An Initiative of Fair Housing Change Alliance
About the Coalition
The Pioneer Valley Epilepsy Coalition (PVEC), originally established as the Springfield Epilepsy Coalition in 2019, began with community-based epilepsy awareness and advocacy. It subsequently became an initiative of Fair Housing Change Alliance (FHCA). The coalition supports public education, community engagement, and awareness of the needs of people living with epilepsy.
Epilepsy Education
Explore educational material about epilepsy, seizure types, seizure first aid, sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP), treatment, and access to neurological healthcare.
Awareness and Advocacy
This section highlights epilepsy awareness initiatives, community outreach, proclamations, public-health education, and advocacy concerning neurological disabilities.
Latest Epilepsy Articles
The newest articles in the Epilepsy Education & Awareness category will appear here.
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SUDEP Awareness Day 2026: Understanding the Risk, Protecting Lives, and Advancing Epilepsy Education
Published by the Pioneer Valley Epilepsy Coalition, an Initiative of Fair Housing Change Alliance Understanding SUDEP Today, October 21, we recognize SUDEP Awareness Day, an international observance dedicated to increasing public understanding of Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy. Epilepsy affects millions of people worldwide. Yet one of its most serious complications remains unfamiliar to many…
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When “Anticipatory” Becomes the Problem: Epilepsy, Episodic Disability, and PCA Assessments
For people with epilepsy and other episodic disabilities, one of the hardest problems is not always proving that the disability exists. Sometimes the harder problem is proving what assistance is actually needed when the disability becomes active. Federal disability regulations expressly recognize this problem. An episodic impairment can qualify as a disability based on how…
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When the Light Flickers III:
The Season of Rest: Why Recovery Is Not Laziness Part III of the “When the Light Flickers” series — reflections on epilepsy, invisible illness, and sacred rest. By Rev. Richard Mills · May 2026 Excerpt: Autumn doesn’t apologize for slowing down. Trees don’t ask permission before releasing what they can no longer hold. The same…
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When the Light Flickers II:
The Body as Battlefield Part II of the “When the Light Flickers” series — exploring recovery, trauma, and the sacred intelligence of the nervous system. By Rev. Richard Mills · May 2026 “After every seizure, a war is fought inside the body — not for control, but for restoration. This is what recovery teaches about…
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When the Light Flickers:
The Gate and the Spark Spring Series: When the Light Flickers — Epilepsy, Death, and the Threshold of Return By Rev. Richard Mills · October 2026 Excerpt: There’s a silence that lives right before the fall. It isn’t peace. It’s pressure—something about to split open. Those of us who live with epilepsy know that silence.…