British man with dyslexia says grocery store's practices discriminatory

From The Telegraph in the UK:

Former television presenter Tim Arnold, 47, is threatening to sue Tesco for disability discrimination because he was not allowed to pay for food using a credit card signature.

He claims staff at the firm's Metro store in Elephant and Castle, south London, did not believe in his disability.

Mr Arnold, the first solo news presenter on Sky News and a former BBC Northern Ireland reporter, has an inherited condition called tuberous sclerosis or number dyslexia, which makes it difficult for him to remember Pin numbers under pressure.

He is one of an estimated two million disabled people who still use chip and signature cards to buy goods.

But Mr Arnold, who now works as a crisis communications consultant, was angered when staff refused to accept the card for food, insisting instead that he have a chip and Pin card.

"One of them said he didn't believe I was disabled, and suggested that I nip round to a cashpoint to withdraw the money – ignoring the obvious fact that you still need a Pin number to use an ATM," he said.

He later returned to the store with a friend who witnessed a second refusal of the staff to accept the card, he said.

Mr Arnold, of Langley, Slough, added: "This was a thoroughly shameful, humiliating, and despicable case.

"I have tried to reason with Tesco, but it is refusing to reach a fair accommodation, and so I have no alternative but to sue to protect my rights."

A Tesco spokesman said: "Our aim is to make shopping as easy as possible for customers with disabilities. We have apologised to Mr Arnold and made the necessary adjustments at the store to ensure there can be no repeat.

"We have also made an offer of compensation to resolve his complaint."