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.
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
A job applicant who stammers was provided with facilities at an interview where he could type answers into a laptop and these would be projected onto the wall or a large screen. Case study A job applicant mentioned his stammering on the job application form. There was a question in the form about whether he … Read more
The lady on a helpline laughed at someone’s stammer and said ‘You can talk perfectly well if you want to’. A person who stammers rang a public helpline. The lady at the other end laughed at her as she was trying to speak. When the caller said that wasn’t acceptable, the lady replied: “You see, … Read more
A person wanted two days off work for an intensive stammering course. The employer was initially only willing for one of the days to be paid leave. The employee’s claim for the second day to be paid leave also was refused at the first stage of the employer’s internal grievance procedure. However, it was allowed … Read more
This case raises issues of physical arrangements for an interview, signs that an interviewee who stammers is at a substantial disadvantage (questions not answered ‘fully’ or ‘properly’), and weighting of information on application form. There was no tribunal decision in the case as it was settled out of court, without admission of liability by the … Read more