UK disability discrimination law and stammering / stuttering
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
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
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