Employment and epilepsy disclosure!

Finding employment is tough at the best of times, but even more if you have have epilepsy it’s even tougher, WHY?

You have to consider the following:

1.Your career choice is a difficult process anyway, even more when you can’t drive, your own personal safety and that of  others.

2.The process of finding employment and when to disclose your condition is a difficult experience.

3.The fear of discrimination and ignorance decreases chances of being hired or even promoted.

Most people who have epileptic seizures, do so by their mid to late teens. Therefore when old enough to be of age to learn to drive will of gone through the stages of acceptance,that being qualified to do so will never happen.

Thus when taking careful consideration of your career, despite your usual reasons of choice: interests,passion,skills which can be based on your personality and your values. You have to take in account your own safety(and those of your co workers etc) as to the potential of having a seizure in a workplace environment.

An environment that is office based or anything that doesn’t require driving as a job requirement, which is not easy in this day and age. You need to consider a location where there is good public transportation.

When you have come up with a suitable career choice, you then start applying and then the hurdle is of going to interviews,and filling out application forms with the fear you won’t get hired because you have disclosed you have epilepsy. If you did ,was it because you weren’t the right candidate eg lack of experience, knowledge,qualifications OR was it really the employers fear or ignorance of the epilepsy condition ie don’t want the responsibility/hindrance.

There is no correct or perfect solution to this dilemma, unfortunately. In my experience, honesty is the best advice, for application forms I would write in the medical section: epilepsy- but well controlled…which was generally true, and then they occurred  at home. I have disclosed  this at the interview stage only, when I was hired. I have also disclosed this information, when I was in the company for a period of time, and therefore they knew I could do the job, was reliable,punctual and had very few sick days.

This is where your knowledge and education about epilepsy condition and the law is the key:

You therefore have to decide yourself when you do or don’t disclose this information as I have done. There is NO RIGHT TIME TO DISCLOSE. In most cases prospective employers can ask if you have any specific diseases, medications,hospitalizations. The U.S Equal Employment Opportunity Commission states ‘ Before making an offer of employment an employer may not ask job applicants about the existence, nature, or severity of a disability. Applicants may be asked about their ability to perform job functions.’

They also state ‘ A job offer may be conditioned on the results of a medical examination, but only if the the examination is required for all entering employees in the same job category.Medical examinations of employees must be job related and consistent with the business necessity’.

Work situations may be covered by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) , A federal law that offers protection to those with disabilities for companies with 15 or more employees. Most states have their own laws supplementary to the ADA, and they sometimes apply to smaller companies as well.The ADA protects against discrimination in all employment practices, including job application procedures, hiring, firing, training,pay, promotions, benefits, and leave.

You therefore have the right to be free from harassment because of your disability, and an employer may not fire you or discipline you for asserting your rights under the ADA.

Therefore to summarize on disclosure:

On a job application:

• Peace of mind/honesty  OR may disqualify you with no opportunity to represent yourself

During the Interview:

• Opportunity to briefly discuss specific issues/concerns OR puts the responsibility on you to handle epilepsy issues clearly

After the interview/when job is offered:

• If disclosure is revealed and they change the hiring position (Possible legal action) this may lead to Mistrust

After you start work:

• Opportunity to prove yourself and doesn’t affect ability with peers OR nervousness or fear of possible seizure/ employer accusing you of falsifying your application and identify who you need to tell.

I hope everyone finds this useful and somewhat reassuring.

Epilepsy-All you need to know, A personal perspective for parents and young adults

This is my self styled name of my book that I will hope to finish and publish within the next few months.

There is nothing I know more about, have  experience off and understand more than epilepsy…it is why this is my niche as a life coach.

It is often misunderstood, myths still arise and employers are nervous about employing you. In fact I can recall  being hired for one particular job with my immediate supervisor and then having some kind of meeting to discuss the condition with the CEO about what to do, feeling somehow ‘abnormal’ as I didn’t want to make a big deal about it. Another job I had to write a paragraph which the office girls kept describing my seizures and again what to do, which they kept in case a seizure did occur.

Yes you may say they were just being careful and responsible…but it did make you feel awkward and different, when all you were trying to do was go about your daily business and  really didn’t want the whole world to know or make an issue of it. Application forms are another dilemma, you don’t want to jeopardize your chances of being hired because you have to inform them, and if you don’t and get to the interview stage , do you tell your potential employers then or later on?? It’s never easy, despite  current legislation to protect us.

I would recommend as a career choice something that doesn’t put you at risk of injury,that is  non- driving and being office bound would suffice. However with the economy as it is and to pay rent… you perhaps can’t be so choosy, even if it was temporary( you hope).

Where you live can be a problem in this car-driven society. I have been to some places in this country where you can’t walk , catch a bus unless you have a car, therefore being totally reliable upon someone to go from A to B. I always chose to live in a large town, city where public transportation is good.

Friendships are important and you need a set of good friends who know of your condition, what to do and not to panic. Witnessing a seizure for the first time can be unnerving and brings on a sense of panic. The tendency is to phone for an ambulance. This is not required unless an injury occurs and just let the seizure run it’s course. A person will go through their teenage years and young adulthood into social situations where everything is ok and the consequences aren’t thought through…alcohol, staying up late(repeatedly), test drive a car/bike. This is all down to peer pressure and so being assertive and having a good set of friends who care and know of the consequences is imperative.

In the coming weeks, I shall post chapters or stages of my book. I hope you find it rewarding and enjoyable as well as educational and interesting.

Till then…

The Importance Of Having a PASSION or PASSIONS on Your Life !!!!

Institut ANCA Holistic Beauty & Wellness

Life can get pretty complex and pretty hard sometimes, so having something you are passionate about can really help keep you balanced and happy, while giving you an outlet to channel any stress or anxiety you may feel !!!!

If you don’t have something that you would call your passion, you just haven’t identified it. I think it’s important to have something of your own besides work that you spend time and effort on. Whether it’s painting, writing, or a sport, having a passion can only have a positive effect on your life.

So spend an hour of your day thinking about what you like to do (maybe something you did as a kid) and try to reconnect with it—the rewards you’ll get from it go beyond any monetary gain or satisfaction you get from work.

What’s YOUR PASSION or PASSIONS ?

Institut Anca
Anca Cercel N.D.
514 -996-9471

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Sickle Cell Disease

Part of my job as a Life and epilepsy coach is networking.

Yesterday I was able to go to a great event and for a fantastic cause: Sickle Cell Disease and possible cure in the near future.

The event was in New York, which was hosted by the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. This is the children’s hospital that is the center of Sickle Cell treatment.

In attendance were a number of speakers and sufferers of this disease. The director of the Comprehensive Sickle Cell center is Dr Kim Shelley-Whitley, They are looking for funds and donations which they hope can treat this disease  before it is allowed to develop in the early stages of pregnancy, see http://www.hopeonthehorizon.org  .The hospital’s twitter is @ChildrensPhila .I spoke to a sufferer by the name of Dextor Darden , http://www.dextordarden.com/index/html , twitter is @DextorDarden who also works to educate and inform fellow sufferers and the public of this disease.

Sickle Cell disease is a group of disorders that affects hemoglobin, the molecule in red blood cells that delivers oxygen to cells throughout the body. This distorts the red blood cells into a sickle, or crescent, shape.

This begins in early childhood and characteristic features include a low number of red cells(anemia), repeated infections and periodic episodes of pain. The signs and symptoms of sickle cell disease are caused by the sickling of red blood cells.When red blood cells sickle ,they break down prematurely, which can lead to anemia. Anemia can cause shortness of breath,fatigue, and delayed growth and development in children. The rapid breakdown of red blood cells may also cause yellowing of the eyes and skin, which can lead to jaundice. Painful episodes can occur when sickled  red blood cells, which are stiff and inflexible, get stuck in small blood vessels. These episodes deprive tissues and organs-rich blood and can lead to organ damage, especially in the lungs,kidneys,spleen, and brain.

Sickle cell disease affects millions of people worldwide and is most common among people whose ancestors came from Africa, Mediterranean,Arabian peninsula and India as examples. It is the most common inherited disease in the United States.

The common aspect I learned was that despite being two different conditions (Sickle Cell and epilepsy), we all suffer from the same consequences of  misinformation, ignorance and general issues with the general public throughout life.

 

 

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What’s Holding You Back?

What’s Holding You Back?.

WHY WOULD SOMEONE HIRE A COACH?

WHY WOULD SOMEONE HIRE A COACH?.

Personal Development

What is Personal Development:

This can be defined as the process of developing self-awareness, your identity, developing wisdom and knowledge, BUT the continuous self improvement of your personal goals and individual accomplishments. This will reflect on your own individual beliefs, morals, and values. It will be your ideas and views of what you want from life and how you can retain this level of contentment.

This covers the following areas:

What we want from life which will help us to organize our life. This involves goal-setting, healthy relationships, as well as the love and acceptance of others as well as ourselves.

Your Identity and what may be holding you back from yourself and to embark on new adventures.

The skills needed to empowerment and to take control of our own identity.

 

 

Office Politics and Office Bullying- What to do?

Office Politics and Bullying Workshop

 

No place is devoid of office politics but it is important to work place culture and work place politics are not the same. Work place culture is organizational values through actions and behavior at a work place and these behaviors are desirable. Work place politics is the way of working that may or may not be accepted in an organization.

Backstabbing, gender politics, bullying, gossip, favoritism, sucking up, blame games can take office politics into many forms. Professional rivalry within an organization can turn really ugly resulting in politicking, bitching amongst others.

WHY OFFICE POLITICS:

These are strategies that people play to gain an advantage, personally or for a cause they support. Thus this affects the working relationship and the relationships within. Good office politics can help you to promote yourself and your cause and is more often called networking. To ensure your own success you must navigate the minefield of office politics.

Reaso0ns  for its occurrence:

• Some people have more power than others through hierarchy or influence.
• People trying to gain promotion will create competition between individuals.
• Some care about their decisions at work which will create political behavior.
• Decisions impacted at work by work related and personal factors leads to conflict.
• People and teams within organizations compete for limited resources which can lead to ‘tribal conflict’ resulting in competing teams to satisfy their needs and interests.

What you need to do.

Accept the reality of office politics and develop strategies in how to deal with the behavior that is going on around you.

HOW?

Firstly:

1.OBSERVE, OBSERVE, OBSERVE

• Who has influence
• Those with influence but don’t use it.
• Those that champions or mentors others
• Who are the brains behind the organize

2.NETWORK

You will a good idea of who has power and influence but you need to understand how social networking starts.

Therefore notice

• Who gets on with whom
• Any groups or cliques in the organization
• Who is involved in interpersonal conflict
• Those individuals that get along the least with others
• What is the basis of these relationships: friendship. Respect, manipulation
• How does the influence flow between parties

This will:

• Gain you access to information
• Build visibility of your achievements
• Improve any difficult relationships
• Attract opportunities where you can shine
• Seek ways to make yourself, your team, and your boss look good

WHAT CAN YOU DO?

• Get to know politically powerful people in the company
• Establish relationships with your peers, bosses and executives and those who have informal power
• Build your relationships on  trust and respect NOT flattery
• Stay friendly with everyone but don’t align yourself with any particular group
• Become part of many networks, this will keep you at the center of the organization

TIP- Become a good listener as human nature likes those people that listen

1.NEUTRALIZE NEGATIVE PLAY

‘Keep your friends close and your enemies closer’ applies perfectly to office politics

• Get to know everybody better, be courteous BUT watch what you say to them.
• Understand what motivates them and what their goals are, so we counter the impact of their negative politicking
• Some people who aren’t too strong with their talents use aggressive politicking to get ahead.
• Being SELF AWARE is an important skill to have in navigating workplace politics eg your strengths and weaknesses , your own beliefs and values

2.YOUR OWN BEHAVIOR (DISCRETION IS THE NAME OF THE GAME)

Pointers to watch out for to avoid the same mistakes and pitfalls as others have.

• Never publicly criticize your boss or co-worker, it’s the best way to stay in the clear.
• If you hear something on the negative through the grapevine, listen to it without getting emotional or losing your temper.
• Don’t pass on or engage in gossip. Questionable judgements, consider first if you have to act.
• Rise above internal conflicts or get sucked into arguments
• Maintain your integrity and remain professional
• Be positive and avoid whining and complaining
• Be confident and assertive but not aggressive
• If you voice an objection make sure it is from the organizational and not personal standpoint
• Don’t rely on confidentiality as you should assume these will be disclosed somewhere along the line
• Become a model of integrity and discourage politics
• Hold on to your inner peace and happiness-give it up for no one
• Avoid taking sides but become a good listener and don’t pass on what you hear.
• Project team spirit
• Treat others as you want to be treated
• LEAVE WORK AT WORK

3.OTHER TIPS TO REMEMBER

• Don’t respond to gossip emails form peers or subordinates
• Clarify your bosses emails and copy to their boss in reply
• Do not send an email you would not be happy with (read several times before sending).

HOW TO DEAL WITH A BULLY AT WORK

Do you feel regularly intimidated, dread going to work or being near a particular co worker, being yelled at or you feel insulted and put down. Do you feel talked over by a colleague in meetings, criticized and even stealing credit for your work. Then the chances are there is an office bully at your work.

HOW TO DEAL WITH THIS PERSON:

• You need personal courage and confidence to stop this as soon as you realize you are being bullied or events are becoming uncomfortable and too frequent
• Exercise your right to tell the bully to stop this behavior and you won’t put up with this in the future. You are dealing with an adult with a tantrum.
• Do this is a calm, tactful and assertive manner (it may be a good idea to practice this with a friend at home to make you feel comfortable)
• Document all actions of the bullying, taking note of what happened, when it happened and who witnessed this if possible.
• Keep all emails or correspondence to back up your evidence.
• Observe it from their perspective and why this person’s behavior drives them to act like this. Do they do this with others? Or is it just you!
• Is it that you are under attack or is there something else going on? How did it start? Is there a pattern? Think what exactly is going on and whether you want to stick around or not. If you don’t get what you deserve, then leave
• Is the office bully always aggressive and recall how the situations occur. Sometimes the person has personal issues at home, with other colleagues or is stressed. This is no excuse and has nothing to do with you. But it may help you understand the heart of the problem and how to deal with it.
• Listen to your intuition-fight or flee
• Alternative-What is the culture here, Is it individually focused and sympathetic to the employee. Do your bosses care about you? What is the HR reputation eg do they help people confidentially and support them. Do you feel the bullying is ingrained in the workplace environment.

Quote of the Day!

‘When one door closes,another door opens; but we so often look so long and regretfully upon the close door, that we do not see the ones which open for us’ Alexander Graham Bell

TheWrightWayNYC on the Savvy Central Radio Blog

Please join me (Darren Wright) on Friday, December 14th at 1pm ET on Savvy central  radio blog where I will be interviewed By Christina Nitschmann on Life and epilepsy coaching on http://www.blogtalkradio.com/savvycentral/2012/12/14/darren-wright-life-epilepsy-coach

As of January 14 2013 this has had a solid 2000+ listeners. Please keep listening.