This Court of Appeal case was a landmark ruling on “perceived disability discrimination” under the Equality Act 2010. Mrs Coffey, a police officer, was refused a transfer due to concerns about her hearing, despite not being currently disabled according to the Act’s definition.
The court found that she had been discriminated against because the employer perceivedher to have a progressive condition that would, in the future, cause her to be disabled, and acted on a stereotypical assumption. This case broadened the scope of direct discrimination to include situations where an employer acts on a belief (even if mistaken) that an individual has a disability.