In a recent story, the BBC reported that a teacher in Stirlingshire took his employer to tribunal over claims that he was a victim of disability discrimination due to his hair loss.
Sixty-one-year-old James Campbell, who was formerly an art teacher at Denny High School was mocked and teased by the school’s students, who called him “baldy.”
Campbell asked, “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, when I think they are laughing at me all the time?”
He also stated that if the students were brave enough to call him “baldy” to his face, they might be so bold as to physically assault him.
The court did not rule in Campbell’s favor and found that baldness is not a physical or mental impairment and therefore is not covered under the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA).
Tribunal judge Robert Gall said:
“If baldness was to be regarded as an impairment then perhaps a physical feature such as a big nose, big ears or being smaller than average height might of themselves be regarded as an impairment under the DDA.”
While hair loss is a serious problem that affects sufferers physically, mentally, and emotionally, it did not directly impede Mr. Campbell from performing his work duties. Therefore, hair loss did not render him unable to perform his duties.
In fact, Mr. Campbell was not refused work, did not lose his job, and did not experience discrimination from his peers or superiors. He was being taunted by the children that were in his charge. While the students’ behavior is not acceptable, a greater concern is that a teacher would have so little control over his classroom that he feels justified in claiming disability or discrimination for their taunts.
Schoolchildren are notorious for their taunts and bullying. However, it is teachers and school officials who are responsible for making sure that students do not overstep boundaries in how they treat others.
If Campbell hadn’t been suffering hair loss, the students most likely would have chosen some other weakness to exploit. He missed an opportunity to teach those kids a valuable lesson about hair loss and how to treat others.
