UK disability discrimination law and stammering / stuttering
‘Case studies’ are examples of things that actually happened as regards stammering. However they didn’t go to court so there is no court decision.
Many users of iPhones and iPads found that a ‘woozy face’ emoji automatically appeared when typing the word “stammering” into messages. Stamma (the British Stammering Association) said in a July 2021 press release: “This is demeaning and damaging. Stammering is how some people talk. Treating it as a joke is stigmatising. It can leave people … Read more
A woman who stammers says that a staff member at a Costa in Wakefield laughed twice as she stammered when ordering a tea. She says that ordering a tea with lactose-free milk, she got stuck on “lac” and the staff member did a little laugh to herself. When the customer went to speak again, she … Read more
A BSA member showed that complaining can make a difference when he tweeted about an insensitive advert. A NatWest advert read: ‘Making sure your start-up doesn’t stutter’. A British Stammering Association member put on it on Twitter tagging @NatWest_Help. The tweet invited feedback from people who stammer, which was negative. Natwest responded: ‘Following your feedback … Read more
A civil servant claims that staff at a Sainsburys petrol station mimicked his stammer when he had difficulty pronouncing his pump number, and laughed at his speech. According to him one of them said: ‘Why don’t you have another beer?’ and they didn’t seem too bothered when he said he had a stammer. It was … Read more
A bus company in Staffordshire apologised to a customer after one of its drivers laughed at her as she tried to buy a ticket. She said the driver put his head down and started smirking and laughing at her. She said to him, ‘Do you think it’s funny to laugh at people with disabilities?’, and … Read more
Starbucks asks a customer’s name when he or she orders a drink, and writes it on the cup. In this particular case, when the customer stammered on his name the barista allegedly wrote RRR…ichard on the cup. The customer found this extremely offensive and humiliating. He complained on the Starbucks Facebook page. The barista was … Read more
A teetotal customer with a stammer was initially refused a coffee at a pub, because staff thought he was drunk. His slurring was due to a stammer. He tried to explain this but staff disagreed. The manager only approved the order after a friend stepped in and confirmed he had a stammer. Link Stammerer refused … Read more
A policeman’s two-year probationary period is reported to have been extended after he repeatedly failed passing-out exams because of difficulty talking. The Sun newspaper reported that a policeman with a severe speech impediment was still on probation after five years. Normally a policeman would have a two year probationary period before qualifying as a constable. … Read more
A person with cerebral palsy was trying to take out a subscription to a sports channel. The caller said that the person who took his call kept saying ‘What?’ and ‘Sorry?’ although they could understand him, then started to laugh at him and hung up. After the sports station was contacted, managers listened to the … Read more
An employer agreed to move a person who stammers to his own small office, in the light of social anxiety in an open plan office. A person with a severe stammer worked in an open plan office which was reasonably noisy and where social interaction was frequent. He found, over time, that working in this … Read more