times worth of cash, i just wanted them to know they were wrong.

If we dont stick up for ourselves who else is going to?

 

[Woodland]

I also pursued an issue against an employer. In this case it involved an insurance claim. My employer had self funded insurance which means that my employer was the actual insurance company. Trust me, I did a considerable amount of research about self funded insurance throughtout this process. In short, the staff member of one of my federal politicians actually called my employer and "suggested" that they give me their decision about this claim. I did not care what decision I received, I just needed one so I would either be reimbursed or I would claim the expenses on my taxes. They did not want to reimburse me but, at the same time, they did not want to provide me with any documented proof that I was denied the charges (which I required for tax purposes) so they just dragged me along hoping that I would eventually give up.
The point is that, from that point on, any dealings that I had with medical billing was rather "tense". These personnel were very distant and spoke as if they were afraid to say anything to me. I am not apologizing for standing up for myself and I would do it again. I did nothing wrong to cause this tension. And yet I was being viewed as being the "trouble maker". This claim was in excess of $1,200. What was I supposed to do, say "that's OK don't worry about it"?