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Steve worked in full-time paid employment as a gardener for a local organisation. He started to feel victimised by his colleagues, and bullied by the head gardener at the company. The final straw for Steve was when he found an offensive poster of himself stuck to his locker. His photo had been covered in graffiti and the derogatory nickname often embraced by his colleagues was in big letters, along with some other cruel jibes. Steve was understandably very upset, but was wary of making an official complaint as he did not wish to rock the boat, and was worried about making the bullying worse.

Steve was referred to Dorset Advocacy, where he met Ali. She quickly tried to establish if firstly Steve wanted her help, which he did, and secondly what action he wanted to take. Together they decided to arrange a meeting with the manager of the organisation, who seemed very sympathetic about Steve’s situation.  He took on the comments and said he would look into the matter. Unfortunately the letter Steve received in response was less than satisfactory. The manager stated that he had contacted Steve’s department and investigated the issue, concluding that it was ‘well-intentioned humour’. Both Steve and Ali were extremely disappointed with the flippant response, and so they discussed where Steve wanted to go from there. An employment tribunal was discussed, but Steve was not comfortable with the idea of going to court and making too much of a fuss. However, he was keen to write a response to the manager in order to make him aware that this outcome was unsatisfactory.

Although Steve and Ali never received a concrete resolution to the issue, Steve’s life has changed for the better. He never returned to do seasonal work with the company, and instead now devotes his time to local charity projects. He is always out and about, achieving something worthwhile, and helping others who have similar disabilities. He is much happier and loves what he is doing now. Without his advocate Ali, Steve would not have had the confidence to make a complaint and would have continued to suffer in silence. The support of his advocate made him feel validated in his concerns and empowered him to change his situation for the better.

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