School must accept wheelchair user

A disabled teenager will begin his sixth-form studies next week
after winning a landmark injunction against a college that had
refused to admit him on safety grounds.

The case, backed by the Disability Rights Commission (DRC), is the
first time a mandatory injunction has been used to enforce the
Disability Discrimination Act 1995 in the education system.

The injunction, granted last week, means that 17-year-old Anthony
Ford-Shubrook, who has cerebral palsy and uses a wheelchair, can
start his A level studies on time. Despite having seven GCSEs at
grades A* to C, he was refused a place at St Dominic’s Sixth Form
College in Harrow, Middlesex, because the IT room was only
accessible by a stairway.

Liz Sayce, DRC director of policy, said: “Colleges and universities
must be aware that barring a disabled person on the grounds of
their disability is discrimination.”

The full claim, under the DDA, is set to be heard after October 10
at Central London County Court.

St Dominic’s was unavailable for comment.