Hello, my name is Rhiannon. I've been living in Plymouth for about eight to nine years now, and I work as a roadworks project coordinator. Recently, I'm moving into a new role for performance administration. One of the biggest challenges I face in finding work is driving. Due to my active seizures, I'm not able to drive, and it has been holding me back in a lot of cases. Though I'm lucky to work in a supportive environment, I know many other epileptics who find it very difficult to get employed due to a lack of understanding of what it actually entails and seizures. I've had some situations myself where I had a few at work, such as one in the bathroom where I fell down and broke the door with my face. It can be quite scary, and it means a lot to have employers who understand and appreciate that it's difficult and know what to do in such cases.

I believe employers would be missing out if they discard somebody just because they have a disability or they're a minority. Everyone brings their own personalities and skill sets, regardless of their disabilities. People aren't defined by their disabilities, and that is a very common misconception. I have epilepsy, but that's not who I am, and it has nothing to do with myself and what I can offer an employer. If you just discard people because of that label, you're going to miss out on so much. People have a lot more to offer than what meets the eye.