Woman accuses Toby Carvery manager of refusing interview due to disability

A woman accused a Toby Carvery manager of refusing to interview her for a waiting job after realising she had disabilities.

Victoria Clark, 25, thought would be interviewed for a role clearing tables and working tills when she visited a branch in Billingham, County Durham, this week.

But she claims it didn’t even go ahead after the interviewer met her and her work coach Heidi Smith.

Victoria, who has autism, hearing loss and partial sight, said: ‘I was looking on Indeed for a job and the Toby Carvery job came up. It looked like something I would love to do and would be good at.

‘I applied, and received an email that I had been invited for an interview. I called Heidi who is my job coach and organised a time to go along on Thursday.’

‘I got there, and was told to take a seat and wait. Myself and Heidi were waiting and chatting and then we were asked to come over.

‘Heidi explained to my interviewer that she was my job coach and I just got an awful look.

‘She stopped and said that she couldn’t do the interview and it wouldn’t be right for me because I have disabilities.

‘They didn’t even try to ask what my disabilities are, how they affect me and how it would work with the job. They just dismissed me straight away.

‘At the time I felt quite angry but just kept my cool and stood there.’

The incident has knocked Victoria’s confidence since then, according to Heidi, who runs Learning Abilities CIC, which works with adults with learning disabilities.

In an open letter to Toby Carvery, ‘one of our most determined clients’ who has sent hundreds of applications.

She said: ‘I was absolutely disgusted this morning when I took a client of mine to a job interview at your Billingham site.

‘The blasé attitude to what was obviously disability discrimination. The job role was for a waiter at your site. Given Toby Carvery is a self-service business, this role would have involved clearing and cleaning tables, supporting customer inquiries and serving customers at the till point.

‘All the things my client, Victoria, is more than capable of. The manager came over, without introducing herself, walked past and called for Victoria.

“As I proceeded to get up and follow, I was stopped by said manager and given a vacant look – awaiting an explanation. I explained I was a job coach and Victoria has disabilities.

‘Without any further inquiries into what they are, how they would impact her role etc., I was told (Victoria being ignored entirely) that ‘if she has disabilities, this isn’t going to work’.

‘The lady proceeded to tell me that it is a busy site and even ‘capable’ people struggle.’

Heidi wants an apology, and would like to see Toby Carvery and other organisations improve job access for disabled people.

A spokesperson for Toby Carvery said: ‘We are proud of our record as an inclusive employer, and we know from our employee survey data that we support many employees with learning disabilities to have successful careers, clearly demonstrating our commitment to providing equal employment opportunities for all.

‘We cannot comment on this particular case other than to say we that have received a complaint and are taking the matter very seriously.

‘We will fully investigate the concerns raised but is not helpful to do so in public and we will not be commenting further until we have explored the matter fully.’

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