College discriminated against blind student by failing to accommodate needs and strictly applying enrolment deferral policy.
The complainant, who is legally and clinically blind, alleged discrimination in the provision of educational services by a private career college.
He required specially outfitted computer equipment and course materials in alternate formats to enrol.
The college failed to take meaningful steps to arrange this accommodation and subsequently denied his request to defer his enrolment date based on a strict one-deferral-only policy.
The Tribunal found that the college discriminated against the complainant by failing to accommodate his disability to the point of undue hardship.
The college was ordered to pay $12,500 in general damages and implement public interest remedies.
The complaint against the individual admissions director was dismissed as he was acting within the scope of his employment.
Brown v. Trebas Institute Ontario Inc., 2008 HRTO 10
