Disability | When duty of care fails: lessons from the BAFTAs incident

In light of the recent BAFTAs incident, organisations should be looking closely at how they approach duty of care – especially when non-visible disabilities are involved.

The incident, involving an involuntary tic linked to Tourette syndrome (coprolalia), resulted in racist language being broadcast nationwide. It has triggered significant controversy. Not only has it caused understandable outrage and hurt within the Black community, it has also fuelled harmful misunderstandings about Tourette syndrome and coprolalia specifically, with some public responses showing a lack of awareness about what involuntary tics are – and what they are not.

To be clear, both of these harms need to be acknowledged. The pain felt by the Black community is real and should not be minimised. And the impact on people with Tourette syndrome should also be taken seriously, especially where public reaction has been misinformed or hostile.

But sitting beneath all of this is an organisational failure in handling.