The Justice for Employees with Disabilities (JED) newsletter regularly publicises cases – both real and hypothetical – highlighting systemic failures in support systems for disabled employees. Their recently published report discusses a real case and showcases the encroachment of prejudice against disabled employees into the justice system.

To find out more, click here.

Their latest publication revolves around a case that occurred in England, which was witnessed first-hand by several article contributors. The employee in question experienced discrimination at every level, showcasing myriad ways that employees are often failed by the systems intended to keep the workplace fair and balanced.

In this case, an unnamed employee who had long suffered from a severe hearing disability sought to bring a discrimination case against their employer relating to failures to accommodate their circumstances. However, during the hearing, the employee discovered that this failure extended to the justice system itself.

As JED explains, the employee had learned to lip read and to evaluate expressions as a main form of communication with others. This attunement to nonverbal communication allowed the employee to pick up on subtle exchanges between the barrister and judge in the courtroom that suggested that the hearing itself was not impartial, that the barrister was not truly an advocate, and was in fact in collaboration with the judge. Further investigation revealed additional institutional flaws in how the case was conducted, leading to an appeal being launched.

The coverage then goes on to explore solutions to this pervasive issue of bias in the employee tribunal system. The use of sunglasses to conceal a judge’s face, AI monitoring systems, and stricter regulations are all among the remedies they propose, though they admit that there is no simple solution to these problems.

JED highlights this case as an example of a much larger issue, one which extends to the highest levels of the political system. To face these challenges, they claim, the fight for disability rights must be intensified and awareness campaigns must spread further to reach as many people as possible.

The team at JED have pledged to continue publishing the stories of disabled employees who have been victimised by an unjust system. Those interested in reading additional accounts or joining the fight directly should visit the link below.

Justice For Employees With Disabilities

28A Little Hulton District Centre
Worsley
Little Hulton
England
M28 0AX
United Kingdom

Information contained on this page is provided by an independent third-party content provider. XPRMedia and this Site make no warranties or representations in connection therewith. If you are affiliated with this page and would like it removed please contact [email protected]