Epilepsy Ireland’s local community resource officer for Mayo, Edel Killarney, has encouraged employers and people within the community living with epilepsy to attend their employment rights session next week.
The session will take place on Monday, September 9, in the Mayo Education Centre, Castlebar from 10am to 11am and will be followed by an information session until 1pm, chaired by local barrister, Lorraine Lally.
With approximately 40,000 people living with epilepsy across the country, it is one of the most common neurological conditions in the country. However, there are still common misconceptions regarding the condition.
Ms Killarney noted how this can often lead to isolation in the workplace or difficulties in maintaining employment for a person with epilepsy, commenting: “Epilepsy unfortunately remains one of the most stigmatised conditions in the country and can lead to barriers to employment for a person with the condition. Our objective as an organisation is to ensure that no person’s life is adversely affected by epilepsy and we do this through public awareness of the condition in key events like this.
"The purpose of our employment rights session is to inform people of their rights if diagnosed with a condition like epilepsy and to give them the confidence to manage this in their workplace. We are delighted to have local barrister, Lorraine Lally, on hand as part of our event and she will provide expert insight and advice regarding issues that may arise in the workplace.”
Ms Killarney has also appealed to employers in particular to attend next week’s event to learn more about the condition and to see first-hand how the condition is not a barrier to employment, commenting, "The reality is that 70 per cent of persons with epilepsy will gain control of their seizures through their medical regime so it is oftentimes not an issue at all in the workplace. We need employers to understand this and how sick leave and accidents at work are no more frequent among people with epilepsy than in other workers.
"We’d love to see as many local employers as possible attend our event next week so together, we can ensure that no person’s life is adversely affected by epilepsy.”
To book a place for the Epilepsy and Employment Rights Information session please contact Edel on (091 ) 587640 or email [email protected]. Booking is essential for this free event.
