A teenage dwarf claims he has been banned from going on a college cooking course after being branded a ‘health and safety risk’.Louis Makepeace, 18, who stands at a just 3ft 10ins, says he is being discriminated against due to his size after being refused a place at Heart of Worcestershire College.He was originally offered a conditional place for the Hospitality and Catering course on August 16 but said they have now backtracked because he is too small for the kitchen.
Louis claims college bosses branded him a ‘safety risk’ to the other 14 pupils and said he would cause a ‘disruption’ if he got under their feet.
Mum Pauline, 56, says she was also told by the course leader there was no point him doing the course as he would never be allowed to work in a restaurant kitchen anyway.
The Gino D’Acampo-mad teenager now fears his dream of becoming a chef is over after his ‘humiliating’ ordeal. Louis, of Worcester, who has achondroplasia, a form of short-limbed dwarfism, said:
‘It was really upsetting as I had my heart set on this course. ‘We are supposed to have equality of opportunity yet I’m not allowed to do something I love doing.
‘They are simply not prepared to make the necessary adjustments to accommodate me such as making the surfaces and hobs lower.
‘We were prepared to be flexible and my mum said I could maybe do the cooking at home whilst the new equipment was installed but they kept saying no.
‘They said I would be a health and safety risk and disruption to the other students and get in their way, which was really humiliating.
‘It really has dented my confidence, how am I ever supposed to get the culinary skills that’s going to get me a job in a catering environment.
‘I have always loved cooking Italian recipes since I was little, and keeping myself healthy and fit and I’m a huge fan of Gino D’Acampo.
All the time I was at school I was always very confident, I had lots of friends and my disability was never an issue. ‘But how am I supposed to get by if this is how I’m treated – I feel like I have been excluded from the real world.
‘My confidence is shrinking and I feel that people stare and laugh at me. People just think I’m still a kid and will push in front of me in queues.
‘I just want to be treated as a normal person without them laughing at me and go around and do quite normal stuff.’