Emploment Equity
In 1993, Bill 79, the provincial Employment Equity Act, was passed. The premise of the provincial Employment Equity Act is that all people, including people with disabilities, are entitled to equal treatment by an employer. The Act protects differently-abled people from discrimination with respect to recruitment, hiring, retention, treatment and promotion.
According to the Employment Equity Act, a person with a disability is:
- a person who has a persistent physical, mental, psychiatric, sensory or learning impairment and who considers him/herself to be disadvantaged in employment because of that impairment, or
- someone who believes that an employer is likely to consider them to be disadvantaged employment because of that impairment.
All people, including persons with epilepsy, are entitled to a workplace free from barriers, both systemic and deliberate, which discriminate against them. It has been demonstrated that employers show less willingness to hire workers with epilepsy than workers with other disabilities. People of merit are too often overlooked or denied opportunities because of this discrimination.
By ensuring employment equity and increasing the opportunities for individuals to contribute in the workplace, all citizens of Ontario benefit.
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