Kiruna Stamell makes claim for disability discrimination as counter devices are out of her reach

Post Office branches are being made more accessible to disabled people after an EastEnders actor with dwarfism sued the company for discrimination because she could not reach the chip-and-pin machines at the counter.

Kiruna Stamell, who has appeared on EastEnders and in the film Moulin Rouge, made a claim against the business for disability discrimination.

The 33-year-old perfomer had difficulty reaching chip-and-pin devices at post offices because they were fixed to the counter top. Many retailers have devices that can be detached from a holster and handed to a customer.

“Unfortunately, I had several negative experiences at post office counters and for many years I have had difficulty paying for their goods and services. After a couple of really upsetting experiences at various branches, I realised, something needed to change,” Stamell wrote on her website.

She used law firm Unity Law to bring a case against the Post Office under the Equalities Act 2010, which has now been settled. “We were able to get everyone to the table and bring the needs of disabled people to the attention of the Post Office,” Stamell explained.

A Post Office spokesperson said the company was making the improvements needed following the concerns raised by Stamell. “Flexible” chip & PIN devices were being introduced in some 1,300 branches and there were now low-level counters in thousands of post offices. “We will of course continue to listen to any customers who have any concerns about access in our branches,” she added.

Chris Fry, Stamell’s solicitor, said the case was of significant wider importance, at a time when the minister for disabled people has urged service providers to improve their accessibility.

An audit of 30,000 premises in Britain conducted by accessibility information provider DisabledGo this week found that 20% of shops had no wheelchair access, only 15% of restaurants and shops had hearing loops and three-quarters of restaurants made no provision for those with visual impairments.

“These changes brought by Kiruna’s case mean that the Post Office is now much more accessible as Britain’s 12m disabled people are sending and receiving presents this Christmas,” he told the BBC.

Australian-born Stamell began her career as a dancer, winning the South Pacific Silver Star Tap Dancing Championships in 1994 and performed at the opening ceremony of the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney with the dance troupe Tap Dogs.