News

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."