Discrimination pay out for deaf man

A deaf man who was refused a job because his potential employers
would not make adjustments to allow him to avoid telephone work has
won £7,436 damages in a landmark employment tribunal case.

Mark Keane, whose case was fought by the Disability Rights
Commission, is the first deaf person to use the Disability
Discrimination Act 1995 to prove he is the victim of
discrimination.

Lincolnshire Hospital NHS Trust, which was forced to pay out
under section 6 of the act, refused to employ Keane as a part-time
medical records clerk because he could not answer incoming calls,
despite the fact that using the telephone was not a major part of
the role.

Chairperson of the DRC Bert Massie said: “What this case
emphasises is that there is now an onus on employers to make
adjustments so as to remove barriers that disabled people face when
they go for jobs.”

More from Community Care

Comments are closed.