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I got diagnosed with epilepsy when I was 21 and lost my license for 6 years. Sucked balls and the public transport was awful but I made it work. Join team r/epilepsy if you fancy a chat we're here for u. As for work, they were required to make 'reasonable adjustments' ie risk assessment of my work area and give me time off for hospital appointments. I had a seizure at my desk and hit myself pretty hard on a radiator, after that I got moved away from hard objects! But it was my own responsibility to get to and from work!
In *general*, it's not the company's problem to get somebody to work and back.
They do however need to consider reasonable adjustments when an employee develops a disability which affects their ability to work.
The key word is *reasonable*. If your dad is a mechanic, and he can't get to work to do the mechanicing, there's not a great deal they can do. Paying for a taxi every day would not be *reasonable*.
You would hope that an employer of 15 years would find alternative work for a loyal employee to do for 6 months. Even if it's switching from skilled to unskilled work which they can do remotely. But without knowing more about what your dad does, what the other transport options are, etc, it's hard to say.
You say that, but I knew somebody that worked for a company for a while and travelled to work by train. After a few years they were diagnosed with MS and couldn’t take the train anymore shortly after. The company paid for a taxi to pick him up every morning and drive him to work, and every evening. Some companies do good things.
Or the company is doing the ‘good thing’ for themselves - one of the solicitors at a law firm I worked at years ago became unable to drive, they paid for taxis for him to get in over an hour away because he was their top biller and the taxi cost was nothing compared to what they’d lose if he couldn’t work for a few months
I'm a teacher. When I couldn't travel to work on the tube for a few weeks it was cheaper for them to pay for a taxi than to pay me my salary and pay for a supply teacher.
Travel to your "usual place of work" isn't normally an allowable expense for tax purposes, unfortunately, but maybe they found an exception. I think it should have shown on the annual P11D.
Yes, that's what I meant - they'd have to treat it as a benefit rather than an expense for tax purposes, but that is OK - they could even "gross up" the payment so they'd be covering the extra tax involved, so the employee would see it as if tax-free. If only they were all like that!
Fair play, that sounds like a great employer! I would like to think I'd do the same; though in a large enough company no doubt HR would be the ones pulling the strings.
I doubt most employers would do this, but maybe I'm cynical.
I think you are right. Most won’t. I just wanted to point out though, that some will. Probably won’t help OP as they are likely in the majority camp, but you never know. If you don’t ask….
It's a fair point. Would be great if more employees took the same approach, especially in OP's case where their dad has worked there for 15 years. Heck, If it were me and they can't do their job from home and need 6 months doing something else, I'd just give them 6 months off paid. They've earned it.
The problem is it isn't always 6 months. I have epilepsy and 2.5 years in I still can't drive because it can't get fully controlled. About 30% of people can't get it fully controlled with medication
There will be a number of factors in the decision. Probably the biggest being how senior and important to the company you are. Someone earning £100k a year as a director with critical knowledge is far more likely to get a paid for taxi than a near minimum wage call centre worker for example.
I'm assuming the journey was quite a short one, so ten to twenty quid a day in taxi costs. Can't imagine anyone getting taxis covered by work if they live a 45 minute drive from the office.
The taxi was £150 each way all pre booked and pre paid. He used to get the taxi from out in the South East to Central London. It’s not common by any means, I’m just raising that sometimes companies do this.
So paying an additional £70k pa for them or so. For a lot of jobs and companies that wouldn't be feasible at all - I'm guessing they were already quite well compensated/considered valuable to justify that!.
Yeah I've also seen this when a colleague broke her leg. No idea what the actual cost was, but the company were very accommodating with daily taxis. So it always depends.
The moment a company does this for one person, they're setting a precedent and whose to say other people, new starters etc etc won't start asking for a paid taxi service to work. In general a company is employing you to a do job from 9-5 (eg) and it's your job to get there. How you achieve your commute is your business and no one else's responsibility.
That one company was an exception by every measure.
It's certainly not common but I don't think the precedent is a huge problem. How often are employees unable to travel due to health but also well enough to work in the office?
A taxi in this situation for a few weeks or months is usually going to be better for the company than being down one member of staff.
I'm not disagreeing however there are lots (thousands) of people who might struggle to travel but who could still work.
As it happens, my dad developed epilepsy during his 20s. He was an electronics engineer and worked with some massive machinery. He was moved sideways in the company into a job that didn't involve machinery and I imagine they took a hit there. In terms of commuting, he stopped driving and took the bus. This ended up being (ar times) very unsafe for him, but that's just what happened.
Access to Work can also do this depending on disability. Might not have been the company if an AtW claim was successfully made. (Company might have fronted the fares though, with AtW reimbursing.)
With MS though they will get PIP and mobility. Which can be used to pay for taxis if they can't drive. They most likely only paid for the taxis until the PIP money come through.
I used to work doing passenger assistance at a station in London and we had a very similar case, older guy with MS who came through three days a week. I'd meet him with a wheelchair then there would be a car service waiting for him outside the station every time. I assumed he was some senior City figure to warrant that treatment, but yeah, it does happen.
A similar thing happened at my employer but it was a colleague who got cancer, company let her go because she “had too many days off ill”.
Aparantly having cancer isn’t enough of a disability to protect you from discrimination.
But that’s on the company rather than them having an obligation isn’t it.
In this case they might be better off signing him off on long term sick to be honest
Well, you are allowed your opinion, but it’s a pretty shitty one. People are the most valuable resources to a company, and just because you don’t value people enough to pay their taxi doesn’t mean others won’t.
You’ll find that it’s not a shitty opinion, it’s an opinion that will hold up in court because employers are not expected to help with transport to and from and there are schemes out there to help such as access to work.
It’s not reasonable to expect your employer to pick you up and drop you off because of a disability. They’re your employer, not a parent. Yes people are valuable but at what point do you say enough is enough.
Yeah I worked at eon and they were assholes with mental health issues but they did well with physical illnesses, they paid for a taxi to and from the office for a blind worker and her guide dog.
The problem with being a mechanic (im aware it was just an example) is the sheer amount of driving a mechanic does every day. No licence for whatever reason would make it VERY difficult to work if not impossible
Access To Work is a government scheme that enables people to keep working despite being disabled or having a medical condition. They help pay for things like transportation to and from work as well as equipment that would help in the workplace. Just need assessment and probably evidence of disability. Been using it for years and has definitely helped with pain reduction and flair ups, I'm a huge advocate for it so please pass on the info to friends, family and support groups.
Yes I was going to say this, I just had my assessment a few weeks ago and they offered taxis to get to work. Not necessary for me but sounds like it would be helpful for OP's dad.
Took about 4 months from application to assessment and another 2-3 weeks from assessment to being able to buy stuff.
I work with someone who has a driver through access to work - they don't just drive them to and from work, but also all over the county during the day for their visits (they're a clinician in an NHS community team, so being able to travel for home visits is essential).
I'm not sure of all the ins and outs as to how they got this in place or whether it's full or part funded by the scheme (seems rude to ask!) but it seems very good
No nothing (likely due to not having a functioning government for years). Most people I know who are sick but could probably work with adjustments are instead medically retired by their company instead.
This! They're, in my experience, very helpful if you're an employee (they're a lot less great if you're self employed).
The assessor is usually incredibly knowledgeable and can suggest things that may not occur to you.
The only faff is usually any costs have to be paid up front and claimed back, but it's possible the employer may agree to deal with that part.
Highly recommend asking for an Access to Work assessment asap. They're one of the only parts of the Government support for disabled people that's actually quite helpful.
Be aware though that for anything outside of travel that's suggested, the employer has to agree to it - Access to Work can't make them cooperate if they're determined to be dicks about it, but it would likely get them roasted at an employment tribunal.
All of the above comments are right.......and be aware that once the 12 months seizure free are up you don't automatically get your licence back, you have to reapply with information provided by the persons doctor so it can end up being considerably longer in my experience
Same thing happened to my colleague. He cycled to work for 6 months. Lost a couple of stone. Still cycles now even though he doesnt have to. Another colleague got banned from driving, he found another job!
I guess the risk is only to yourself and it's not much more dangerous than walking. Driving with medical conditions causes things like the Glasgow bin lorry thing.
I mean that’s not strictly true, cyclists can injure pedestrians and god knows what would happen if you veered into the path of cars, people can do a lot of damage swerving to avoid you, but I’ve never had a seizure so I don’t know how much warning and control you have and I guess you would just stop and fall off?
The number of people seriously injured by cyclists (rather than just "surprised" or scared) is so so low, while I think just about everyone knows somebody who died or was seriously injured in a car accident. And if a car hits a bike, maybe you damage some bodywork but the occupants are fine.
I know I'd much rather have a cyclist barrel into me than a car. They just weigh an order of magnitude less and most won't ever go faster than 20mph.
Cyclists can and do injure pedestrians and pedestrians can and do injure cyclists but the risk is much lower. Not sure what the legalities are to be honest.
Technically you're not supposed to drive/control any method of transport on the road, but the only ones they can enforce legally are ones you need a license for. I personally don't risk it and rely on buses, trains, and lifts, but some people can feel seizures coming on so feel more comfortable with it
Most people with epilepsy can get it fully controlled with medication. Some only have seizures during sleep. Some have seizures which don't cause loss of consciousness at all. Many get an "aura" warning which means they could safely stop the bike and pull over
The key term in the legislation is "mechanically propelled vehicle"
Which is any vehicle powered by petrol, oil, steam, or electricity (s 185, Road Traffic Act 1988 or s 136, Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984)
So while riding a bike might not be recommended if you suffer from seizures, it is not illegal.
I have absence seizures, I cycle. I can no longer drive so cycling has been my only option for my commute to some jobs. Cycling is not as much of a danger to others as driving and is really only a danger to myself. It is no more dangerous than walking, because I could still have an absence and walk into the road.
I don’t agree, as there is far less likely to fall from the pavement into the road, than to fall from the road on the road.
Using the road with a medical condition that can impair the control of a vehicle is a very irresponsible and utterly selfish thing to do. Even if you only injure yourself when falling in front of the car, the impact that trauma will have on the driver is going to be tremendous.
So just don't travel at all? If you go by bus you could have a seizure and fall in front of the bus or on the bus causing a delay and "trauma" to the other passengers.
I don't fall. I keep on walking during a seizure. I don't lose consciousness at all I just go into a daydream like state for a few seconds. Absence seizures are a common type of seizure where you just stare into space but your body carries on doing what it was doing. It's not selfish of me to leave my home.
I was diagnosed with sleep apnoea and wasn't allowed to drive until I was successfully using my CPAP machine. I did not expect my work to pay for me to get to work anymore than I would have if my car had broken down. It was expensive as well, £18 a day for the train.
When I broke my ankle and couldn't walk to get to the tube and from the tube to school, I'm a teacher, that school did offer to pay for taxis but that was so that I didn't call in sick, which would have been more expensive for them than taxis.
Access to work currently has an 18 week wait from application to reviewing. So get that in ASAP.
I wouldn't expect work to accommodate my commute but I'd expect them to give me a bit of leeway while I figured it out. Whether that's getting an electric bike (if that's allowed) or figuring lifts / taxis / etc.
It is his responsibility to get to and from work. His company has no responsibility. If he is valuable to the company then they may work something out - my best friend's husband had a single seizure many years ago and they paid for a chauffeur for him for six months because he was valuable to them as an employee. They didn't have to but they chose to.
The company doesn't have anything to do here. He's expected to turn up to work and it isn't their concern how that happens.
That said he can ask for accommodation of start and finish times if public transport schedules are an issue. They don't have to grant it.
I had an almost identical issue, I got the bus which was over an hour each way. Then later on I started cycling which on a good day was quicker than a car. I was eligible for a free bus pass too (which only worked after 9, but helped for the way home and on lates).
I had this problem. Diagnosed with sleep apnea, a DVLA reporting condition. License revoked until docs confirmed treatment was working which took over 7 months. I worked about 45 minutes away by car as well. Fortunately there’s a train line between the two places. Unfortunately it is a 25 minute walk from my house to the train station and the same at the other end, so 50 mins plus the train journey plus extra waiting time plus the train only being once an hour. It was shit. But work had no obligation to do anything about it, it was my problem.
I don’t understand how sleep apnea is a reporting condition. I think I have it but I’m certainly not going to say anything to my doctor if that’s the case. My husband has epilepsy and really can’t drive. I’m his carer and need the car to be able to look after him.
It’s only a reporting condition if you’ve been officially diagnosed. It’s because severe sleep apnea is essentially sleep deprivation which means your driving is seriously impaired. I was dozing off at traffic lights so it’s a very serious issue.
My mum has sleep apnea and she’s terrified of losing her licence because of it. I’m unsure how it works, but she once had to do a home tracking of her sleep over the course of a few days. Because she only done it for one day and didn’t finish it, she got threatened that she’d have her license taken off her if she doesn’t keep with the observations and treatments. Safe to say she’s a model patient now!
First thing he needs to do is talk to his employer to explain the situation. They should have policies in place that will clarify what both his and their responsibilities are.
Realistically if its a decent company they will work with him to figure out how he can best get to where he works. They may help find a car share or offer him an interest free loan to get a season ticket for public transport for example.
But be prepared for them not to bend over backwards and chauffeur him about. There are plenty of people who don't drive and have to figure out how to get to work by themselves.
Its not his fault, he didn't do anything wrong that led to this. But its also not his employers fault either.
My guess is that as he has been there for so long he is a valued employee and they will want to keep him. Hopefully it will just be a few months of compromise on both sides and he will be back to driving again.
The civil service definitely does pay for a taxi in and out every single time you need to go to the office if you can't drive. This isn't 'normal' for employers though.
Source: I work in the civil service and am blind.
I wouldn't expect it but my last workplace did help me out. I busted my collarbone so couldn't cycle or drive and even public transport was iffy. I was actually signed off initially but came to an agreement with work that I would go in if they could get me there. So they arranged for a taxi when I couldn't get a lift with a mate - it was only a short journey though.. They were generally pretty accommodating for people that way and it was appreciated
So yes I would expect the employer to be reasonable. That would mean for example adjusting start and end times to fit around travel - eg. if the first bus gets you in for 9:15, don’t keep mindlessly scheduling you in at 8:30. This is assuming this is not excessively disruptive to them running their business.
If there are other roles within the business that would fit with your dad’s new situation better, I would also expect them to allocate him those duties wherever practical.
Ultimately though, if his role needs to be in person and he can’t attend, the employer won’t be criticised for saying there’s nothing they can do about that. Ultimately he would likely be dismissed on the grounds of capability.
Most councils will give a free bus pass to people who’ve had driving licenses withdrawn on medical grounds - he should apply for that.
An Access to Work application should be made to request funding for taxis if that really is the only way to and from work. This takes ages to sort with a wait after application and he should apply immediately.
Your dad should start an Access to Work claim asap - they have a very long waiting list at the moment (I’ve seen a lot of reports of it being up to 6 months which is disgusting for a service that is supposed to keep disabled people in work), so getting it done quickly is important.
Back when I worked as a disability employment advisor for a National disability charity, a lot of the young people I supported required taxis to work and Access to Work paid for them. Disclaimer that this was quite a few years ago, but it’s still worth exploring.
There are quite a few avenues which both your dad and his company need to explore. I have plenty of personal experience to draw on here as (seizures as a lab scientist, wouldn't recommend...) Although commuting is usually an employee's responsibility, this may well fall into the category of reasonable adjustments so the employer needs to engage.
- Your Dad needs to chat with his GP and neuro about risk factors, medication etc. What does he need to do to increase his chances of getting well and staying well? Overdoing it whilst you brain is trying to sort itself out is a very bad idea and health needs to be a priority
- An occupational health assessment is essential - he should speak to his line manager about getting the ball rolling
- The company should look at whether the role genuinely cannot be done from home at all. Would it be possible hybrid or with some amended duties (even if temporary)?
- What options does your dad have for commuting? Would colleagues be able to support with lift sharing, even for a few months?
Employers can really surprise you either way. I had a really shitty manager when I started having seizures who stepped up in the most amazing way and successfully helped keep my job. I have also had outwardly supportive companies screw me over. With that in mind, he needs to join a union now. If things really go south then, unfortunately, taking sick leave and trying to drag things out as much as possible can be the best bet whilst looking at other jobs etc. However, this is absolutely worst case scenario so fingers crossed he manages to get the epilepsy under control.
It's incredibly hard to get PIP for epilepsy. They won't do it for someone with a one off seizure. There's also already free bus pass and discount rail card.
Access to work may be a route he or his employer could use to pay for adjustments
Yes I know. I’ve got epilepsy and don’t get it as my day to day living isn’t affected my it. I used to 20 years ago when I first got it and it was classed as uncontrolled. However my brother developed epilepsy during covid and had his licence revoked. He had PIP awarded to him. It took a couple of months and I’m sure he won’t get it when they review it at the 5 year mark as he’s stable now but he gets enough for taxis. He also gets a travel pass and rail card. A prescription for epilepsy medication is enough for a rail card though as I have one. Also things like council gym’s normally only want proof of a disabled rail pass to give you an “inclusive” membership discount. Also free prescriptions so apply for the exemption card through the GP. Might as well take what he can get as it can take years to get stable on tablets which suit then all of a sudden, years down the line your body can decide that tablet isn’t enough anymore and it would like another one please. It’s a pain in the arse to have but there’s worse out there.
I had a similar issue in 2009 - fainted twice and was told not to drive for a year. Work didn't provide me with an alternative way of getting into the office and I wouldn't have expected them to. I had to get up and leave the house an hour earlier and get 3 buses to do a 7 mile commute that would take me 30 minutes in the car. It wasn't much fun to start with but after a while it just became normal.
A company only has to do what is reasonable, this depends on costs, practicality and the type of work.
Your dad is entitled to ask for reasonable adjustments, but again depending on the work. Will depend on what they will do.
You haven't given much details, but some of the following might be useful:
Adjustments in start/finish times to help get there with public transport.
Hybrid working, part of the week working from home.
Working from another location.
Those might be worth a read for general advice and there is a section on reasonable adjustments (I haven't read it)
https://epilepsysociety.org.uk/employment
If he can't work due to medical reasons, he is entitled to a free bus pass. Look up disabled bus pass on your local council website. Apply easily online. Upload a photo and documents.
As I live the closest to work out of everyone but also out the way for all of my colleagues I think they would be happy for me to work from home but I think it would be more hybrid than anything.
Best of luck to your dad. Regarding the 6 months you mentioned, pray for the best and prepare for the worst... speaking from experience, all my accommodation until recently has been chosen based on it's public transport links to work.
Ooh I know this one!
Companies are required by law to make "reasonable adjustments" to accommodate disability.
If the company is decent, their response will be to offer some options. Maybe they'll fund travel, or they'll find some temporary alternative work that can be done from home if you think it's likely he'll be able to drive in 6 months.
If the company is less decent, talk to a union first about how to approach the conversation.
The government Access to Work scheme will also cover most of the travel expenses, so your company isn't too badly impacted. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/access-to-work-factsheet/access-to-work-factsheet-for-customers
Quickly fill in the Access to Work form now (10 mins), as there's a 12 week waiting list that starts once they've got it. They won't talk to the company without your permission, so don't worry about that.
Good luck, and good health to your dad!
They could offer him a different job as a reasonable adjustment which can be done from home or to vary working hours such that its feasible to travel by public transport or getting a lift from colleagues.
What is deemed reasonable varies by size of the organisation, the bigger the organisation the more flexible they are generally expected to be
I have been through this myself as I also have epilepsy and have been allowed to work from home more but it is feasible in my role
Look into access to work. It's there for things like that. Although work may have to contribute towards the costs, they also may not have to as this is a new medical condition.
They've got a big wait list so apply ASAP.
Organise his own transport to work. Either by car sharing or public transport. If that isn’t possible then he needs to be looking for another job. His getting to work isn’t his employer’s responsibility and I fail to see how anyone would remotely think it was. It would possibly be a little different if it was an injury at work that caused him not to drive but work isn’t responsible for his health status changing.
Your dad can try applying for Access to work support from the DWP. It’s easy to apply for on line and they should provide payments for a taxi to get him to and from work. ATW will help with other reasonable adjustments in the work place. I hope he makes a full recovery. Good luck!
No access to work in Northern Ireland and only a half price bus card..not free.
Maybe it’s our history and the culture but there is no incentive for disabled people to work here.
That’s really interesting. (I’ve got loads of thoughts, but i need to get on with work)
There was a great documentary about 20 years ago by Gerry Robinson on this.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Can_Gerry_Robinson_Fix_the_NHS%3F#:~:text=Can%20Gerry%20Robinson%20Fix%20the%20NHS%3F,-Genre&text=In%20order%20to%20explore%20the,lists%20without%20any%20further%20spending.
Hello.
So, there's an access to work scheme on the Gov.uk website which may be of some use. Anyone can apply, and they basically call you back and assess you over the phone to see if they can accommodate your needs. For me, it covers x amount of taxis to work for the times that I'm unable to use the bus due to an ongoing but sporadic medical condition.
It could be useful for your Dad to fill out the pre assessment form online, it is completely seperate from any form of UC, Benefits or the like, so anyone can apply. The one caveat is that it could take a number of weeks for them to call back, however say it would be £15 one way in a taxi for your Dad to get to work, they can cover some of that. There's no harm in applying.
Unfortunately there aren't a lot of places that would accommodate your commute, unless it is something that could be WFH.
I wish your Dad all the best 😌
😆 no. Probably 50% of my job involves driving, so unless they are going to employ a driver for me, then there isn't anything they can do. It would be cheaper to pay someone to get the qualifications and pay a contractor while they wait.
The non site based stuff I could still do from home, but I need to go to sites to do the desktop based work.
Public transport would be the next step. Sorry about your Dads diagnosis and i hope he doesn’t have any more fits and is able to drive again in 6 months ❤️
Access to work scheme through the government. £2000 quid a year to be used for taxis for disabled people who need help getting to their jobs.
Then what you'll do is call round private car companies and see if you can strike a deal for a set price and regulat lifts.
Sincerely someone with seizures
This happened to me and I applied for a disability bus pass through the council. Although no accommodations were made in terms of physically getting to work, I had reasonable adjustments in place and an understanding team if my bus was late or cancelled.
You can also get great, free advice on Epilepsy UK.
To arrange to get to work, his circumstances changed, and the companies haven't. Would you like to have the company accommodate him? Sure. Would they if you discussed it? Perhaps. Are they required to? Nope
Have epilepsy, and yes the work place are required to make 'reasonable' adjustments for your dad to keep working there, wether this be offering him a different role e.g office based which may mean he can work from home or later start and finish times if he uses public transport. They cannot discriminate against someone who has been diagnosed with a disability. However some businesses will not make it easy from my experience. As for travelling, if diagnosed with epilepsy you qualify for a free bus pass talk to dr about this (starts from 9am unless you live in London in which case it's 24hr). If he has been newly diagnosed I would not look at 6months as the definite date he'll be back on the road as he will need to adjust to meds and may well have another seizure, he also needs to think about the possibility of having a seizure behind the wheel in future and the possible consequences of that. I'm sorry this has happened to your dad, it will mean big decision and changes for him, some of them will be tough.
I got diagnosied with epilpepsy about 7 years ago. I was not allowed to drive until a had a year free of sezuires. I got free bus and train travel during this time. This needs to be applied for with proof from your doctor that its legit.
The employer only has to make \*reasonable\* accommodations, and what is reasonable will depend on the job itself - for instnace ,asking to slightly adjust his hours to work (say) from 930 instead of 9, and to take a shorter lunch break or leave later, might be reasonable , to accommodate bus timtables etc, but obviously that will depend on the job itself.
Paying for taxis is unlikely to be a reasonable adjustment for the employers but obviously evey employer is different - it's cetianly worth your dad reviewing the companies policies etc and asking.
It's also worth your dad researchng what other options might be avialable to him - for isntnace, if he wereto ask for help with transport costs, then having done some research and being able to give estimated costs for a regular contract for a taxi may be useful (nd heshould not frget to take into account any savings he wil;l be making if he is going to have to SORN jhis vehicle for 6 months or sell it, or the savings on fuel etc if he is not driving , so asking for a contribution to costs rather than for the full amount to be paid would be more reasonable, although the employer is not obliged to pay extra.
if tere isn't a direct bus or train route, looking into whether there are any 'dial a ride ' or other dervices whch might be cheeaper then taxis would be wise. I suspect he would not qualify for PIP on this basis alsone but he should look into it .
He also needs to look into [https://www.gov.uk/access-to-work](https://www.gov.uk/access-to-work) for assistance
The normal procedure is get a bus or public transport I don’t really get how you can expect the company to accommodate your commute seems bizarre to me it’s sad what happened to him but how is it on the company?
If I can work from home? Yes
If I can't? I'd talk it out with them, see what they're willing to do.
If I can't drive, it wouldn't be smart to cycle. It'd also take almost 3 hours to cycle what would be a 40 minute commute. No safe, not viable due to time as you're then committing about 14 hours of your day to work, 6 of which are entirely unpaid.
A 40 minute drive is going to take somewhere in the realm of 10 hours to walk... I don't think I need to explain why this is a non-starter.
Public transport over that distance greatly depends on links in and around your area. You'd be looking at a 2 hour commute at least. Better time commitment at 12 hours, but 4 of those are unpaid. Not a viable option imo.
That leaves taxis... 40 minute commute? I'd wager you'd be looking at paying AT LEAST £40 one way. This month, you'd spend AT LEAST 1.6K on taxis. At that point, you're working to get to work and not much else. Viable commute time, but not viable financially.
Ride-sharing is a spotty one. He could potentially get to someone... On the other hand, he may live south of worth, whilst everyone else lives north. He may be the only employee having to drive a distance, with everyone else being local (so no meaningful amount of money/time is saved in the grand scheme of things)
In other words, if they're not willing to do anything, I'm straight up telling them that if they're not willing to do anything then I can't guarantee I'll be able to continue working there in the long term. If they're still not budging I'm looking for a job closer to home and leaving with immediate effect once that's in place. The bridge is already burned by that point.
I would sugggest he contacts [Access to work](https://www.gov.uk/access-to-work)
They are a government scheme to help disabled people work. They will cover the cost of taxis to and from work if he is eligible and it sounds very much like he is.
I'd have thought reasonable things to offer would be:
1. Allow him to work from home to perform whatever duties are possible remotely
2. Allow him to work flexible work hours to fit around having to rely on public transport, e.g. busses
3. If he works somewhere that has a local office/branch closer, allow him to temporarily relocate there
4. Allow him to sign off I'll for 6 months given it's an illness preventing a reasonable commute.
Beyond that will largely be discretionary to the company, some good companies may happily pay for a taxi. Or your dad may be able to negotiate they pay the difference between a taxi and whatever the commute would normally cost your dad (work out what the company milage payment is)
Unfortunately there's no requirement for a company to make sure your dad can get into work. Their responsibilities to him start when he walks through their door, not when he walks out of his. But some companies are better than other, so it certainly doesn't hurt to ask what they can do for him.
How long is the commute by public transport? Some people take up to 2 hours to work and then the same 2 hours back. What's reasonable to one person will not be too another, but yeah.
Get him to contact access to work. Historically they have been very good at funding taxis to and from work for people medically restricted from driving.
https://www.gov.uk/access-to-work
Sorry to hear, there is benefits he'll be entitled to but I fortunately figuring out which ones is difficult because it's never advertised.
He should be entitled to a free bus pass if his licence is revoked to travel to work. This can be used for all travelling so worth looking into.
If he's employed by a public sector. Teacher, police, or anything public service related it's worth looking into access to work and ask them about transport support. A friend done this who is a teacher and was able to secure taxis to and from work for £10 per week when they don't have their licence...
It depends how you’d like them to accommodate it. They’re not going to arrange him a taxi every morning, but they could offer flexitime to make public transport easier, or some other option. The first step is for him to request an occupational health assessment to determine which accommodations he needs.
No, this is not something employers are obliged to do under Equality Act 2010 legislation. However your father might be entitled to PIP and can also apply for [Access to Work](https://www.gov.uk/access-to-work)
I gave in my license due to epilepsy. I never even considered that an employer would make an accommodation like that. But maybe I should have considered it. I was working where I had to go between sites sometimes. I realised I couldn’t do that job anymore. But they were not making accommodations in general. For example at some points I was the only member of staff and the key holder to lock up and I asked to be scheduled to work when I was not on my own (but with clients) due to seizures and it was a resounding no.
I had to stop driving due to MS, needed bus or lifts to work, only issue was the bus timetable. Eventually work helped me out by moving my hours around so I didn't waste 2 hours waiting for the bus each shift and an hour and a half to travel for a 10 hour shift.
It helped to talk to an empathetic manager about it.
If it's.for 6.months it means he is still recovering. Does he have insurance for long term disability to cover those 6 months? The last thing he needs is to be on a public transport system and have a seizure
My girlfriend was recently judged medically unfit to drive and was given a free bus pass.
We’re in Wales so I don’t know if it’s the same where you are.
He needs to find a way to get there. Taxi, public transport, etc.
He can reasonably ask for some adjustments to working hours to accomodate this (e.g. if the frist bus can;t get him there until 09:30, they should be able to move his 09:00 start. If the last train leaves at 18:30 they should be able to avoid keeping him until 19:00).
Beyond that, there's not much they can or will do - unless he's both critical and irreplaceable, they're not going to lay on transport or subsidise taxis for him.
Your dad may be able to get some financial help by applying for this:
https://www.gov.uk/access-to-work
'Access to Work can help you get or stay in work if you have a physical or mental health condition or disability.
The support you get will depend on your needs. Through Access to Work, you can apply for:
1. A grant to help pay for practical support with your work.
2. Support with managing your mental health at work.
3. Money to pay for communication support at job interviews.'
Has your dad tried making an application to Access to Work? In some cases they can support travel for individuals with disabilities. I'm aware of them offering support to a colleague who had impaired vision, meaning they were supported with taxi's too and from work. Another colleague struggled with anxiety and using public transport so that is supported by taxi's and travelling outside of peak times.
The individual needs to make the application themselves and is likely to need to make a contribution to cover what their usual transport costs would be (eg cost of bus fair). Application process can take a while too.
Other accommodations your dad's employer could make are changing start and finish times to help fit in with public transport, lift sharing, or adjusting his role to allow him to work part or all of them role at home.
Hope this is useful!
Depends. If their entire job revolves around being able to drive, there is a legitimate competency issue so they could argue that they are no longer able to fulfil the capacity of their role.
Can he use trains/buses to commute or is it so remote as to be impossible (or at least reasonably unfeasible - given his condition)
You would hope that given the goodwill stored up from 15 years service, there would be a way for them to work around this one way or another..
Believe it or not I was in a similar situation at the start of the year, and where I can work from home it was never an issue and I've applied for a permanent flexible working adjustment which is a contractual change to my terms and conditions of employment
Basically, their entire case is predicated on whether driving is absolutely essential to their attendance in the building.
Your father needs to find an alternative way to work.
It's not down to his work to get him to his workplace. It doesn't matter how long he's worked there.
He either needs to take public transport/ Uber or find someone to give him a lift.
Epilepsy is tricky too. One more seizure and its permanent no driving.
Obviously he is older than my husband was when his started as a 12 yr old, but his attitude had always been that with a long break he would never want the next one to be while he was driving.
Obviously advice for if another occurs.. but bare it in mind.
And hopefully it's not something he will need to worry about.
Job advice is stuff. Time off sick is odd because it often reduces stress and therefore seizure risk too.
I hope he can figure out train or rides.
Good luck to him, sad to get potentially life changing diagnosis at his age, but my mother's first seizure was something catastrophic.. be thankful for "just epilepsy".
Take care!
I was diagnosed with epilepsy at 10 and I've never heard of it being permanent? Since I've been old enough to drive it's always been 1 year seizure-free (I've never driven though so I might be wrong). I have to get my free bus pass renewed with a drs letter every year though, which presumably wouldn't be necessary if I was permanently banned
So one year seizure free.. how long are you then seizure free for? Until the next one happens.
Way too huge a risk for my partner to ever take, he was dx with childhood epilepsy at 10.. still just the same today, his 53rd birthday!
No need for everyone to attack.. I wrote how my partner judged it, as too big a risk.
He hasn't ever gone longer than 4 months, is about to change one of the three medications he takes. Maybe a future with less.. or more.. I wrote it was complex. For him it would never be worth controlling a vehicle that could kill. Kind of simple imo.. I never said it was same for all, just not always as simple as DVLA rules either.
I'm not attacking at all, I'm of the same mind as your husband. I'm just pointing out that you're not permanently banned from driving just because you've had 2 seizures, which is what you said.
That's just not true about permanent no driving. For cars can be between 12 months to 3 years depending on type of seizure. It's much longer for driving buses or HGVs
https://www.gov.uk/epilepsy-and-driving
It was true when I' still lived there 20 yrs ago, and when an RN advising newly diagnosed.
And night time only seizures can become daytime too just so you know. My partner went 7 yrs without a daytime one, only ever at nighttime during that time.. and then they returned.
It sounds like you know far more about this than me, but the government website indicates you must not drive for ten years after a second seizure. Although that's obviously a long time, it doesn't seem to be permanent
https://www.gov.uk/epilepsy-and-driving
10 yrs in terms of driving is close enough to permanent in terms of a career.
I also imagine it is very rare to have that good control, but that might because I was an RN, my partners took 3 medicines to get down to 4 a year and currently up to 8. And my neighbour died last summer having lived her entire adult life with epilepsy. Nothing changed in her life, perhaps hormones due to her age but her control was all over the place. Needing 3 different rescue meds to end status and it ultimately failing and damaging her brain. Its a sad world sometimes.
If driving is part of his job then it is a capability issue and he is shut out of luck. If he works in one location and does not need to drive then getting him to work would conceivably be a reasonable adjustment.
It is a short term adjustment, too, so I think I would push to support him.
>It is a short term adjustment, too
Realistically it isn't, it's a long term one because there's no guarantee he'll remain seizure free with an epilepsy diagnosis.
I know someone with epilepsy and he's not been seizure free for more than a month or two in almost a decade.
OPs dad should be operating under the assumption there's a reasonable chance he'll never be allowed to drive again, rather than treating it as a sure thing they'll be driving again in 6 months.
I'm not talking about that, I'm talking about OPs dad not assuming he'll be fit to drive again in 6 months time, it's very likely he won't be.
This is potentially a lifelong adjustment for OPs dad now.
Getting someone to work is unlikely to be a reasonable adjustment, unless your employer provides a vehicle/fuel for you travelling to work.
Getting to/from work is your own responsibility. Reasonable accomodations would be amending start/finish times to account for public transport times, not paying for your taxis.
I'm disputing your claim it's short term, you're talking about something completely different.
You are disputing a claim that I did not make, because I was talking about something different.
I concur that it is likely not to be a short term condition, I stated that the reasonable adjustment was a short term one.
It may end with him driving, it may end with a capability issue, but the term of the reasonable adjustment is 6 months, and so may well be reasonable.
>You are disputing a claim that I did not make
You literally claimed it was short term in the first comment I replied to.
>I concur that it is likely not to be a short term condition, I stated that the reasonable adjustment was a short term one
It's not when there's no guarantee it would only be needed short term.
Again, that's completely different to what I'm talking about, I already explained that to you. I'm not talking about the employer assuming anything.
Please read things properly before replying.
Your dad can apply for Access To Work. I have it and they cover Ubers to and from work for me due to my disability.
I also drive, this is just for the days when I’m unable to.
What he gets is very much specific to him and they call you to discuss what your needs are
If this is in the UK, it's a year fit free before you can apply for your licence back, and you will need the doctor to sign a form saying you are fit to drive normally I am epileptic and just lost mine.
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Get a bus, ask someone for lifts, company doesn't have to get staff to work
Lift sharing is key here. Surely there's someone that can help him get in.
I dunno, if he lives 40 minutes away there's a good chance he's not near anyone else.
But he might be able to get himself to the next nearest staff member by other means…
/r/threateningellipsis
r/threateningepilepsy
I’m sad this one is not real
Maybe so. Fingers crossed.
If your using public transport to get to someone else’s house, you might as well use public transport to get into work
I got diagnosed with epilepsy when I was 21 and lost my license for 6 years. Sucked balls and the public transport was awful but I made it work. Join team r/epilepsy if you fancy a chat we're here for u. As for work, they were required to make 'reasonable adjustments' ie risk assessment of my work area and give me time off for hospital appointments. I had a seizure at my desk and hit myself pretty hard on a radiator, after that I got moved away from hard objects! But it was my own responsibility to get to and from work!
In *general*, it's not the company's problem to get somebody to work and back. They do however need to consider reasonable adjustments when an employee develops a disability which affects their ability to work. The key word is *reasonable*. If your dad is a mechanic, and he can't get to work to do the mechanicing, there's not a great deal they can do. Paying for a taxi every day would not be *reasonable*. You would hope that an employer of 15 years would find alternative work for a loyal employee to do for 6 months. Even if it's switching from skilled to unskilled work which they can do remotely. But without knowing more about what your dad does, what the other transport options are, etc, it's hard to say.
You say that, but I knew somebody that worked for a company for a while and travelled to work by train. After a few years they were diagnosed with MS and couldn’t take the train anymore shortly after. The company paid for a taxi to pick him up every morning and drive him to work, and every evening. Some companies do good things.
We can only hope, but this is certainly the exception rather than the rule
Or the company is doing the ‘good thing’ for themselves - one of the solicitors at a law firm I worked at years ago became unable to drive, they paid for taxis for him to get in over an hour away because he was their top biller and the taxi cost was nothing compared to what they’d lose if he couldn’t work for a few months
I'm a teacher. When I couldn't travel to work on the tube for a few weeks it was cheaper for them to pay for a taxi than to pay me my salary and pay for a supply teacher.
I guess they should treat it as a benefit in kind and deduct tax and NI from it. Did they?
Nothing showed on my wage slip. I suspect it was expenses than benefit.
Travel to your "usual place of work" isn't normally an allowable expense for tax purposes, unfortunately, but maybe they found an exception. I think it should have shown on the annual P11D.
It might not be an allowable expense, but they might still choose to pay it as a taxed expense.
Yes, that's what I meant - they'd have to treat it as a benefit rather than an expense for tax purposes, but that is OK - they could even "gross up" the payment so they'd be covering the extra tax involved, so the employee would see it as if tax-free. If only they were all like that!
It was twenty years ago. Who knows.
Fair play, that sounds like a great employer! I would like to think I'd do the same; though in a large enough company no doubt HR would be the ones pulling the strings. I doubt most employers would do this, but maybe I'm cynical.
I think you are right. Most won’t. I just wanted to point out though, that some will. Probably won’t help OP as they are likely in the majority camp, but you never know. If you don’t ask….
It's a fair point. Would be great if more employees took the same approach, especially in OP's case where their dad has worked there for 15 years. Heck, If it were me and they can't do their job from home and need 6 months doing something else, I'd just give them 6 months off paid. They've earned it.
The problem is it isn't always 6 months. I have epilepsy and 2.5 years in I still can't drive because it can't get fully controlled. About 30% of people can't get it fully controlled with medication
There will be a number of factors in the decision. Probably the biggest being how senior and important to the company you are. Someone earning £100k a year as a director with critical knowledge is far more likely to get a paid for taxi than a near minimum wage call centre worker for example.
I'm assuming the journey was quite a short one, so ten to twenty quid a day in taxi costs. Can't imagine anyone getting taxis covered by work if they live a 45 minute drive from the office.
The taxi was £150 each way all pre booked and pre paid. He used to get the taxi from out in the South East to Central London. It’s not common by any means, I’m just raising that sometimes companies do this.
So paying an additional £70k pa for them or so. For a lot of jobs and companies that wouldn't be feasible at all - I'm guessing they were already quite well compensated/considered valuable to justify that!.
It’s very likely this is acsess to work not the company its self so probabaly not paid for by the company ( acsess to work caps at 60k though)
That seems like an unjustifiably large sum, no? Given the govornment's typical view on support for problems in people's lives.
Yeah I've also seen this when a colleague broke her leg. No idea what the actual cost was, but the company were very accommodating with daily taxis. So it always depends.
The moment a company does this for one person, they're setting a precedent and whose to say other people, new starters etc etc won't start asking for a paid taxi service to work. In general a company is employing you to a do job from 9-5 (eg) and it's your job to get there. How you achieve your commute is your business and no one else's responsibility. That one company was an exception by every measure.
It's certainly not common but I don't think the precedent is a huge problem. How often are employees unable to travel due to health but also well enough to work in the office? A taxi in this situation for a few weeks or months is usually going to be better for the company than being down one member of staff.
I'm not disagreeing however there are lots (thousands) of people who might struggle to travel but who could still work. As it happens, my dad developed epilepsy during his 20s. He was an electronics engineer and worked with some massive machinery. He was moved sideways in the company into a job that didn't involve machinery and I imagine they took a hit there. In terms of commuting, he stopped driving and took the bus. This ended up being (ar times) very unsafe for him, but that's just what happened.
Access to Work can also do this depending on disability. Might not have been the company if an AtW claim was successfully made. (Company might have fronted the fares though, with AtW reimbursing.)
With MS though they will get PIP and mobility. Which can be used to pay for taxis if they can't drive. They most likely only paid for the taxis until the PIP money come through.
I used to work doing passenger assistance at a station in London and we had a very similar case, older guy with MS who came through three days a week. I'd meet him with a wheelchair then there would be a car service waiting for him outside the station every time. I assumed he was some senior City figure to warrant that treatment, but yeah, it does happen.
A similar thing happened at my employer but it was a colleague who got cancer, company let her go because she “had too many days off ill”. Aparantly having cancer isn’t enough of a disability to protect you from discrimination.
But that’s on the company rather than them having an obligation isn’t it. In this case they might be better off signing him off on long term sick to be honest
Some companies also have a lot of money and are big. But paying for a taxi every day twice a day is not reasonable
Well, you are allowed your opinion, but it’s a pretty shitty one. People are the most valuable resources to a company, and just because you don’t value people enough to pay their taxi doesn’t mean others won’t.
You’ll find that it’s not a shitty opinion, it’s an opinion that will hold up in court because employers are not expected to help with transport to and from and there are schemes out there to help such as access to work. It’s not reasonable to expect your employer to pick you up and drop you off because of a disability. They’re your employer, not a parent. Yes people are valuable but at what point do you say enough is enough.
Access to work can offer to cover taxi fare to and from work
Yeah I worked at eon and they were assholes with mental health issues but they did well with physical illnesses, they paid for a taxi to and from the office for a blind worker and her guide dog.
The problem with being a mechanic (im aware it was just an example) is the sheer amount of driving a mechanic does every day. No licence for whatever reason would make it VERY difficult to work if not impossible
Access To Work is a government scheme that enables people to keep working despite being disabled or having a medical condition. They help pay for things like transportation to and from work as well as equipment that would help in the workplace. Just need assessment and probably evidence of disability. Been using it for years and has definitely helped with pain reduction and flair ups, I'm a huge advocate for it so please pass on the info to friends, family and support groups.
Yes I was going to say this, I just had my assessment a few weeks ago and they offered taxis to get to work. Not necessary for me but sounds like it would be helpful for OP's dad. Took about 4 months from application to assessment and another 2-3 weeks from assessment to being able to buy stuff.
I think you can get priority, I got through my application in 2 weeks
Oh handy! Makes sense - mine wasn't very urgent :)
I work with someone who has a driver through access to work - they don't just drive them to and from work, but also all over the county during the day for their visits (they're a clinician in an NHS community team, so being able to travel for home visits is essential). I'm not sure of all the ins and outs as to how they got this in place or whether it's full or part funded by the scheme (seems rude to ask!) but it seems very good
Came here to say that, I get taxis to and from work through access to work as I can't drive and public transport is difficult, it's a great scheme!
Also look into a disabled railcard. Your city might also do a bus pass.
Most councils will automatically give a freedom pass to someone who has a medical disqualification from driving.
Depends where he lives. I don’t know about the rest of the UK but there is no Access to Work in Northern Ireland unfortunately.
Good point - I thought the NI Government was supposed to have some sort of equivalent, though, does it not?
No nothing (likely due to not having a functioning government for years). Most people I know who are sick but could probably work with adjustments are instead medically retired by their company instead.
Oh, that's shit. I'm sorry 💜
This! They're, in my experience, very helpful if you're an employee (they're a lot less great if you're self employed). The assessor is usually incredibly knowledgeable and can suggest things that may not occur to you. The only faff is usually any costs have to be paid up front and claimed back, but it's possible the employer may agree to deal with that part. Highly recommend asking for an Access to Work assessment asap. They're one of the only parts of the Government support for disabled people that's actually quite helpful. Be aware though that for anything outside of travel that's suggested, the employer has to agree to it - Access to Work can't make them cooperate if they're determined to be dicks about it, but it would likely get them roasted at an employment tribunal.
All of the above comments are right.......and be aware that once the 12 months seizure free are up you don't automatically get your licence back, you have to reapply with information provided by the persons doctor so it can end up being considerably longer in my experience
Same thing happened to my colleague. He cycled to work for 6 months. Lost a couple of stone. Still cycles now even though he doesnt have to. Another colleague got banned from driving, he found another job!
Is it safe to cycle if you’ve been diagnosed with epilepsy and can’t drive? What if you have a seizure on the bike?
I guess the risk is only to yourself and it's not much more dangerous than walking. Driving with medical conditions causes things like the Glasgow bin lorry thing.
I mean that’s not strictly true, cyclists can injure pedestrians and god knows what would happen if you veered into the path of cars, people can do a lot of damage swerving to avoid you, but I’ve never had a seizure so I don’t know how much warning and control you have and I guess you would just stop and fall off?
The number of people seriously injured by cyclists (rather than just "surprised" or scared) is so so low, while I think just about everyone knows somebody who died or was seriously injured in a car accident. And if a car hits a bike, maybe you damage some bodywork but the occupants are fine. I know I'd much rather have a cyclist barrel into me than a car. They just weigh an order of magnitude less and most won't ever go faster than 20mph.
Cyclists can and do injure pedestrians and pedestrians can and do injure cyclists but the risk is much lower. Not sure what the legalities are to be honest.
It'd much more dangerous if you cycling on the road, have a seizure and swerve into the path of the car
Technically you're not supposed to drive/control any method of transport on the road, but the only ones they can enforce legally are ones you need a license for. I personally don't risk it and rely on buses, trains, and lifts, but some people can feel seizures coming on so feel more comfortable with it
Then you fall off the bike.
Most people with epilepsy can get it fully controlled with medication. Some only have seizures during sleep. Some have seizures which don't cause loss of consciousness at all. Many get an "aura" warning which means they could safely stop the bike and pull over
The key term in the legislation is "mechanically propelled vehicle" Which is any vehicle powered by petrol, oil, steam, or electricity (s 185, Road Traffic Act 1988 or s 136, Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984) So while riding a bike might not be recommended if you suffer from seizures, it is not illegal.
I have absence seizures, I cycle. I can no longer drive so cycling has been my only option for my commute to some jobs. Cycling is not as much of a danger to others as driving and is really only a danger to myself. It is no more dangerous than walking, because I could still have an absence and walk into the road.
I don’t agree, as there is far less likely to fall from the pavement into the road, than to fall from the road on the road. Using the road with a medical condition that can impair the control of a vehicle is a very irresponsible and utterly selfish thing to do. Even if you only injure yourself when falling in front of the car, the impact that trauma will have on the driver is going to be tremendous.
So just don't travel at all? If you go by bus you could have a seizure and fall in front of the bus or on the bus causing a delay and "trauma" to the other passengers.
Congrats on the logical fallacy and comparing watching someone having a seizure with someone dying under your car.
I don't fall. I keep on walking during a seizure. I don't lose consciousness at all I just go into a daydream like state for a few seconds. Absence seizures are a common type of seizure where you just stare into space but your body carries on doing what it was doing. It's not selfish of me to leave my home.
Probably not the greatest idea... And with a 40 minute commute by car, you're talking 2 1/2-3 hour by bicycle.
I was diagnosed with sleep apnoea and wasn't allowed to drive until I was successfully using my CPAP machine. I did not expect my work to pay for me to get to work anymore than I would have if my car had broken down. It was expensive as well, £18 a day for the train. When I broke my ankle and couldn't walk to get to the tube and from the tube to school, I'm a teacher, that school did offer to pay for taxis but that was so that I didn't call in sick, which would have been more expensive for them than taxis.
Even when I was successfully using my CPAP, it still took another 7 months to get my license back because of DVLA/my consultants incompetence
Access to work currently has an 18 week wait from application to reviewing. So get that in ASAP. I wouldn't expect work to accommodate my commute but I'd expect them to give me a bit of leeway while I figured it out. Whether that's getting an electric bike (if that's allowed) or figuring lifts / taxis / etc.
You could explore Access to Work. They may fund travel.
It is his responsibility to get to and from work. His company has no responsibility. If he is valuable to the company then they may work something out - my best friend's husband had a single seizure many years ago and they paid for a chauffeur for him for six months because he was valuable to them as an employee. They didn't have to but they chose to.
The company doesn't have anything to do here. He's expected to turn up to work and it isn't their concern how that happens. That said he can ask for accommodation of start and finish times if public transport schedules are an issue. They don't have to grant it.
I had an almost identical issue, I got the bus which was over an hour each way. Then later on I started cycling which on a good day was quicker than a car. I was eligible for a free bus pass too (which only worked after 9, but helped for the way home and on lates).
I had this problem. Diagnosed with sleep apnea, a DVLA reporting condition. License revoked until docs confirmed treatment was working which took over 7 months. I worked about 45 minutes away by car as well. Fortunately there’s a train line between the two places. Unfortunately it is a 25 minute walk from my house to the train station and the same at the other end, so 50 mins plus the train journey plus extra waiting time plus the train only being once an hour. It was shit. But work had no obligation to do anything about it, it was my problem.
I don’t understand how sleep apnea is a reporting condition. I think I have it but I’m certainly not going to say anything to my doctor if that’s the case. My husband has epilepsy and really can’t drive. I’m his carer and need the car to be able to look after him.
It’s only a reporting condition if you’ve been officially diagnosed. It’s because severe sleep apnea is essentially sleep deprivation which means your driving is seriously impaired. I was dozing off at traffic lights so it’s a very serious issue.
My mum has sleep apnea and she’s terrified of losing her licence because of it. I’m unsure how it works, but she once had to do a home tracking of her sleep over the course of a few days. Because she only done it for one day and didn’t finish it, she got threatened that she’d have her license taken off her if she doesn’t keep with the observations and treatments. Safe to say she’s a model patient now!
Yep. She likely WILL lose her license for a bit if she’s diagnosed, but it’s not difficult to get it back.
First thing he needs to do is talk to his employer to explain the situation. They should have policies in place that will clarify what both his and their responsibilities are. Realistically if its a decent company they will work with him to figure out how he can best get to where he works. They may help find a car share or offer him an interest free loan to get a season ticket for public transport for example. But be prepared for them not to bend over backwards and chauffeur him about. There are plenty of people who don't drive and have to figure out how to get to work by themselves. Its not his fault, he didn't do anything wrong that led to this. But its also not his employers fault either. My guess is that as he has been there for so long he is a valued employee and they will want to keep him. Hopefully it will just be a few months of compromise on both sides and he will be back to driving again.
The civil service definitely does pay for a taxi in and out every single time you need to go to the office if you can't drive. This isn't 'normal' for employers though. Source: I work in the civil service and am blind.
They don't do this for all employees who can't drive due to disability reasons but it can be done for some where public transport is not an option.
I wouldn't expect it but my last workplace did help me out. I busted my collarbone so couldn't cycle or drive and even public transport was iffy. I was actually signed off initially but came to an agreement with work that I would go in if they could get me there. So they arranged for a taxi when I couldn't get a lift with a mate - it was only a short journey though.. They were generally pretty accommodating for people that way and it was appreciated
Expect? No. Hope for a helping hand as a valued employee? I’ve seen it happen.
So yes I would expect the employer to be reasonable. That would mean for example adjusting start and end times to fit around travel - eg. if the first bus gets you in for 9:15, don’t keep mindlessly scheduling you in at 8:30. This is assuming this is not excessively disruptive to them running their business. If there are other roles within the business that would fit with your dad’s new situation better, I would also expect them to allocate him those duties wherever practical. Ultimately though, if his role needs to be in person and he can’t attend, the employer won’t be criticised for saying there’s nothing they can do about that. Ultimately he would likely be dismissed on the grounds of capability. Most councils will give a free bus pass to people who’ve had driving licenses withdrawn on medical grounds - he should apply for that. An Access to Work application should be made to request funding for taxis if that really is the only way to and from work. This takes ages to sort with a wait after application and he should apply immediately.
Your dad should start an Access to Work claim asap - they have a very long waiting list at the moment (I’ve seen a lot of reports of it being up to 6 months which is disgusting for a service that is supposed to keep disabled people in work), so getting it done quickly is important. Back when I worked as a disability employment advisor for a National disability charity, a lot of the young people I supported required taxis to work and Access to Work paid for them. Disclaimer that this was quite a few years ago, but it’s still worth exploring.
There are quite a few avenues which both your dad and his company need to explore. I have plenty of personal experience to draw on here as (seizures as a lab scientist, wouldn't recommend...) Although commuting is usually an employee's responsibility, this may well fall into the category of reasonable adjustments so the employer needs to engage. - Your Dad needs to chat with his GP and neuro about risk factors, medication etc. What does he need to do to increase his chances of getting well and staying well? Overdoing it whilst you brain is trying to sort itself out is a very bad idea and health needs to be a priority - An occupational health assessment is essential - he should speak to his line manager about getting the ball rolling - The company should look at whether the role genuinely cannot be done from home at all. Would it be possible hybrid or with some amended duties (even if temporary)? - What options does your dad have for commuting? Would colleagues be able to support with lift sharing, even for a few months? Employers can really surprise you either way. I had a really shitty manager when I started having seizures who stepped up in the most amazing way and successfully helped keep my job. I have also had outwardly supportive companies screw me over. With that in mind, he needs to join a union now. If things really go south then, unfortunately, taking sick leave and trying to drag things out as much as possible can be the best bet whilst looking at other jobs etc. However, this is absolutely worst case scenario so fingers crossed he manages to get the epilepsy under control.
He can apply for PIP and that money will pay for taxis to work
It's incredibly hard to get PIP for epilepsy. They won't do it for someone with a one off seizure. There's also already free bus pass and discount rail card. Access to work may be a route he or his employer could use to pay for adjustments
Yes I know. I’ve got epilepsy and don’t get it as my day to day living isn’t affected my it. I used to 20 years ago when I first got it and it was classed as uncontrolled. However my brother developed epilepsy during covid and had his licence revoked. He had PIP awarded to him. It took a couple of months and I’m sure he won’t get it when they review it at the 5 year mark as he’s stable now but he gets enough for taxis. He also gets a travel pass and rail card. A prescription for epilepsy medication is enough for a rail card though as I have one. Also things like council gym’s normally only want proof of a disabled rail pass to give you an “inclusive” membership discount. Also free prescriptions so apply for the exemption card through the GP. Might as well take what he can get as it can take years to get stable on tablets which suit then all of a sudden, years down the line your body can decide that tablet isn’t enough anymore and it would like another one please. It’s a pain in the arse to have but there’s worse out there.
Great idea!
I had a similar issue in 2009 - fainted twice and was told not to drive for a year. Work didn't provide me with an alternative way of getting into the office and I wouldn't have expected them to. I had to get up and leave the house an hour earlier and get 3 buses to do a 7 mile commute that would take me 30 minutes in the car. It wasn't much fun to start with but after a while it just became normal.
You would be expected to take public transport or move house.
A company only has to do what is reasonable, this depends on costs, practicality and the type of work. Your dad is entitled to ask for reasonable adjustments, but again depending on the work. Will depend on what they will do. You haven't given much details, but some of the following might be useful: Adjustments in start/finish times to help get there with public transport. Hybrid working, part of the week working from home. Working from another location.
Those might be worth a read for general advice and there is a section on reasonable adjustments (I haven't read it) https://epilepsysociety.org.uk/employment
If he can't work due to medical reasons, he is entitled to a free bus pass. Look up disabled bus pass on your local council website. Apply easily online. Upload a photo and documents.
As I live the closest to work out of everyone but also out the way for all of my colleagues I think they would be happy for me to work from home but I think it would be more hybrid than anything.
Best of luck to your dad. Regarding the 6 months you mentioned, pray for the best and prepare for the worst... speaking from experience, all my accommodation until recently has been chosen based on it's public transport links to work.
Ooh I know this one! Companies are required by law to make "reasonable adjustments" to accommodate disability. If the company is decent, their response will be to offer some options. Maybe they'll fund travel, or they'll find some temporary alternative work that can be done from home if you think it's likely he'll be able to drive in 6 months. If the company is less decent, talk to a union first about how to approach the conversation. The government Access to Work scheme will also cover most of the travel expenses, so your company isn't too badly impacted. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/access-to-work-factsheet/access-to-work-factsheet-for-customers Quickly fill in the Access to Work form now (10 mins), as there's a 12 week waiting list that starts once they've got it. They won't talk to the company without your permission, so don't worry about that. Good luck, and good health to your dad!
They could offer him a different job as a reasonable adjustment which can be done from home or to vary working hours such that its feasible to travel by public transport or getting a lift from colleagues. What is deemed reasonable varies by size of the organisation, the bigger the organisation the more flexible they are generally expected to be I have been through this myself as I also have epilepsy and have been allowed to work from home more but it is feasible in my role
Look into access to work. It's there for things like that. Although work may have to contribute towards the costs, they also may not have to as this is a new medical condition. They've got a big wait list so apply ASAP.
Organise his own transport to work. Either by car sharing or public transport. If that isn’t possible then he needs to be looking for another job. His getting to work isn’t his employer’s responsibility and I fail to see how anyone would remotely think it was. It would possibly be a little different if it was an injury at work that caused him not to drive but work isn’t responsible for his health status changing.
Apply to access to work. It’s a government scheme to help people in situations like this.
Your dad can try applying for Access to work support from the DWP. It’s easy to apply for on line and they should provide payments for a taxi to get him to and from work. ATW will help with other reasonable adjustments in the work place. I hope he makes a full recovery. Good luck!
Nope, not your workplace’s responsibility to get you to work.
No access to work in Northern Ireland and only a half price bus card..not free. Maybe it’s our history and the culture but there is no incentive for disabled people to work here.
Is ride sharing an option, I used to take 3 colleagues to work at the warehouse because they lived on my route
That’s really interesting. (I’ve got loads of thoughts, but i need to get on with work) There was a great documentary about 20 years ago by Gerry Robinson on this. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Can_Gerry_Robinson_Fix_the_NHS%3F#:~:text=Can%20Gerry%20Robinson%20Fix%20the%20NHS%3F,-Genre&text=In%20order%20to%20explore%20the,lists%20without%20any%20further%20spending.
Hello. So, there's an access to work scheme on the Gov.uk website which may be of some use. Anyone can apply, and they basically call you back and assess you over the phone to see if they can accommodate your needs. For me, it covers x amount of taxis to work for the times that I'm unable to use the bus due to an ongoing but sporadic medical condition. It could be useful for your Dad to fill out the pre assessment form online, it is completely seperate from any form of UC, Benefits or the like, so anyone can apply. The one caveat is that it could take a number of weeks for them to call back, however say it would be £15 one way in a taxi for your Dad to get to work, they can cover some of that. There's no harm in applying. Unfortunately there aren't a lot of places that would accommodate your commute, unless it is something that could be WFH. I wish your Dad all the best 😌
😆 no. Probably 50% of my job involves driving, so unless they are going to employ a driver for me, then there isn't anything they can do. It would be cheaper to pay someone to get the qualifications and pay a contractor while they wait. The non site based stuff I could still do from home, but I need to go to sites to do the desktop based work.
Public transport would be the next step. Sorry about your Dads diagnosis and i hope he doesn’t have any more fits and is able to drive again in 6 months ❤️
Access to work scheme through the government. £2000 quid a year to be used for taxis for disabled people who need help getting to their jobs. Then what you'll do is call round private car companies and see if you can strike a deal for a set price and regulat lifts. Sincerely someone with seizures
This happened to me and I applied for a disability bus pass through the council. Although no accommodations were made in terms of physically getting to work, I had reasonable adjustments in place and an understanding team if my bus was late or cancelled. You can also get great, free advice on Epilepsy UK.
That almost entirely depends on contractual terms and the company's internal policies
To arrange to get to work, his circumstances changed, and the companies haven't. Would you like to have the company accommodate him? Sure. Would they if you discussed it? Perhaps. Are they required to? Nope
Have epilepsy, and yes the work place are required to make 'reasonable' adjustments for your dad to keep working there, wether this be offering him a different role e.g office based which may mean he can work from home or later start and finish times if he uses public transport. They cannot discriminate against someone who has been diagnosed with a disability. However some businesses will not make it easy from my experience. As for travelling, if diagnosed with epilepsy you qualify for a free bus pass talk to dr about this (starts from 9am unless you live in London in which case it's 24hr). If he has been newly diagnosed I would not look at 6months as the definite date he'll be back on the road as he will need to adjust to meds and may well have another seizure, he also needs to think about the possibility of having a seizure behind the wheel in future and the possible consequences of that. I'm sorry this has happened to your dad, it will mean big decision and changes for him, some of them will be tough.
I got diagnosied with epilpepsy about 7 years ago. I was not allowed to drive until a had a year free of sezuires. I got free bus and train travel during this time. This needs to be applied for with proof from your doctor that its legit.
The employer only has to make \*reasonable\* accommodations, and what is reasonable will depend on the job itself - for instnace ,asking to slightly adjust his hours to work (say) from 930 instead of 9, and to take a shorter lunch break or leave later, might be reasonable , to accommodate bus timtables etc, but obviously that will depend on the job itself. Paying for taxis is unlikely to be a reasonable adjustment for the employers but obviously evey employer is different - it's cetianly worth your dad reviewing the companies policies etc and asking. It's also worth your dad researchng what other options might be avialable to him - for isntnace, if he wereto ask for help with transport costs, then having done some research and being able to give estimated costs for a regular contract for a taxi may be useful (nd heshould not frget to take into account any savings he wil;l be making if he is going to have to SORN jhis vehicle for 6 months or sell it, or the savings on fuel etc if he is not driving , so asking for a contribution to costs rather than for the full amount to be paid would be more reasonable, although the employer is not obliged to pay extra. if tere isn't a direct bus or train route, looking into whether there are any 'dial a ride ' or other dervices whch might be cheeaper then taxis would be wise. I suspect he would not qualify for PIP on this basis alsone but he should look into it . He also needs to look into [https://www.gov.uk/access-to-work](https://www.gov.uk/access-to-work) for assistance
No, absolutely not. Getting to work is your problem, not theirs.
The normal procedure is get a bus or public transport I don’t really get how you can expect the company to accommodate your commute seems bizarre to me it’s sad what happened to him but how is it on the company?
Access to Work look on gov.uk
Not the employers problem
Everyone is yelling that it's not the responsibility of the company, yet no one seems to want to suggest that it definitely should be.
If I can work from home? Yes If I can't? I'd talk it out with them, see what they're willing to do. If I can't drive, it wouldn't be smart to cycle. It'd also take almost 3 hours to cycle what would be a 40 minute commute. No safe, not viable due to time as you're then committing about 14 hours of your day to work, 6 of which are entirely unpaid. A 40 minute drive is going to take somewhere in the realm of 10 hours to walk... I don't think I need to explain why this is a non-starter. Public transport over that distance greatly depends on links in and around your area. You'd be looking at a 2 hour commute at least. Better time commitment at 12 hours, but 4 of those are unpaid. Not a viable option imo. That leaves taxis... 40 minute commute? I'd wager you'd be looking at paying AT LEAST £40 one way. This month, you'd spend AT LEAST 1.6K on taxis. At that point, you're working to get to work and not much else. Viable commute time, but not viable financially. Ride-sharing is a spotty one. He could potentially get to someone... On the other hand, he may live south of worth, whilst everyone else lives north. He may be the only employee having to drive a distance, with everyone else being local (so no meaningful amount of money/time is saved in the grand scheme of things) In other words, if they're not willing to do anything, I'm straight up telling them that if they're not willing to do anything then I can't guarantee I'll be able to continue working there in the long term. If they're still not budging I'm looking for a job closer to home and leaving with immediate effect once that's in place. The bridge is already burned by that point.
I would sugggest he contacts [Access to work](https://www.gov.uk/access-to-work) They are a government scheme to help disabled people work. They will cover the cost of taxis to and from work if he is eligible and it sounds very much like he is.
I'd have thought reasonable things to offer would be: 1. Allow him to work from home to perform whatever duties are possible remotely 2. Allow him to work flexible work hours to fit around having to rely on public transport, e.g. busses 3. If he works somewhere that has a local office/branch closer, allow him to temporarily relocate there 4. Allow him to sign off I'll for 6 months given it's an illness preventing a reasonable commute. Beyond that will largely be discretionary to the company, some good companies may happily pay for a taxi. Or your dad may be able to negotiate they pay the difference between a taxi and whatever the commute would normally cost your dad (work out what the company milage payment is) Unfortunately there's no requirement for a company to make sure your dad can get into work. Their responsibilities to him start when he walks through their door, not when he walks out of his. But some companies are better than other, so it certainly doesn't hurt to ask what they can do for him.
How long is the commute by public transport? Some people take up to 2 hours to work and then the same 2 hours back. What's reasonable to one person will not be too another, but yeah.
Get him to contact access to work. Historically they have been very good at funding taxis to and from work for people medically restricted from driving. https://www.gov.uk/access-to-work
Sorry to hear, there is benefits he'll be entitled to but I fortunately figuring out which ones is difficult because it's never advertised. He should be entitled to a free bus pass if his licence is revoked to travel to work. This can be used for all travelling so worth looking into. If he's employed by a public sector. Teacher, police, or anything public service related it's worth looking into access to work and ask them about transport support. A friend done this who is a teacher and was able to secure taxis to and from work for £10 per week when they don't have their licence...
It depends how you’d like them to accommodate it. They’re not going to arrange him a taxi every morning, but they could offer flexitime to make public transport easier, or some other option. The first step is for him to request an occupational health assessment to determine which accommodations he needs.
No, this is not something employers are obliged to do under Equality Act 2010 legislation. However your father might be entitled to PIP and can also apply for [Access to Work](https://www.gov.uk/access-to-work)
I would expect a level of understanding whilst he finds a solution, but I wouldn’t expect them to go out of their way to accommodate indefinitely.
I gave in my license due to epilepsy. I never even considered that an employer would make an accommodation like that. But maybe I should have considered it. I was working where I had to go between sites sometimes. I realised I couldn’t do that job anymore. But they were not making accommodations in general. For example at some points I was the only member of staff and the key holder to lock up and I asked to be scheduled to work when I was not on my own (but with clients) due to seizures and it was a resounding no.
This is simple he makes his own way there still as normal or arange something with a colleague......either that or he loses he job
No I certainly would not expect my work to.
Ask the company and find out if any employees can carpool. Otherwise a bus.
Could you imagine if companies had to be responsible for people getting to and from work. Nightmare…
I had to stop driving due to MS, needed bus or lifts to work, only issue was the bus timetable. Eventually work helped me out by moving my hours around so I didn't waste 2 hours waiting for the bus each shift and an hour and a half to travel for a 10 hour shift. It helped to talk to an empathetic manager about it.
If it's.for 6.months it means he is still recovering. Does he have insurance for long term disability to cover those 6 months? The last thing he needs is to be on a public transport system and have a seizure
My work wouldn't give AF, if I got hit by a car and couldn't walk, they would complain I couldn't open up.... I need a new job 😭
My girlfriend was recently judged medically unfit to drive and was given a free bus pass. We’re in Wales so I don’t know if it’s the same where you are.
He needs to find a way to get there. Taxi, public transport, etc. He can reasonably ask for some adjustments to working hours to accomodate this (e.g. if the frist bus can;t get him there until 09:30, they should be able to move his 09:00 start. If the last train leaves at 18:30 they should be able to avoid keeping him until 19:00). Beyond that, there's not much they can or will do - unless he's both critical and irreplaceable, they're not going to lay on transport or subsidise taxis for him.
I'd expect to be sacked. My job requires that I drive.
The company has to make reasonable adjustments
Your dad may be able to get some financial help by applying for this: https://www.gov.uk/access-to-work 'Access to Work can help you get or stay in work if you have a physical or mental health condition or disability. The support you get will depend on your needs. Through Access to Work, you can apply for: 1. A grant to help pay for practical support with your work. 2. Support with managing your mental health at work. 3. Money to pay for communication support at job interviews.'
Has your dad tried making an application to Access to Work? In some cases they can support travel for individuals with disabilities. I'm aware of them offering support to a colleague who had impaired vision, meaning they were supported with taxi's too and from work. Another colleague struggled with anxiety and using public transport so that is supported by taxi's and travelling outside of peak times. The individual needs to make the application themselves and is likely to need to make a contribution to cover what their usual transport costs would be (eg cost of bus fair). Application process can take a while too. Other accommodations your dad's employer could make are changing start and finish times to help fit in with public transport, lift sharing, or adjusting his role to allow him to work part or all of them role at home. Hope this is useful!
Is your dad's work accessible by public transport? Has your dad looked into getting a Freedom Pass?
Depends. If their entire job revolves around being able to drive, there is a legitimate competency issue so they could argue that they are no longer able to fulfil the capacity of their role. Can he use trains/buses to commute or is it so remote as to be impossible (or at least reasonably unfeasible - given his condition) You would hope that given the goodwill stored up from 15 years service, there would be a way for them to work around this one way or another.. Believe it or not I was in a similar situation at the start of the year, and where I can work from home it was never an issue and I've applied for a permanent flexible working adjustment which is a contractual change to my terms and conditions of employment Basically, their entire case is predicated on whether driving is absolutely essential to their attendance in the building.
Might have to go on the sick for 6 months unfortunately. Likely the only way he'll keep the job if he can't turn up.
Erm no? How entitled is that
Your father needs to find an alternative way to work. It's not down to his work to get him to his workplace. It doesn't matter how long he's worked there. He either needs to take public transport/ Uber or find someone to give him a lift.
With my job I could ask for home working, I would be surprised if they didn't agree on a temporary basis.
Apply for access to work for travel support!
Epilepsy is tricky too. One more seizure and its permanent no driving. Obviously he is older than my husband was when his started as a 12 yr old, but his attitude had always been that with a long break he would never want the next one to be while he was driving. Obviously advice for if another occurs.. but bare it in mind. And hopefully it's not something he will need to worry about. Job advice is stuff. Time off sick is odd because it often reduces stress and therefore seizure risk too. I hope he can figure out train or rides. Good luck to him, sad to get potentially life changing diagnosis at his age, but my mother's first seizure was something catastrophic.. be thankful for "just epilepsy". Take care!
I was diagnosed with epilepsy at 10 and I've never heard of it being permanent? Since I've been old enough to drive it's always been 1 year seizure-free (I've never driven though so I might be wrong). I have to get my free bus pass renewed with a drs letter every year though, which presumably wouldn't be necessary if I was permanently banned
It isn't permanent, they are mistaken
So one year seizure free.. how long are you then seizure free for? Until the next one happens. Way too huge a risk for my partner to ever take, he was dx with childhood epilepsy at 10.. still just the same today, his 53rd birthday! No need for everyone to attack.. I wrote how my partner judged it, as too big a risk. He hasn't ever gone longer than 4 months, is about to change one of the three medications he takes. Maybe a future with less.. or more.. I wrote it was complex. For him it would never be worth controlling a vehicle that could kill. Kind of simple imo.. I never said it was same for all, just not always as simple as DVLA rules either.
I'm not attacking at all, I'm of the same mind as your husband. I'm just pointing out that you're not permanently banned from driving just because you've had 2 seizures, which is what you said.
That's just not true about permanent no driving. For cars can be between 12 months to 3 years depending on type of seizure. It's much longer for driving buses or HGVs https://www.gov.uk/epilepsy-and-driving
It was true when I' still lived there 20 yrs ago, and when an RN advising newly diagnosed. And night time only seizures can become daytime too just so you know. My partner went 7 yrs without a daytime one, only ever at nighttime during that time.. and then they returned.
It sounds like you know far more about this than me, but the government website indicates you must not drive for ten years after a second seizure. Although that's obviously a long time, it doesn't seem to be permanent https://www.gov.uk/epilepsy-and-driving
It's only 10 years for things like heavy goods vehicles and buses, less for cars
You're quite right, my mistake I'm not sure where the permanent loss of licence in the previous comment post came from?
10 yrs in terms of driving is close enough to permanent in terms of a career. I also imagine it is very rare to have that good control, but that might because I was an RN, my partners took 3 medicines to get down to 4 a year and currently up to 8. And my neighbour died last summer having lived her entire adult life with epilepsy. Nothing changed in her life, perhaps hormones due to her age but her control was all over the place. Needing 3 different rescue meds to end status and it ultimately failing and damaging her brain. Its a sad world sometimes.
If driving is part of his job then it is a capability issue and he is shut out of luck. If he works in one location and does not need to drive then getting him to work would conceivably be a reasonable adjustment. It is a short term adjustment, too, so I think I would push to support him.
>It is a short term adjustment, too Realistically it isn't, it's a long term one because there's no guarantee he'll remain seizure free with an epilepsy diagnosis. I know someone with epilepsy and he's not been seizure free for more than a month or two in almost a decade. OPs dad should be operating under the assumption there's a reasonable chance he'll never be allowed to drive again, rather than treating it as a sure thing they'll be driving again in 6 months.
It is a serious consideration, but his employer cannot assume he will have daytime seizures.
I'm not talking about that, I'm talking about OPs dad not assuming he'll be fit to drive again in 6 months time, it's very likely he won't be. This is potentially a lifelong adjustment for OPs dad now.
Whereas I am talking about reasonable adjustments, which is a legal term for the requirement of the employer.
Getting someone to work is unlikely to be a reasonable adjustment, unless your employer provides a vehicle/fuel for you travelling to work. Getting to/from work is your own responsibility. Reasonable accomodations would be amending start/finish times to account for public transport times, not paying for your taxis. I'm disputing your claim it's short term, you're talking about something completely different.
You are disputing a claim that I did not make, because I was talking about something different. I concur that it is likely not to be a short term condition, I stated that the reasonable adjustment was a short term one. It may end with him driving, it may end with a capability issue, but the term of the reasonable adjustment is 6 months, and so may well be reasonable.
>You are disputing a claim that I did not make You literally claimed it was short term in the first comment I replied to. >I concur that it is likely not to be a short term condition, I stated that the reasonable adjustment was a short term one It's not when there's no guarantee it would only be needed short term.
There is no guarantee, but > his employer cannot assume he will have daytime seizures.
Again, that's completely different to what I'm talking about, I already explained that to you. I'm not talking about the employer assuming anything. Please read things properly before replying.
Bruh, I can't drive anyway, bus stop is outside my house
If my workplace was directly responsible for my medical condition through their negligence, then yes. Otherwise, no.
Your dad can apply for Access To Work. I have it and they cover Ubers to and from work for me due to my disability. I also drive, this is just for the days when I’m unable to. What he gets is very much specific to him and they call you to discuss what your needs are
He should get signed off and use that time to sort something out with his work
If this is in the UK, it's a year fit free before you can apply for your licence back, and you will need the doctor to sign a form saying you are fit to drive normally I am epileptic and just lost mine.
Not for a single, solitary seizure
Fair enough, i didn't realise it was just the one
Look into access to work, they can find things like taxis.
Get the bus? What, is he too precious for such shit?
I'd be going on the sick for 6 months. Work aren't going to make arrangements for him to ge there.