County Durham Woman Claims Job Interview Cancelled Due to Disabilities

A County Durham woman has expressed her disappointment after alleging she was denied a job interview at a Toby Carvery restaurant due to her disabilities. Victoria Clark, 25, from Kelloe, says she was dismissed by the Billingham branch after attending a scheduled interview on Thursday, 22nd August.

Clark, who lives with autism, hearing loss, and partial sight, was accompanied by her job coach and managing director of support service Learning Abilities CIC, Heidi Smith.

Speaking exclusively to The Northern Echo, Clark explained that she had applied for the role advertised on Indeed, believing it would be a good fit for her skills and interests. After receiving an interview invitation, she contacted Smith to arrange the appointment. However, Clark alleges that the interview abruptly ended before it could begin.

"I got there, and was told to take a seat and wait," Clark recounted. "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."

Clark continued, "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."

Clark believes she is owed an apology and wants Toby Carvery and other organisations to improve job accessibility for disabled individuals. Following the incident, Smith wrote an open letter to Toby Carvery, detailing the alleged discrimination.

The letter states: "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 was appalling. 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."

Smith continued, "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."

Smith stressed Clark's determination in finding employment, emphasizing that this incident was particularly disheartening as Clark was not even given the chance to be interviewed. Smith expressed concern for Clark's confidence, stating, "At the time she took it with so much grace, but it did knock her confidence. I could tell it had upset her and I've kept asking her if she is doing okay."

A spokesperson for Toby Carvery stated: "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."