Disability Discrimination Act (UK)

I am from the United States and I work at an Independent Auto Repair Shop with my husband. We have our own Group Health Insurance Policy for everyone but we keep getting new Insurance Reps. coming out asking if they can give us a quote on Health Ins. Or they phone and ask the same questions. As soon as they hear I have Epilepsy, the "pre-existing condition" they say "they really do not think they can get anyone to pick it up but they will try," or they never call back. If it wasn't for the epilepsy they would find a company to pick it up I'm sure. They probably don't even look when they walk out my business door. Meanwhile the Group policy we have now keeps climbing to the sky but at least we have one, right!
Insurance denial is a form of discrimination, too.

I have recently been refused a job in a well known company within the sports industry, due to my epilepsy. They seemed really impresssed with me before they found out I "suffered" with it. Everything was going to plan and then the dreaded phone call of refusal took place. The person concerned even admitted that my "condition" was a health and safety issue, and was advised that it wasn't advised to employ me. They continued to proceed to tell me that I was a liability. I told them it was controlled with medication, I wouldn't be a problem and if they wanted to I would sign a contract so that they would not be liable if anything happened to me.
I also asked if that was the only reason for my refusal. I asked for feedback on my interview and if anything else seemed a problem with regards to the position and they said no..nothing at all. They said that I was a brilliant candidate and they would have been more than happy for me to become part of their team. I was "perfect" for the job but having epilepsy hindered my application and there was no way that their general manager would agree to it.
I didn't take it up again with them. My confidence was effected hugely and it wasn't untill an advisor at the job centre told me I could do something about it and to seek further advise. I am not sure if I want to go further as I don't want to upset anyone involved. But I have spent alot of time and money in studying to do this job, I feel totally diflated.
If there is anything I can do, I would really apreciate the advise.

My partner has epilepsy, but she keeps it under control with tablets, but this is causing a problem with her Boss at work, since those tablets also seem to have a side-effect of giving her migraines, which has led to an above-average time off work.

It has already been explained to her Boss that these Migraines are a result of the Epilepsy treatment, but, because the treatment seems to be effective, changing the treatment could have different effects, or, worse still, no effect at all, and my partners epilepsy would return.

The manager has responded to this by sending my partner repeatedly to various locations such as 'Work Medical Direct' in an attempt to get the problem solved when she has already been told that Epilepsy is not a curable disease, it has got to the point where my partner has started suffering from depression over her treatment, since it is quite apparent that her Boss is looking for ways to get rid of her if this problem cannot be solved, indeed, she even, whilst my partner was suffering from depression, lied to her about the Board discussing her future in order to get her to attend work, and then claimed that since she could attend work their was no reason for her to be off ill.

Whilst this is not directly related to the Epilepsy, but more to the side-effects of the medication, I was wondering if my partner had any legal grounds to compel her manager to stop harassing her over a condition caused by her treatment.

I am currently off work with "stress caused by work". I am a teacher. I have not been discriminated against but when I have asked for help for example support in a large class with some discipline problems, I have been told no. My headteacher has changed my timetable to something I will find more stressful without any consultation or consideration. He has decided to take away my A level teaching, the one area I feel less under stress. His reason is that maybe when I return I will be ill again and the students' grades will be affected.
Occupational Health have told me to go back to work with a phased return but I still have to do as I'm told. He also told me that my stress has nothing to do with my epilepsy and everyone gets my symptoms; he's not a doctor by the way.
My symptoms are moments of concentration loss. These aren't the ones you may have if you're tired or over-worked. They always happen in work and usually in the classroom. An example is that I may be reading from a book to a class and I will suddenly not know where I am on the page or a pupil may ask a question which I begin to answer and then in a moment I will stop and don't know what the question was. I don't remember it later. It can be so embarrassing especially when I am mid-sentence! The best way to describe it is as if a light switch has been turned off then immediately back on again. Also I can be sat in a room in my house and although I know I'm in my house I become confused as to where that might be. It comes back to me after a few seconds. It's so weird. This doesn't sound like the sort of thing everybody gets! I haven't had a seizure for over 20 years and as soon as these lapses in concentration become a little more frequent, I go to my doctor and increase my Lamotrogene and there's no more problem for a couple of years and I feel happier and safer.
So after all that explanation, is my headteacher discriminating by omission?
My union believe I have a case and so does my doctor. All I actually want is a timetable I feel I can cope with rather than one which the headteacher think might.

Would love a response.

Thanks
Alison

i work for local government and have just been diagnosed with having this condition.as i write i can only say that they have been supportive and have bent over backwards to look after me and adjust my workplace e.g. a panic button so help can be called[i am a lone worker] and my time off [3months] has not been questioned.my line manager is a marvel.should this change i will of course be adding negative comments.

After being diagnosed with Epilepsy back in the early 80's and the trauma that that can bring to a young person. I did experience a long period of stability,once my medication regime had been set.
I had informed my employer that I had the condition and that it was well under control with medication.

Unfortunately as the years past, I became complacent about taking my medication and then along with some major emotional upheavals in my life I started to experience more seizures.
My GP's answer to this was to increase my medication. This,I was later to find out, was causing me to fall asleep whilst at work (Employers and colleagues not to happy!). I finally managed to convince my GP to refer me to a neurologist who said "That would knock a camel out" and promptly set about changing my medication.
Unfortunately in the transition and weaning off the old medication, I went on to experience more seizures.

My employer went on to make reasonable adjustments, (mostly for health and safety reasons) but due to the nature of the work that I do, this placed an increased workload upon my colleagues and I soon began to sense a feeling of resentment amongst them. Mainly caused by my wish to maintain confidentiality and my employers obligation to do the same.
In hindsight I now realise that that was a major mistake, but one I now find difficult to rectify.
Steadily my employer has returned aspects of my job role back to me, but I am finding it difficult to repair the relationships I had with my colleagues prior to the seizures occurring.
Prior to these seizures occurring I in no way felt at all discriminated against, but now my feelings have changed and I don't know why.
For a while now I have remained on a knife edge as my employer stated categorically that my contract would be terminated, if I was to experience another seizure.
Perhaps things will now start to look up, my "annus horribilis" is coming to an end and things may get back to normal.

im commenting on what i think is discrimination against my husband, firsly i must add im so flipping angry at the moment i would rather my husband be unemployed, he works for the goverment, the home office....there is always some thing going on, every day this week someone has reported him...... firstly he has worked there for 5 years all diffrent depatments they go on a rota system, Monday was fine, Tuesday he was reported for asking too many questions, ie; he was asking which key was for which department someone reported him to the managment he was called to the "office" he explained he forgot he had not worked in that depatment for 6 months, weds he got reported for forgeting the other 2 peoples names and also for "not liking the other 2 people", once again he is called to the office they ask if he is doing all this delibratley. today 2 ""thursday he is pulled away from his duty and told the managment will speak to him later, well later never came so my husband went to the office to ask if this could be sorted now, his condition is worsend by stress, my husband has temporal lobe epilepsy and is on tegretol, which controls the fits but not the rest of the syptoms, dont forget im only talking about this week, this happens nearley every week, im so worried for my husband, i feel he is being bullied for his memory, i feel like going to the home office and shouting at them YOU NEED TO PRACTICE WHAT YOU PREACH, YOU KNEW HE HAD EPILEPSY WHEN YOU GAVE HIME THE JOB, YOU NEED TO MAKE ALLOWANCES AND SO DOES THE REST OF THE STAFF, HE HAS A DISABILITY THAT NO ONE CAN SEE, (until he twitches) IT IS NOT VISABLE, BUT IT IS REAL, YOU MAY THINK HE IS BEING RUDE OR ARRAGANT BECAUSE HE ASKS LOTS OF QUESTIONS, SOMETIMES HE DOES NOT EVEN KNOW YOUR TALKING, SO HE DOES NOT HEAR EVERY THING, BUT I CAN ASSURE YOU HE WOULD BEND OVER BACKWARDS TO HELP ANYONE, I BET NOT ONE PERSON HAS READ UP ON TEMPORAL LOBE EPILEPSY, Im so angry i could actully cry, my husband never got epilepsy until he was 35 years old, he lost his driving licence so he lost his job, we lost our house, 7 years on we are getting some normality back, its just i feel he is bullied, you may think im being over protective, but he wont do anything about it he is too afraid of losing his job, after all he was unemployed for a year, he not only had eplilepsy, he had depression caused by the epilepsy, IM SO ANGRY STILL.

I think you will find that you are not being discriminated against because of your epilepsy. I am a school govoner and have found that other teachers suffer with stress related issues. Obviously A level students need consistancy with their teachers.

My son and almost 3/4 of his class failed their GCSE English because their teacher was frequently away with stress. Good supply teachers are hard to find and the children consequently were the ones to suffer. At present I don't know of many teachers who choose their own timetable. I certainly wasn't allowed to and I didn't have any illnesses when I started teaching.

Believe you me I had most of the dreadful classes along with my friend because we were new teachers in the school. For 11 years I taught the worse kids in the school and was not given the opportunity to teach A level or even O level (GCSE now).

I have temporal lobe epilepsy and your symptoms are typical of this type of epilepsy. I find stress sets off a seizure rather than the other way around. You need to go back to your GP and ask to be refered to the neurologist to change your medication. We have a good policy within our school where we have supported staff over periods of 3 years of absences. Remember all teachers have to do as they are told. Get your medication sorted first then see what happens.