Catherine Casserley represents 11 year old Ben Gleeson in £42,000 disability discrimination claim

Catherine Casserley

Catherine Casserley represented Ben Gleeson and his family after Ben was told by his scout group that he could not go to camp or take part in athletics without supervision.

Scout pack leaders said Ben could not travel with the rest of the group on a bus to events or participate in athletics. They also said he had to have one-to-one supervision at other events. Ben's family claimed that this singled Ben out and discriminated against him for having autism. Catherine represented Ben and his family in a claim for disability discrimination and breach of data protection and privacy following the handling of information related to Ben and his family. The claim was settled with a payment of £42,000. The scout association have apologised and announced an inquiry to investigate what went wrong in this case, as well as mandatory training for all adult volunteers on how to make reasonable adjustments for young people with developmental disabilities. 

Catherine added 'In autism awareness week it is important to remember that “invisible” disabilities are covered by the Equality Act 2010; and that it extends beyond employment.'

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