The Workplace Relations Commission found that Permanent TSB discriminated against customer Sofiya Kalinova and failed to provide reasonable accommodation, awarding her €8,500. The decision was dated 20 June 2022.
Kalinova, who is deaf and communicates using Irish Sign Language interpreters, said the bank refused to handle her telephone query with an interpreter present. The bank said its Open 24 service would speak only with the named account holder and offered branch attendance or website use instead.
The WRC found that the refusal prevented Kalinova from accessing part of the bank's service, amounting to indirect disability discrimination. It also found the bank had failed to make reasonable accommodation when needed. Although the bank had engaged with interpreting services and considered changes, no policy change had been made by the time she tried again in October 2019.