The manager of a Midlands deaf charity has been ordered to pay £2,310 to a former employee after a tribunal heard how she had been discriminated against.

Colin Sanders, the manager of the Walsall Deaf People's Centre (WDPC), was not present at the Birmingham employment tribunal yesterday but was ordered to pay Jayne Fletcher, who has severe hearing problems, the amount for injury to feelings.

Mr Sanders - who was made an MBE for services to education - was the second of three respondents including WDPC and Ms Fletcher's line manager Maria Sanders.

Yesterday, it emerged that Mr Sanders had not informed the other two parties of the hearing, which ruled in favour of the 23-year-old's claims of disability discrimination last month.

At the hearing on June 21, tribunal chairman Paul Swann heard how Ms Fletcher, who lives in Walsall, had endured a catalogue of incidents at the centre, where she worked as a sign language tutor before finally resigning in September 2005.

He also agreed to her claims of constructive unfair dismissal, harassment and failure to carry out reasonable adjustments in the workplace.

Ms Fletcher, who also suffers from epilepsy, began work at the centre in Lichfield Street, which promotes deaf awareness, in May 2004.

During the hearing, she claimed the centre failed to provide her with an "Access to Work" assistant, despite being allocated public money to do so.

In a printed witness statement, she said: "I was angry when I realised that Colin received money from Access to Work to provide me with a support worker to interpret, but he never bothered employing anyone to help me. He made money from my disability."

She said staff at WDPC also failed to use sign language while communicating unless she specifically asked them to, in spite of the organisation having designated British Sign Language (BSL) rooms.

In addition, she claimed her line manager became "complacent" towards her epileptic fits and black outs.

Both the centre and Ms Sanders yesterday came to an "amicable agreement" with Ms Fletcher and she was awarded an undisclosed amount in compensation.

Describing how Mr Sanders had kept the case hidden from the other parties, Mr Swann said: "It was the case that he never kept the first or third respondents informed of the tribunal.

"They were unaware of the exact nature and details that they were facing at the tribunal. He failed to provide full support and training for the claimant and failed to make reasonable adjustments and to provide her with assistance for her disabilities - both her deafness and epilepsy, and he failed to provide her with enough support."

Mr Swann said Mr Sanders did not have to pay tribunal costs. A statement released yesterdayby the claimant's barrister Jennifer Deacon said: "Jayne Fletcher has welcomed the decision by the employment tribunal by making an award against the second respondent Colin Sanders, which is a rarity in discrimination cases.

"Whilst the amount is disappointing, the fact an award was made expresses disgust with the discriminatory conduct of the person. The case against the Walsall Deaf People's Centre and employee Maria Sanders, has subsequently been settled amicably as Ms Fletcher understands the centre, represented by the trustees, was unaware or unclear of the proceedings against them."

Colin Sanders was last night unavailable for comment.