Epilepsy Advocates

An epilepsy advocate is a professional with experience in helping individuals and families cope with the effects of epilepsy on their lives.  They can be found in most national Epilepsy Foundation Affiliates and in only a handful of Neurologic medical practices.  The services they provide vary from agency to agency, but may include:

• Epilepsy education in the form of seizure recognition and first aid trainings to schools and school bus drivers, police and fire departments, camps, agencies that support individuals with epilepsy, and places of employment.
• Epilepsy education in the form of patient/community conferences.
• Educational intervention in the form of counseling parents on education law and attending Individualized Education Program and 504 meetings.
• Service coordination/case management that provides access to local and state provided services and benefits, instructs patients in applying for patient assistance programs, locates camp and college scholarships, and refers to appropriate agencies for additional services.
• Vocational programs that may include clarifying career goal objectives, resume preparation, interview skills training, job search assistance, on-the-job supports and conflict resolution including Americans with Disabilities Act information and reasonable accommodation assistance.
• Driving law clarification.
• Support groups.
• Social programs.