Justifying Diabetes as a disability

[Essexboy10]

Can anyone help me please.... I was offered employment with a large rail company and then after several months of waiting for a start date was advised that they have retracted the offer due to my medical condition - type 1 diabetes. I had attended two medical assessments which I passed but with restricted duties. I have now gone down the legal route of fighting this under the grounds of Disability Discrimination but now being asked to complete a questionnaire to justify my disability. I have had diabetes now for 16 years and I have had to adapt my life so a lot of things I do now are second nature. So when being asked to put into words how this is justified as a disability Im finding hard to put in down on paper. Has anyone else had this problem who can maybe help me. please

 

[azure]

What exactly do you have to justify? Diabetes is covered by the Equality Act, so you shouldn't have to justify that. Are you having to explain how it might affect your job or what 'reasonable adjustments' you might need?

Does/will your job involve something where they consider you might be a 'risk'?

 

[Robbity]

I think I would be asking what exactly are the issues your employers have with your diabetes that caused them to retract their offer.

Robbity

 

[Shar67]

Can you scan blank questionnaire and put on here so we can see what you need to fill in

 

[catapillar]

Hi @Essexboy10 . Type 1 diabetes is very well recognised as a disability for the purposes of employment law in England & wales - under the equality act you are disabled if you have a physical or mental impairment that has a substantial and long term negative effect on your ability to do normal day to day activities without treatment. That's the key bit - without treatment, you would be dead (not to be overly negative, but it's true) so you are disabled under the equality act.

Who ever has sent you that form might just be sending you out the same standard bumpf they send to everyone. Are you in the process of making a claim? If you are doing it yourself you might want to see if citizens advice can help you with some advice.

 

[Brunneria]

My partner works for a rail company.
They have absolute rules about insulin injecting diabetics being barred from 'safety critical' roles.
These rules are within the bounds of UK employment law, agreed with the unions and enforced by company HR.

So the real question is whether the job you are interested in is one of the 'safety critical' roles (where your employment may never have been possible), or whether it is for a role where you just have to complete a standard piece of paperwork for them to rubber stamp?

 

[Robinredbreast]

Can anyone help me please.... I was offered employment with a large rail company and then after several months of waiting for a start date was advised that they have retracted the offer due to my medical condition - type 1 diabetes. I had attended two medical assessments which I passed but with restricted duties. I have now gone down the legal route of fighting this under the grounds of Disability Discrimination but now being asked to complete a questionnaire to justify my disability. I have had diabetes now for 16 years and I have had to adapt my life so a lot of things I do now are second nature. So when being asked to put into words how this is justified as a disability Im finding hard to put in down on paper. Has anyone else had this problem who can maybe help me. please

Hi there,
I would imagine they are asking you to tell them more about type 1, any issues, problems ( like hypo unawarness) or how you have had to adapt your life? Could you copy and paste the questionnaire so we can view it, as that would help with answering your question.
Best wishes RRB