Ms J Taylor v Ellenborough Park Ltd — 2025

At the preliminary hearing on 27 October 2025, Employment Judge P Cadney considered only whether Ms J Taylor was disabled within the meaning of s.6 Equality Act 2010 by reason of dyslexia. The tribunal set out the statutory test and the need for an impairment causing a substantial and long-term adverse effect on normal day-to-day activities, with reference to the authorities and guidance discussed in the reasons. Directions for the remaining claims were to be dealt with separately.

The claimant had not provided medical evidence and accepted that she had never had a formal diagnosis of dyslexia. She said that obtaining a private diagnosis would cost about £600 or £700, and relied instead on her own belief that she had been dyslexic since childhood, an observation from a tutor in the mid-1980s, and an online screening result suggesting a higher likelihood of dyslexic traits. The tribunal accepted that a private diagnosis might be costly, but said it had to decide the issue on the evidence before it.

The tribunal found there was insufficient evidence that the claimant had an impairment, and also insufficient evidence that any dyslexia had a substantial adverse effect on her normal day-to-day activities at the material times. Her evidence of effect was limited to having to focus and concentrate when typing or entering orders into a till, and she said she did not make mistakes when doing so. The tribunal concluded that she had not discharged the burden of proving that she was disabled at the material times.