Interesting British Disability Discrimination Suit

See this article, which begins:

AN award-winning special constable with an outstanding arrest record has launched a landmark disability discrimination case against West Yorkshire Police because the force refuses to take him on as a regular constable.

Despite a list of achievements which already outstrips the performance of many regulars, Dennis McCoy has been blocked from his dream job because he suffers from a hearing impairment in his left ear. The force has turned him down, even though it has officers with hearing impairments in its ranks.

Mr McCoy, who has put in 1,000 hours voluntary service as a special constable in the last 12 months, has directly secured 41 arrests in the last two years and the repayment of £40,000 in unpaid fines.

In February Chief Constable Colin Cramphorn presented him with the Special Constable of the Year Award in recognition of his remarkable efforts – but at the same time West Yorkshire Police were refusing his application to become a regular because of the tinnitus Mr McCoy suffers in his left ear.

The decision has left Mr McCoy, of Allerton, Bradford, both bemused and frustrated. His role already involves most aspects of day-to-day policing, including regular use of police radio to supervise about 30 Special constables under his command, and yet the force has decided he is not fit to be a regular constable.