Recently, a study conducted shows that people with epilepsy and suffer frequent seizures are commonly discriminated at work and at school in Australia.

The research painted a picture on how victims of epilepsy are living in the country. The Epilepsy Foundation of Victoria and Epilepsy Australia conducted this study to highlight the different social, psychological, and physical challenges of people with brain disorder.

This study has been conducted to more than 340 people with brain disorders. It shows that these people with brain disorders are experiencing discrimination at work and even at school which highly affects their career and progress. Epileptic employees are also among the lowest wage earners in Australia.

Epilepsy is considered to be a common condition in Australia with 224,000 Australians suffering this brain problem. And despite that huge number, it was reported that half of them still experience discrimination from employers and from the whole community.

And because of that, they are finding it hard to find a job and most of them barely receive $250 a week, which is of course not enough for their daily living.

It is common to everyone that victims of epilepsy need more money for medication and for hospital treatments. Severe attacks of seizures can lead to broken bones, dislocated shoulders, and many more. Definitely, they should receive more than what they are getting.

“People still believe it's a contagious disease or psychiatric condition which carries consequences for people at work and school,” says Professor Mark Cook, the president of Epilepsy Foundation. This is the most alarming level of discrimination according to the professor.

“It's inappropriate and it relates to this medieval idea people have about epilepsy and it's something awful and dreadful. You see it all the time, this kind of revulsion. We need to get rid of this ancient stigma about this disease.” He added.

What Australians Can Do About It

Discrimination is never a good thing for anyone especially if that person is experiencing health problems. Here are the things that people can do to prevent discrimination on epilepsy victims in Australia.

1. Provide the right information
Since this is the most alarming level of discrimination, people should be educated and informed that epilepsy is not a communicable disease. People will not get the same disorder when they work or speak with a person with epilepsy.

2. Protect people with epilepsy
These people should be protected by the government and some organizations. Doing so will keep the rights of these surviving victims.

3. Be fair and equal to people with epilepsy
At work, employers should be more responsible enough to give fairness and equality to all of their employees regardless of their health condition. Like others, these people can use their full potentials too. However, in the event they may need time for recovery (after a broken bone or other injuries), the company should also give them a chance or consideration like a sick leave with pay. Well, employers should also understand that people with epilepsy do not experience seizures every day. So they can still give considerations to employees especially for those with mild cases.

At school, teachers and professors should be responsible in educating their students about epilepsy. They should explain that this disorder is not a funny thing to laugh at. Give them a chance to play with other kids and treat them as a normal student.