Having a disability may naturally pose physical challenges in the workplace for an employee. However, when an employer in Indiana decides to discriminate against the disabled employee, this can make the situation that much harder for the worker. One woman in another state claimed that her employer engaged in workplace disability discrimination, and the suit was recently settled.
The woman said she was in the process of training to be a police officer. During her training, she ended up injuring her neck and back while she was doing sit-ups. She asked for light-duty work and for the opportunity to make up missed training. She was then fired.
The city said she was terminated for constantly missing training as well as not meeting performance standards, and officials said that no one had witnessed her injury incident. The woman, however, said her employer’s actions were not in line with federal disability laws. Her employer paid more than $22,000 to settle the lawsuit. The settlement was reported to be satisfactory to both parties.
It is illegal for employers in Indiana to discriminate against disabled employees, according to the Americans with Disabilities Act’s Title I. Employers must also make reasonable accommodations for those who are disabled. If they fail to do this, they may be held accountable. An employee who is treated unfairly or fired due to a disability has the right to file a workplace disability discrimination claim against his or her employer, seeking remedies such as reasonable accommodation and monetary damages stemming from the alleged discrimination incident.
Source: triblive.com, “Pittsburgh settles former police trainee’s disability discrimination lawsuit“, Brian Bowling, July 1, 2015
