Do people with epilepsy suffer discrimination in the workplace?

People with epilepsy often encounter a lack of awareness in the workplace. Some don’t even get as far as securing a job because of their condition, says Áilín Quinlan.

WHEN controversial TV personality and newspaper columnist Katie Hopkins declared she wouldn’t hire someone with epilepsy — and had kept her own condition secret for years for the sake of her career —it sent shockwaves across the nation.

Her radio interview with broadcaster Ryan Tubridy lifted the lid on a key issue for the 40,000 Irish people with the condition, about 10,000 of whom are estimated to be children under the age of 16.