UK disability discrimination law and stammering / stuttering
G v The Insolvency Service In G v The Insolvency Service, the claimant had a stammer. He was turned down for a promotion with his existing employer, who knew of his stammer. The interview was by video due to Covid-19. He argued that reasonable adjustments should have been made, because his interview answers were not … Read more
Abrahart case: oral assessments led to suicide Abrahart v University of Bristol: oral assessments led to suicide, County Court decision, May 2022. This tragic case involved a physics student with depression and social anxiety disorder. The university continued to seek to use oral interviews to assess her, even though she failed to attend most of … Read more
Whether lack of knowledge relevant to s.15 justification defence City of York Council v Grosset>Justification: tribunal entitled to consider medical evidence not available to the employer added to cover a point made more by the EAT than the Court of Appeal. The Grosset case was in 2018. Also changes to Knowledge of causal link with … Read more
STAMMA’s ad campaign calling for greater stammering representation in the media is now showing in cinemas across the UK. With the support of Pearl & Dean, selected cinemas nationally are showing the one-and-a-half-minute film from STAMMA (the British Stammering Association) until October 2022. The list of cinemas is attached to STAMMA advert on a screen … Read more
An excellent new research paper discusses both benefits and limitations of understanding stammering through the social model of disability. The paper Stuttering and the social model by Constantino, Campbell and Simpson is free to read and download until 22nd April 2022: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcomdis.2022.106200. One of the co-authors introduces the research paper in this twitter thread. The … Read more
C v Menzies Aviation: stammer held to be a disability New employment tribunal decision on stammering: C v Menzies Aviation. The claimant alleged he had been mimicked due to his stammer, and claimed disability discrimination. The tribunal held his stammer was a disability within the Equality Act. Its effect was much more than trivial. While … Read more
Knowledge of disability in reasonable adjustment claims against service providers etc New page Knowledge of disability in anticipatory reasonable adjustment claims, ie reasonable adjustment claims against service providers and bodies exercising a public function. An area where the law is unclear. I’ve taken the previous discussion of this from Reasonable adjustments by service providers page … Read more
STAMMA is raising funds to formally launch its Employment Clinic and support people who stammer with work-related issues. Can you help? STAMMA (the British Stammering Association) has raised £13k of £19k needed to formally launch the Clinic. It needs to raise £6k by Christmas. Donate at STAMMA’s Employment Clinic Appeal (justgiving.com).
A worker with a stammer was dismissed and claimed disability discrimination. The tribunal held he did not have a disability within the Equality Act. Colleagues said his stammer sounded only slight. The tribunal acknowledged that a stammer may also have hidden effects. However in this case the tribunal did not have sufficient evidence that the … Read more
Petition: “No diversity without dysfluency” 22nd October is International Stammering Awareness Day. Stamma, the British Stammering Association, is calling on media organisations around the world to ensure that on television and on the radio we hear people who stammer. Not just when the subject of stammering comes up, but throughout the year, every year. Petition: … Read more