Epilepsy Ireland has announced results of a survey conducted among people with epilepsy on their experience of the condition within the workplace.
The positive results showed that:
58% of people with the condition who are in employment now feel comfortable telling their employer and work colleagues that they have epilepsy – an increase of 14% when compared to a 2012 Epilepsy Ireland survey
Just 33% of people with epilepsy found that their employers and work colleagues attitudes towards them changed after they told them of their epilepsy, when compared to 50% in 2012
56% said their epilepsy gave them a greater motivation to succeed in their career
However, not all the figures are encouraging:
34% stated their epilepsy has prevented them from fulfilling the responsibilities of their job
47% said their epilepsy prevented them from applying to a new job
31% of those with epilepsy have experienced discrimination in the workplace as a result of their condition
50% don’t think there is enough support in place for a person with epilepsy in the workplace
54% of a person with epilepsy’s colleagues would know what to do if someone had a seizure in the workplace
Speaking in advance of National Epilepsy Week, Peter Murphy, CEO of Epilepsy Ireland said: “Epilepsy affects over 37,000 people in Ireland and historically there has been a stigma associated with the condition. The results of our national survey are extremely encouraging and indicate that attitudes towards epilepsy are changing and people are more comfortable talking about it with their employer. However stats from our research indicate that negative attitudes towards the condition still exist.
For a full report on the survey click here
