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Epilepsy - Legislation and Reasonable Adjustments

People with epilepsy are covered by the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 (DDA) and are entitled to claim discrimination if it occurs, provided they have previously disclosed their condition to their employer.

Under the DDA, an employer must not discriminate against a person with a disability in:

  • Recruitment and Retention;
  • Promotion and Transfers;
  • Training and Development; and
  • Redundancy and Dismissal Processes.

The DDA requires employers to make reasonable adjustments for employees with epilepsy - examples include:

  • Setting a fixed shift pattern for people whose seizures are set off by varied work patterns or tiredness;
  • Providing a quiet place where a person can rest after a seizure; and
  • Providing a support driver or using public transport when the person cannot drive because of epilepsy.

Under the Health & Safety at Work Order (NI) 1978, there may be some situations where there may be legitimate concerns about a person with epilepsy doing certain tasks.


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