INTERNATIONAL US: Equality body challenges firm refusing job to worker with partial hand paralysis
17 July 2012
Government agency the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) is claiming in a lawsuit filed last week that disability services provider Pace Solano violated federal law in withdrawing a job offer because the applicant had a partial paralysis in one hand.
Wed, 18 Jul 2012
Government agency the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) is claiming in a lawsuit filed last week that disability services provider Pace Solano violated federal law in withdrawing a job offer because the applicant had a partial paralysis in one hand.
The candidate, Katrina Holly, was interviewing for a position teaching developmentally disabled adults at a Pace Solano site in Vallejo, California.She was immediately offered a job and then asked to take a pre-employment physical, during which she disclosed information about her hand.
According to the EEOC, despite written verification from its own doctor that Holly was cleared to do the job, the employer withdrew the job offer, and when Holly asked the company to reconsider, the response was: “Your injury makes you a liability; you don’t want to get hurt any more than you already are, do you?”
EEOC regional attorney William Tamayo says: “It’s highly ironic that Pace Solano, an organisation dedicated to assisting people with disabilities, rejected a fully capable and qualified applicant because of her disability,” while district director Michael Baldonado adds: “While we admire the work that Pace Solano performs for the community, there is simply no excuse for rejecting an applicant because of a disability which in no way impacts her performance.”
Government agency the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) is claiming in a lawsuit filed last week that disability services provider Pace Solano violated federal law in withdrawing a job offer because the applicant had a partial paralysis in one hand.
The candidate, Katrina Holly, was interviewing for a position teaching developmentally disabled adults at a Pace Solano site in Vallejo, California.She was immediately offered a job and then asked to take a pre-employment physical, during which she disclosed information about her hand.
According to the EEOC, despite written verification from its own doctor that Holly was cleared to do the job, the employer withdrew the job offer, and when Holly asked the company to reconsider, the response was: “Your injury makes you a liability; you don’t want to get hurt any more than you already are, do you?”
EEOC regional attorney William Tamayo says: “It’s highly ironic that Pace Solano, an organisation dedicated to assisting people with disabilities, rejected a fully capable and qualified applicant because of her disability,” while district director Michael Baldonado adds: “While we admire the work that Pace Solano performs for the community, there is simply no excuse for rejecting an applicant because of a disability which in no way impacts her performance.”
