Telling/explaining your epilepsy to your manager

[fatimaaesc]

When you’re on your first day of the new job would you tell them that you have epilepsy or explain about your epilepsy that this happens and to reassure the manager?

In my experience I just tell I have epilepsy and I have emergency pills to take them when something goes wrong.

Lately I’ve been getting my hours cut off for only 6 hours out of the day and it’s starting to feel unaccepted for what I have because it includes having memory loss and focus (I have absent grand mal seizure). Sometimes I would get in trouble for not remembering even when I already told them about my epilepsy.

Someone I know was saying that it was a bad way to just to tell them that I have epilepsy and I have emergency pills w me just in case something goes wrong, and I shouldn’t have been very direct or they would just see me as this person w a disability or taking pity instead of a hard worker

I’m curious about how you guys tell/do/ or experience about this.

[Willene]

Hey, don't feel discouraged. Never be ashamed of your condition, you are not disabled in any way. I feel it' rather our society that needs aware making of epilepsy.

I live in Namiba and have the same problem both with employment and socially. I've only been diagnosed 2 years ago now. Beforehand I had no problem making friends or getting a job. Since 2018 I'm unemployed, so I have the same question for our community.

Do we tell about our conditions before employment or is there a different approach? I've been telling employers about possible seizures on all of my applications and interviews as I feel it's just fair that they know.

I thought that if someone distances from me it's not the right boss for me yet or even with friends I thought this way. But now I start to think it's unfair, cause why am I still unemployed? Is there a stigma surrounding epilepsy in the professional environment?