Posts Tagged ‘Disability’
When a disability isn't a disability
Do you remember when both Hague and IDS were said to suffer at the polls due to the perception people had of them because they were bald? Can people bald people succeed in life? Do you need a good head of hair these days to be successful, and if you don’t have one, are you disabled?
Having just done a London Marathon I saw many people running for organisations that look after people with diabilities, and was even passed by more than a few people with their own disabilities. One man was pushing a wheelchair with a friend in it, another was on crutches. Now when I read of a story about a teacher who claims he was the victim of disability discrimiation because he is bald, my jaw nearly hot the floor. If this man thinks he has a disability then perhaps he needs to go back to school!
You will be pleased to know that the chap in question lost his claim against Falkirk Council. Indeed the tribunal judge noted, “If baldness was to be regarded as an impairment then perhaps a physical feature such as a big nose, big ears or being smaller than average height might of themselves be regarded as an impairment” Quite!
Jonathan Sheppard
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