Training People With Epilepsy in Technology-Based Skills

The Epilepsy Foundation announced in May that it received a $350,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Labor to train people with epilepsy in critical technology-based skills now in high demand in virtually every industry. The grant is for the initial phase of a three-year model demonstration project called JobTech(TM) to be conducted by the Foundation's local affiliates in Camden, NJ, Mobile, AL, Rockford, IL and Kansas City, MO.

The JobTech(TM) program will focus on basic customer service training, computer literacy and computer skills, advanced computer and technology applications and entrepreneurial training, leading to jobs in the new information-based economy. Participants will be prepared through training for jobs as computer programmers and technicians, systems analysts, sales and customer service agents, process control operators, and other positions that require knowledge and skills in computer technology and applications.

In survey after survey of adults with epilepsy, employment difficulties are cited as a major problem. Many workers with the disorder, when they are employed, hold jobs below their education and ability levels. Average lifetime earnings of workers with the condition are also well below the national average.

"Without competitive employment, you can never achieve real freedom or independence in this country," says Epilepsy Foundation board member, Joyce Bender, who chairs the Foundation's National Business Advisory Council that will oversee the JobTech(TM) program. "Here is an opportunity for people with epilepsy to gain access to freedom."

Bender, who has epilepsy, is president of Bender and Associates International, a Pittsburgh-based search firm for technology professionals. She also heads Bender Consulting Services, Inc., a firm she established to provide employment opportunities for Information Technology professionals with disabilities.
 

The untapped resource

"We have shown in our own business that people with disabilities are an untapped resource that can help meet critical labor shortages in the new economy," Bender says. "The JobTech(TM) program will demonstrate that our experience is not unique. It will address the fears and misconceptions that prevent employers from hiring people with epilepsy, and demonstrate that hiring people with disabilities can work in any community or type of business.

"Most importantly, it will help people with epilepsy obtain good jobs with a living wage and career progression."

While technical training in the classroom and/or on-the-job is the cornerstone of JobTech(TM), the program will also provide placement, long-term follow-up and retention services, and coordination among employment and training organizations. Services will be delivered through established relationships with state vocational rehabilitation agencies, other social and employment services, and adult training and education centers.
 

Epilepsy and Employment: Dimension of the Problem

The annual economic cost of epilepsy to society and individuals with the disorder is conservatively estimated at $12.5 billion. Approximately 85 percent of the total or $10.7 billion is attributable to lost earnings and productivity. (C.E. Begley et al. Epilepsia, 41, 342-351, 2000)

Traditional vocational rehabilitation (VR) programs underserve and are less successful in placing people with epilepsy than specialized programs. A study conducted in ten states found specialized programs produced positive outcomes 50 percent of the time as compared to a 9 to 19 percent success rate for generic VR services. (R.T. Fraser et al. Epilepsia, 25, 332-337, 1984)
 

Lower Wages for Women

Women who are mildly affected by epilepsy and achieve seizure control within two or three years of onset of the disorder have a loss of $ 59,157 in lifetime earnings. The lifetime earnings loss for women who are more severely affected is $140,178. The comparable figures for men with epilepsy are $209,727 and $316,583 respectively. The lower figures for women are due in part to lower wage norms in the workforce. (C.E. Begley et al)
 

Barriers to Employment

People with epilepsy face a Catch-22. If they disclose their epilepsy, they often do not get hired; yet, when they fail to disclose and have a seizure on the job, they are fired or forced to resign. Age-old attitudes and misconceptions about seizures and epilepsy contribute to the problem. Employers also have unfounded fears about worker safety and liability risks, higher insurance costs, absenteeism, stress-induced seizures and other concerns related to cost and productivity. The JobTech(TM) program includes an outreach to educate employers and coworkers about the disorder.