When could somebody be justified in treating me differently to somebody without epilepsy?

When could somebody be justified in treating me differently to somebody without epilepsy?

Health and safety reasons

One reason for different treatment would be if your epilepsy posed a health and safety risk to you or somebody else. For example, an employer might not give you a job that involves climbing up ladders, if you had regular seizures. This would be dangerous. However, they could give the job to somebody who doesn’t have seizures.

Unreasonable adjustments

Another reason for different treatment would be if somebody had to make changes to their property or services that would be considered unreasonable. For example, a nightclub owner might not be expected to change the strobe lighting in the club, so that somebody with photosensitive epilepsy could visit. An adjustment like that could change the whole atmosphere of the club, so may be considered unreasonable,

Jobs in the armed forces

At the moment, jobs in the armed forces are not covered by the Disability Discrimination Act. This means that the armed forces can refuse to employ you because you have epilepsy or a history of epilepsy.

Insurance

The law allows companies that provide insurance to treat disabled people differently to other people, as long as they can justify their reasons for doing so. For example, a travel insurance company may charge you more for an insurance policy because you have epilepsy. To do this, they have to prove that you are more likely to make a claim than somebody who doesn’t have epilepsy.

• More information about Disability Discrimination Act and insurance