seizingbeauty
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Quick curiosity question, did you also want references to volenteer situations?
Tell Me All About Employment & Prejudice?
- Thread starter Elaine H
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I'm not sure if anyone wanted this thread pursued anymore more or not but it raised some interesting thoughts of mine.
I just spent 4 years overseas. Part of that time I was employed for a military contractor. The company that employed me was aware of my E from the beginning and had no issue with it since my meds were available to me in the country we were in. My first contract I had two seizure while at work, after the second seizure my boss had them pull my company driver's license and I was no longer allowed to drive a company vehicle nor was I allowed to drive on any military installation. I think it just freaked everyone out and they did start treating me differently; like I was more fragile and was going to break at any minute. I was tired and the stress was getting to me which is probably why the seizures occurred so I ended my contract.
I returned to the States for awhile...during that time I rested up and of course, quickly got bored. I started applying for jobs, I would get called for interviews, they would seem to go well but then pfft...nothing would happen. I do not disclose that I have E during interviews but I would put it down on applications/ paperwork which I would fill out after an interview. I've often wondered if that was where everthing would break down at. They would go through the paperwork, see "EPILEPSY", go "I don't think so" and move on. Prior to E I had never had a problem finding a job...I would usually get an interview the same day I applied and be hired the next day.
I ended up going back overseas...they called and asked if I was interested and I said yes. I went to a different part of the company; their only stipulation was that I couldn't drive. I did it for as long as I could but it is just truly too stressfull and I had another break-through seizure again. I came back and this time when they asked me to come back I said no. It is nice to be wanted but why can't I find that in the States working 30-40 hours a week instead of in 120F heat, 48 hrs a week with sand flying all over the place??
I just spent 4 years overseas. Part of that time I was employed for a military contractor. The company that employed me was aware of my E from the beginning and had no issue with it since my meds were available to me in the country we were in. My first contract I had two seizure while at work, after the second seizure my boss had them pull my company driver's license and I was no longer allowed to drive a company vehicle nor was I allowed to drive on any military installation. I think it just freaked everyone out and they did start treating me differently; like I was more fragile and was going to break at any minute. I was tired and the stress was getting to me which is probably why the seizures occurred so I ended my contract.
I returned to the States for awhile...during that time I rested up and of course, quickly got bored. I started applying for jobs, I would get called for interviews, they would seem to go well but then pfft...nothing would happen. I do not disclose that I have E during interviews but I would put it down on applications/ paperwork which I would fill out after an interview. I've often wondered if that was where everthing would break down at. They would go through the paperwork, see "EPILEPSY", go "I don't think so" and move on. Prior to E I had never had a problem finding a job...I would usually get an interview the same day I applied and be hired the next day.
I ended up going back overseas...they called and asked if I was interested and I said yes. I went to a different part of the company; their only stipulation was that I couldn't drive. I did it for as long as I could but it is just truly too stressfull and I had another break-through seizure again. I came back and this time when they asked me to come back I said no. It is nice to be wanted but why can't I find that in the States working 30-40 hours a week instead of in 120F heat, 48 hrs a week with sand flying all over the place??
Elaine H
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Hi There
Thanks for getting back to me, I appreciate you sharing your experiences with us, and hope that you are well at this time?
Regarding Brent, I think we shall have to agree to disagree on this one. I have been recently trying to help a friend of mine, who has recently been sacked from his job of four years, simply for having epilepsy! Disgraceful! I have contacted several organisations here to try and get some help for Jamie, but have drawn a blank everywhere, and it would seem that he does not have a case, and the UK's Disability Discrimination Act 1995 is not worth the paper it is written on!
Brent suggests that arrogant old Lainey, goes into an interview "guns blazing" to endeavour to get the sympathy vote, and tell them about my epilepsy. Right Brent, listen up.
In the U.K we don't have to disclose our epilepsy if we don't feel it is relevant to the job applied for, especially if it is well controlled (mine is totally all over the place) For some jobs here in the UK, we will have a medical questionnaire to complete with the application form, it is up to us as to whether we disclose our epilepsy or not. We can leave it blank and put "discuss at interview" If we do not disclose epilepsy at this level of the application, it could mean at a later date, that we "have not fulfilled our responsibilties under The Health & Safety Act, and we can be dismissed for gross misconduct!!"
I don't know about you Brent, but a) I would not want this on my CV, and b) I would worry myself sick, if I had been offered my dream job, that I was going to have a bad seizure, stress leads to seizures...leads to dismissal, leads to back to square one! What is so wrong about being happy to discuss a medical condition with a prospective employer, if they don't want you on board, then they were probably not worth working for anyway, and the reason this world treats PWE like idiots, is because, we constantly are forced to hide our condition, this is so wrong!!!
Try and see what I'm saying here huh? Why hide it, oh yeah, because they'll think I'm trying for the sympathy vote? I'll only get the job because they feel sorry for me? That is complete and utter rubbish, I am as capable, educated and intelligent as anyone! Oh my God, I couldn't believe it when I read that in your post? I never want anyone's pity, it's only bloody epilepsy for Chrissakes, I'm not (with all due respect to the following) riddled with Aids, in a wheelchair, paralysed from the neck down, blind, or mentally impaired!!! It is just a bit of epilepsy, I and all my fellow PWE here in the UK, simply want to be treated with understanding, what in the Hell is so wrong with that?!
Elaine
Thanks for getting back to me, I appreciate you sharing your experiences with us, and hope that you are well at this time?
Regarding Brent, I think we shall have to agree to disagree on this one. I have been recently trying to help a friend of mine, who has recently been sacked from his job of four years, simply for having epilepsy! Disgraceful! I have contacted several organisations here to try and get some help for Jamie, but have drawn a blank everywhere, and it would seem that he does not have a case, and the UK's Disability Discrimination Act 1995 is not worth the paper it is written on!
Brent suggests that arrogant old Lainey, goes into an interview "guns blazing" to endeavour to get the sympathy vote, and tell them about my epilepsy. Right Brent, listen up.
In the U.K we don't have to disclose our epilepsy if we don't feel it is relevant to the job applied for, especially if it is well controlled (mine is totally all over the place) For some jobs here in the UK, we will have a medical questionnaire to complete with the application form, it is up to us as to whether we disclose our epilepsy or not. We can leave it blank and put "discuss at interview" If we do not disclose epilepsy at this level of the application, it could mean at a later date, that we "have not fulfilled our responsibilties under The Health & Safety Act, and we can be dismissed for gross misconduct!!"
I don't know about you Brent, but a) I would not want this on my CV, and b) I would worry myself sick, if I had been offered my dream job, that I was going to have a bad seizure, stress leads to seizures...leads to dismissal, leads to back to square one! What is so wrong about being happy to discuss a medical condition with a prospective employer, if they don't want you on board, then they were probably not worth working for anyway, and the reason this world treats PWE like idiots, is because, we constantly are forced to hide our condition, this is so wrong!!!
Try and see what I'm saying here huh? Why hide it, oh yeah, because they'll think I'm trying for the sympathy vote? I'll only get the job because they feel sorry for me? That is complete and utter rubbish, I am as capable, educated and intelligent as anyone! Oh my God, I couldn't believe it when I read that in your post? I never want anyone's pity, it's only bloody epilepsy for Chrissakes, I'm not (with all due respect to the following) riddled with Aids, in a wheelchair, paralysed from the neck down, blind, or mentally impaired!!! It is just a bit of epilepsy, I and all my fellow PWE here in the UK, simply want to be treated with understanding, what in the Hell is so wrong with that?!
Elaine
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This all makes me appreciate how lucky I am to be self-employed. No benefits and no paid vacations, but also no decisions to make about what to tell the boss, no worries about discrimination, and no fear of getting sacked.
Hi Elaine,
I have had my fair share i have been refused jobs when possiblility of redundancy i have been told i would be the candidate cause i'm not flexible enough even though the place that i worked i had never had a seizure at all, people in the uk see epilepsy as a catchable disease and no matter how much you explain to them that you cannot catch it they not interested or they look at you like you have horns growing out your head not to mention over here we have staff that are first aid trained but none of them know what to do in the event of a seizure so i have to explain all when i start a new job maybe i should just tattoo epilepsy accross my forehead give them something to stare at in future it's really frustrating at times maybe you should look into the uk for your discrimination aswell
Regards
Becks
I have had my fair share i have been refused jobs when possiblility of redundancy i have been told i would be the candidate cause i'm not flexible enough even though the place that i worked i had never had a seizure at all, people in the uk see epilepsy as a catchable disease and no matter how much you explain to them that you cannot catch it they not interested or they look at you like you have horns growing out your head not to mention over here we have staff that are first aid trained but none of them know what to do in the event of a seizure so i have to explain all when i start a new job maybe i should just tattoo epilepsy accross my forehead give them something to stare at in future it's really frustrating at times maybe you should look into the uk for your discrimination aswell
Regards
Becks
RanMan
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Hi Elaine,
I've had E since 1979. I had my first gran-mal seizure in Oct/79, After a one day hosp. stay and several tests, I was put on meds and went back to work (Canadian Federal Government) with no problem, I was even able to keep my drivers license.
After 4 years, I was promoted to Administration manager. Most ppl in the office knew about my E but it wasn't an issue.
In 1998 I was transferred to another Department, still my E was a non-issue BUT the meds were slowing me down. In 2oo4, I couldn't make the quick decisions like before and my Director (so he says) was receiving complaints from clients and staff about my performance.
My Director arranged (through the union) to send me for a "neuro/psyc" evaluation.
It was determined that my long term use of meds were causing significant brain damage and a slight learning disibility and I couldn't multi-task or learn another job, so I was offered an early retirement package "medical retirement" and disibility insurance until I'm 65 BUT what pisses me off is that I only had 13 months left to complete my 30 years.
That effected my pension by 30%.
So my troubles were from the MEDS.
Randy
I've had E since 1979. I had my first gran-mal seizure in Oct/79, After a one day hosp. stay and several tests, I was put on meds and went back to work (Canadian Federal Government) with no problem, I was even able to keep my drivers license.
After 4 years, I was promoted to Administration manager. Most ppl in the office knew about my E but it wasn't an issue.
In 1998 I was transferred to another Department, still my E was a non-issue BUT the meds were slowing me down. In 2oo4, I couldn't make the quick decisions like before and my Director (so he says) was receiving complaints from clients and staff about my performance.
My Director arranged (through the union) to send me for a "neuro/psyc" evaluation.
It was determined that my long term use of meds were causing significant brain damage and a slight learning disibility and I couldn't multi-task or learn another job, so I was offered an early retirement package "medical retirement" and disibility insurance until I'm 65 BUT what pisses me off is that I only had 13 months left to complete my 30 years.
That effected my pension by 30%.
So my troubles were from the MEDS.
Randy