Jobs for people with absence seizures

Re: Jobs for people with absence seizures

Submitted by 3Hours2Live on Wed, 2010-04-14 - 06:22

Hi Newyorkcita, Seeking any employment while waiting for a disability decision is often viewed by the government as evidence that the applicant doesn't believe that they are truly disabled, despite the legal requirement of reasonable accommodation placed upon prospective employers. It's been less than ten years since the Federal Supreme Court removed the ambiguity of the claiming SSA disability as necessarily invalidating required reasonable accommodation in discrimination lawsuits, while I don't know of any Supreme Court cases removing the ambiguity of possible reasonable accommodation frustrating a determination of disability, since gainful employment would then be possible, and not moderately impossible, as required because of SSA's more strict disability definition. I was required to apply for disability when I sought medical services in a county operated clinic. I was required to seek the medical services to comply with the Federal Rehabilitation Act and county ordinances. I was also seeking a job through the State Rehabilitation Office and various other government programs, while I continued to seek employment with all other employers. My State Rehabilitation counselor told me that I had better not claim epilepsy as a disability, but to select a different impairment so as to hide the epilepsy, as epilepsy would be a total disqualification for employment through the department's services. Previously, the gainful activities that I performed did not satisfy the legal requirements as per health, social, and safety requirements, and indeed, seizures placed me in occasions of threateningly great bodily harm. In jobs that epilepsy could easily and safely be accommodated, I sought protection against discrimination, also under the Federal Rehabilitation Act (now also the ADA). The State demanded that I perform short-term dangerous jobs that required driving and working with hazardous chemicals at less than minimum wage based on assigned trainee and/or intern status (which I refused over safety concerns and/or inavailability of transportation (one such job was cleaning out the sludge in the bottom of a large petroleum storage tank using toxic cleansers, a job which killed three workers in an incident about ten years later at the same location)). On my refusal, the State demanded proof of the bases of my cited reasons, which another State agency refused to provide. For other government employment programs (JTPA, ProjectHope, etc.), I lacked sufficient "points" (i.e., having dependent children, being divorced, being on welfare, etc.). SSA tried to refuse to process my application for disability, except for immediate disqualification since I claimed that I was qualified for employment with reasonable accommodation (this was in 1987). SSA didn't accept my application beyond the acceptance for immediate rejection, until I initiated "administrative remedies" citing discrimination and denial of equal protection under the constitution by SSA because of my handicap status and retaliation for my seeking protection under federal law against federal employers. Tadzio

Re: Jobs for people with absence seizures

Submitted by Mrpibbs on Thu, 2010-04-15 - 04:32

Hey there Newyor,

 I may be only 20, but I have some experience with absence seizures at the workplace.  It's hard for me to get a job because if I do mention having seizures of any kind, even if they're very minor, I would instantly not get the job, but if I hide it, and a seizure did happen, I would be let go for some other bogus reason.  I'm currently in college, but even that has it's problems (mostly not being able to drive).

 -What I like to do is write down anything i'm asked to do, so in case I forget, it's right there.  Now, my last employer thought that was stupid and silly, but it worked very well for me.

I hope I could provide some kind of advice to ya'