Hainaut Court of First Instance, Charleroi · 7 February 2025 · 24/43/A
A wheelchair user wanted to train as a medical secretary. Before the course began, he asked for a ramp, a ground-floor classroom and an accessible toilet. The school told him changes could not be made in time for that academic year. The dispute continued across later school years.
Why delay mattered
The court looked at whether he could participate on equal terms when teaching actually took place. The pandemic did not explain the unacceptable delays in providing reasonable adjustments. An assurance about future access offered little to a student missing the course in the meantime.
What the student obtained
The Charleroi court found discrimination and awarded €2,000 in damages. It also awarded a separate €1,650 contribution to procedural costs. These two figures serve different purposes. The judgment establishes the award, without showing that the student ultimately completed the qualification.
What made the problem visible
The correspondence recorded when he applied, what changes he requested and what was still missing when the course ran. That timeline helped connect the physical barriers to a lost opportunity to participate in education.
