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What jobs can you have with epilepsy?

By Matthew Perez

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.

Can epilepsy prevent you from working?

How Epilepsy Affects Your Physical Capacity for Work. If your epilepsy is controlled, it will not significantly affect your ability to perform physical work. However, it’s obvious that you cannot perform any kind of physical work while having an epileptic seizure.

Can an employer fire you for having epilepsy?

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.

Can a person work with epileptic seizures?

Having epilepsy does not necessarily stop someone from doing the job they want, but there are some issues which can affect them at work. This includes making sure that the job and the work environment are safe and has no health risks.

Is epilepsy an illness or a disability?

Medically Qualifying for Disability Benefits Due to Epilepsy Epilepsy is one of the conditions listed in the Social Security Administration’s Blue Book, which means that if you meet the requirements in the Blue Book listing for epilepsy you may be able to get disability benefits.

Should I tell my boss I have epilepsy?

It is not always necessary to discuss epilepsy with a potential employer. Whether you do or not is up to you. If you have excellent seizure control and the employer does not ask any health-related questions, there’s no reason to start talking about epilepsy unless you want to.

Can I be sacked if I have epilepsy?

An example could be that your epilepsy is well controlled, or you only ever have sleep seizures. If you don’t tell your employer about your epilepsy and it does affect your ability to do your job safely, your employer may be able to dismiss you.

What jobs can you not do with epilepsy?

If you have seizures, you may not be able to do jobs that risk your safety or the safety of other people….These include:

  • jobs that involve driving.
  • working at heights, near open water or fire.
  • working with unguarded machinery.