Functional Limitation – Proneness to Seizures Stauffer, Capuzzi, and Olsheski (2012) made the important distinction between the terms disability and functional limitation. They noted that while a disability is “impairment resulting from disease or illness,” functional limitation describes the effects of a particular disabilities symptoms or presentations on the ability to carry out work-related tasks (Stauffer, Capuzzi, & Olsheski, 2012). One of the disabilities that I was surprised to encounter so frequently during my professional work with the substance abuse population was the prevalence of seizure disorder, both biological, and more expectedly, substance-induced. Bishop (2014) performed a study on individuals with seizure disorder, and …show more content…
Stauffer, Capuzzi, and Olsheski (2012) stated that these evaluations may lead to employers making “reasonable accommodations,” particularly in duties or functions that are limited by the disorder. An example I thought of for this would be a construction worker who operated heavy machinery that may have required a license. In this example, the functional limitation would be the legal inability to operate heavy machinery; however, the disorder itself does not limit the ability to continue to work with the company. Another area for evaluation in this area could be an adjustment period for certain forms of medication. Bishop (2004) found that increased amounts of anti-epilepsy medications actually increased employability, even though they have been found to have disorienting side effects. This could make an employer nervous, especially in the above-mentioned scenario due to the high risk levels at job sites. Ongoing assessments and work evaluations of functional capacity may prove that along with being a life-sustaining medication, it does not affect the individual’s ability to perform a job – in fact, it makes it