Legal Help

Who We Are

People with seizures and epilepsy face discrimination in many aspects of life, including work, school, and community life.

If you are a person with epilepsy, family or friend, attorney, or advocate, get legal help and information here at the Jeanne A. Carpenter Epilepsy Legal Defense Fund.

Our Goals

• To end epilepsy-related discrimination and injustice through public education
• To increase access to legal services through a system of managed referrals to a network of attorneys 
• To change discriminatory practices, policies, and laws

Our Priorities

The Epilepsy Foundation's Jeanne A. Carpenter Epilepsy Legal Defense Fund fights epilepsy discrimination in: 

• Employment (such as reasonable accomodations and disclosing epilepsy) 
• Education
• Public accommodations (such as camps, childcare facilities, stores, hotels, theaters, fitness clubs)
• Programs and services, including police and first responder training 
• Housing
• Insurance
• Criminal justice concerns

How We Make a Difference

Great strides have been made in diagnosing and treating epilepsy, a neurological disease characterized by recurring seizures. Despite these advances, epilepsy continues to evoke negative stereotypes, fear and discrimination.

For example: 

• A man from New York was denied a job opportunity due to a blanket policy excluding applicants taking seizure medications. 
• A man from Indiana was arrested and charged with a criminal offense after a seizure 
• A child from Maryland was denied access to a camp because he needed a rescue medication for seizures. 

The Epilepsy Defense Fund’s network attorneys have worked to resolve these types of discriminatory practices. 

Contact Us

• For specific legal and epilepsy issues, visit here.
• For general legal questions, email legalrights@efa.org.
• Donate to Epilepsy Foundation programs and services, including the Jeanne A. Carpenter Legal Defense Fund.

Read past newsletter from the Jeanne A. Carpenter Legal Defense Fund.