With an estimated 10,000 children living with epilepsy in Ireland, we want to make our primary and secondary schools Seizure Safe.
Why?
At Epilepsy Ireland, we provide training sessions on epilepsy awareness for teachers and SNAs throughout the year. This is often arranged because a child with epilepsy is newly attending the school. While we are more than happy to do this, and we will always accommodate requests to educate people about epilepsy, we find that most of these requests are reactive rather than proactive. We believe that a more formalised structure is required to help support children with epilepsy in the classroom.
The reality is that due to how common epilepsy is, every teacher will be working with a child with epilepsy in their classroom at some point throughout their careers. Therefore, the more information about epilepsy that can be proactively provided to teachers from the outset, the better it is for a child living with epilepsy and the teacher themselves. We believe that:
- Epilepsy Awareness and Seizure first aid should form part of Teacher’s initial training
- Schools should be mandated to have Epilepsy Awareness sessions on a recurring basis
- In a secondary school setting, Seizure First aid and epilepsy awareness should form part of the SPHE curriculum
What will Epilepsy Ireland do?
Working with teachers and families of children with epilepsy, we will work with policymakers at the Department of Health to stress the importance of being proactive in their approach to epilepsy and how this will ultimately better serve both teachers and students with epilepsy.
Alignment with World Health Organisation IGAP on epilepsy and other neurological conditions
This campaign aligns with Strategic Objective 5 within this plan, which Ireland has committed to implementing. The strategic objective in full states:
Strengthen the public health approach to epilepsy
Within this objective, a specific global aim is that:
80% of countries will have developed or updated their legislation with a view to promoting and protecting the human rights of people with epilepsy by 2031.
We feel this aim aligns perfectly with this campaign as it fosters an inclusive educational environment for students with epilepsy, helping to ensure that their education is not impeded by their condition.
News Updates on this Issue
The below are some of the updates on this matter as it progressed and associated articles in the news section of our website and some associated press coverage where you can read more.