How do you accommodate an employee with epilepsy?

How do you accommodate an employee with epilepsy?

Some employees may need one or more of the following accommodations:

1. breaks to take medication.
2. leave to seek or recuperate from treatment or adjust to medication.
3. a private area to rest after having a seizure.
4. a rubber mat or carpet to cushion a fall.
5. adjustments to a work schedule.

Is absence seizures considered a disability?

If you suffer from seizures that impact your ability to work, you may be eligible to get Social Security disability.

What to do if someone has an absence seizure?

Absence seizures. This kind of seizure will only last a few seconds, and the person experiencing it will typically not realize that they even had it. Absence seizures do not require any intervention. Just stay calm, and once the seizure is over, treat the person as you normally would.

Can you get fired for having a seizure at work?

Can I be fired for having epilepsy? You cannot be fired for having epilepsy. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) protects the employment of a qualified individual with a disability who can perform the essential functions of the job with or without reasonable accommodations.

What is without reasonable accommodation?

It is a violation of the ADA to fail to provide reasonable accommodation to the known physical or mental limitations of a qualified individual with a disability, unless to do so would impose an undue hardship on the operation of your business.

Can employers discriminate against epilepsy?

In terms of employment, there are different types of disability discrimination. People with epilepsy are covered by the Equality Act, even if their seizures are controlled, or they do not consider themselves to be ‘disabled’.

What is a good job for someone with epilepsy?

People with epilepsy are successfully employed in a variety of jobs that might be considered high-risk: police officer, firefighter, welder, butcher, construction worker, etc.

What are 2 characteristics of an absence seizure?

Absence seizures involve brief, sudden lapses of consciousness. They’re more common in children than in adults. Someone having an absence seizure may look like he or she is staring blankly into space for a few seconds. Then, there is a quick return to a normal level of alertness.

What triggers absence seizures?

Seizures result from overactivity in the brain. Absence seizures occur most often in people under age 20, usually in children ages 4 to 12. In some cases, the seizures are triggered by flashing lights or when the person breathes faster and more deeply than usual (hyperventilates).

Is epilepsy a disability under the Equality Act?

Epilepsy meets the definition of a disability under the Equality Act 2010, which gives people with epilepsy the right not to be discriminated against because of their epilepsy.