Epilepsy Action’s Make Things Work campaign, to improve work prospects for people with epilepsy, has been broadcast across the UK, with thousands signing a petition to government.
Deputy chief executive Rebekah Smith appeared on radio stations from BBC Radio Scotland to Greatest Hits Radio and Sky News Radio.
The campaign was the top evening story on ITV News Wales, with Korri James from Cardiff telling the channel that during one job she would be punished for having seizures.
She said: “Every time I had to phone in sick for a seizure, they would punish me, I would have warning after warning, no matter how many times I brought up the discrimination act.”
Rebekah said: “The survey we have done has demonstrated that there is still widespread discrimination for people with epilepsy and other disabilities in the workplace and we’re calling on the government to do something about this.”
Epilepsy Action’s Wales Manager Janet Paterson spoke to BBC Radio Cymru and BBC Radio Wales.
Elsewhere, story champion Tracy spoke to City Talk FM Liverpool about working with epilepsy.
Tracy explained how she had applied for a job and was honest about her epilepsy in the interview, and was told this would be okay. She left the job she was in at the time to move on, but three days prior to starting the new position, she was told she didn’t pass security clearance. She says was told later that it was not because she had epilepsy, but because she had seizures.
On BBC Radio Humberside, Mark Bagley from Choices and Rights in Hull picked up the story to talk about the challenges of the Equality Act. He said the biggest problem with the act was that it relied on the person who is discriminated against to challenge that discrimination.
The charity estimates that the campaign had a reach of 334 million. A petition has attracted more than 1,500 signatures.
Find out more at: Make Things Work for people with epilepsy – Epilepsy Action
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