Employment

The Epilepsy Foundation knows that employment is a fundamental part of a productive, successful life and can have a great impact on one's quality of life. Over the years, the Epilepsy Foundation has worked hard on legislation that is designed to improve access to employment and training programs for people with epilepsy. The Epilepsy Foundation has become a member of the Consortium for Concerned Citizens with Disabilities (CCD), which has the following goals:

Employment and Training Taskforce Reauthorization Principals for Employment:

1. Support a policy which increases resources available to programs under the Rehabilitation act.
2. Support consumer-driven services as a critical component of greater self-advocacy and empowerment for people with disabilities
3. Support the collaboration of public, private, and corporate sectors in order to enhance one's abilities to achieve mutual goals.
4. Support inceased accountability and efficiency with Federal resources through meaningful and accurate performance measurement of the rehabilitation delivery system.
5. Support independence, self-suffiency and employment as the primary goal of vocational rehabilitation services.

Resources for People with Epilepsy

JobTech

JobTech is an innovative employment service program developed by the Epilepsy Foundation for persons living with epilepsy to obtain employment in a technology-based customer service field. To learn more, visit our JobTech program page.

Ticket to Work and Work Incentives Improvement Act

Passed in 1997, the Ticket program helps break employment barriers for people with disabilities. The "ticket" enables people who receive Social Security disability benefits to go work without worrying about losing benefits. To learn more about the Ticket to Work, visit the Social Security Administration's website.

The Rehabilitation Act of 1973

Up for reauthorization, the Rehabilitation Act is the major legislative source for programs and initiatives administered by the Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA). The act authorizes several programs research activities to assist people with disabilities in becomming more self-sufficient. To find out more, visit the RSA's website.

Workforce Investment Act

Provides job training services through a coordinated service delivery system called One-Stop. The main objective of the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) is to allow people with disabilities the same services as every other citizen. Under this act, services are to be "generally accessible," meaning that most people with disabilities should have access to the services without needing further accomodation. WIA emphasizes that general employment and training services can meet the needs of people with disabilities.