[senco-forum] Disdabled teacher wins substantial compensation

Good news regarding schools who refuse to amend their existing
working practices to accommodate disabled staff:

From a Disability Rights Commission Newsletter
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Teacher with sight loss receives £196,000 damages

Gaynor Meikle, a secondary school teacher who faced discrimination at
work by Nottinghamshire County Council because of her sight loss, has
received £196,000 in compensation.

Mrs Meikle took her case to the Court of Appeal in July 2004 and was
supported by the DRC. The court ruled that Mrs Meikle, a teacher with
over 30 years experience, was constructively dismissed and should have
received full pay, not sick pay, when her sight deteriorated. The
compensation follows that landmark legal ruling.

Chris Benson, Senior Legal Officer at the DRC, said: "I hope Mrs
Meikle?s damages will send a warning shot to employers that it can be
extremely costly to break the law. All her employer needed to do was
enlarge the font size of her teaching materials so that Mrs Meikle could
read them. Not doing so has meant losing a valuable member of staff and
a lengthy and costly legal process."

Gaynor Meikle reacted to her compensation saying: "I hope that both the
legal judgment and the extent of damages I?ve received will mean that
disabled people do not have to face this kind of blatant discrimination
in future."