Judge: baldness is not a disability
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.A teacher whose pupils poked fun at him because of his baldness has lost his claim that he was a victim of disability discrimination.
James Campbell, 61, a former art teacher at Denny High School in Stirlingshire, took Falkirk Council to an employment tribunal over the issue, saying he had suffered harassment at the hands of his pupils, who saw his baldness as a weakness.
Mr Campbell, who retired in 2007, said his lack of hair had a "substantial effect" on his ability to do his job. "How can I stand in front of a class with confidence to get on with my job when I am getting teased and bullied about baldness?" he asked.
Mr Campbell claimed he avoided school corridors to sidestep taunts of "baldy" from pupils, and was worried that the insults could escalate into an assault.
Since his retirement, he had been able to put the issue of his baldness out of his mind – although occasionally when he stopped at traffic lights, former pupils would shout "baldy" at him from the street.
Falkirk Council argued that baldness was not a physical or mental impairment, and therefore was not covered by the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA).
In his ruling, the tribunal judge Robert Gall said: "[This] would take the definition of impairment too far. If baldness was to be regarded as an impairment then perhaps... a big nose [or] big ears might [also] be regarded as an impairment under the DDA."
Mr Campbell is pursuing a separate unfair dismissal claim against the council, which is expected to go ahead later this year.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments