School, college and university

Things to think about

Most people with epilepsy find that it doesn’t cause them any problems with their education.

You will, however, have to consider certain things. Will you need extra support, extra time or any help with your exams? You’ll also need to consider if your epilepsy will affect your decisions about career choices.

Unfair treatment and the law

If you live in the UK and you have epilepsy, you are protected from unfair treatment by law. People in England, Scotland and Wales are covered by the Equality Act (EA). People in Northern Ireland are covered by the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA).

You are covered by the EA and DDA if you have epilepsy, or if you have had epilepsy in the past. They apply to you even if you take anti-epileptic drugs which control your seizures.

Help and support with study

The Equality Act and Disability Discrimination act mean that your school, college or university has to try to make ‘reasonable adjustments’. This is to help you with any problems that are caused by your epilepsy. For example, they might provide you with extra help and support if you need it. This could be in the form of notes to help you in lessons and lectures. Or, they could provide a member of staff to support you in the classroom.

If you feel that you need help that you are not getting, go and talk to one of the members of staff about it. They should be able to help.

Exams

You may be entitled to extra time in exams if you have concentration or memory problems because of your anti-epileptic drugs. But you won’t be given extra time just because you have epilepsy.

If you think you will need extra time in exams, your school, college or university will need to apply to the exam board. Exam boards are the ones who decide whether or not you are entitled to it.

Make sure you give the school, college or university enough time to put the application through. Your epilepsy specialist may be able to support your application for extra time in your exams.

Stress

Stress can bring on all kinds of things in people. It makes some people break out in a rash while others have sleepless nights. Being stressed is officially not good for anyone! Anything you can do to avoid it is a good thing – especially because being stressed when you have epilepsy can result in having more seizures.

If you think stress triggers your seizures, here are some things you can try, to help yourself.

  • Avoid situations that you know will be stressful.
  • Learn relaxation techniques, such as exercise, yoga, tai chi or listening to music.
  • Have a massage
  • Share your worries with someone you trust.

If studying, coursework, homework or exams are making you stressed because you’re finding it hard to keep up, talk to someone. Your teacher or Special Educational Needs Coordinator will be able to tell you about possible extra help and support. This should help make studying and exams less stressful for you.

Teasing and bullying

Teasing and bullying can happen to anyone for any number of reasons. But nobody should have to put up with it. If you’re being teased or bullied, it’s really important to talk to someone about it and put a stop to it.

One common reason for bullying is when people don’t understand something, so they make fun of it. If you are bullied because you have epilepsy, explaining epilepsy to people could help stop this. There are a number of ways to do this. One good way is to hold an epilepsy awareness session, to help your classmates understand more about epilepsy. They can learn what it’s like to have it, and how they can help if they see someone having a seizure.

One in every 131 people in the UK has epilepsy. So don’t be surprised if you find out about other people in your school, college or university who have epilepsy.

In some parts of the UK, Epilepsy Action has volunteers who can come and give epilepsy awareness presentations. For more information, contact Epilepsy Action: epilepsy@epilepsy.org.uk, tel. 0113 210 8800 (in the UK) or +44 113 210 8800 (outside the UK).

For more help and advice on being bullied, visit: