Overview
- An employment tribunal ruled that Avon and Somerset Constabulary discriminated against Donna Vale by not supplying noise-cancelling headphones she requested to manage background noise at work.
- Judge Edmund Beever said it was unusual that Vale owned headphones at home yet did not use them at work, but confirmed the legal duty to make reasonable adjustments sits with the employer.
- The tribunal also found unlawful harassment after line manager Jennie Clarke questioned Vale’s private ADHD diagnosis and suggested she had been exploited following a BBC Panorama investigation.
- Some of Vale’s other claims were dismissed, her temporary post ended in March 2024, and compensation will be decided at a June 30 remedy hearing, with local reporting citing a possible award up to £126,542.53.
- The case spotlights how the Equality Act requires practical workplace aids for disabled staff and shows how skepticism of online diagnoses from providers such as ADHD360 can create hostile work environments.