Disability Non-Profit Sued by EEOC For Disability Discrimination

This article was last updated on April 16, 2022

Canada: Oye! Times readers Get FREE $30 to spend on Amazon, Walmart…
USA: Oye! Times readers Get FREE $30 to spend on Amazon, Walmart…

EEOC settled a disability discrimination lawsuit with Metropolitan Detroit Center for Independent Living for a deaf employee

By Stephen Pate – Truth is stranger than fiction. The story of a disability charity acting like a disability bigot seems incongruous but a case was just settled on that basis in Detroit, Michigan.

Metropolitan Detroit Center for Independent Living is a Wayne County Michigan not-for-profit that fired a deaf employee after the employee asked for some equipment to help them in their job. The non-profit operates as Disability Network Wayne County-Detroit.

The deaf employee needed TTY equipment, a video phone and the ability to use text messaging. Instead of accommodation, the employee was fired.

“The hypocrisy of this non-profit – whose very mission is to help disabled individuals – disadvantaging and then firing someone because of a disability — is mind-boggling,” said EEOC Trial Attorney Nedra Campbell.

“Disability Network, of all people, should understand the importance of working toward reasonable accommodations for a deaf employee. It only goes to show that the EEOC has its work cut out for it – and we will certainly continue our fight for the rights of the disabled,” she said.

Discrimination and bigotry is not uncommon at not-for-profits although it seems incongruous given their mandate. When I was elected to the Board of the PEI Council of People with Disabilities they had no employees with disabilities and refused to hire any despite their mandate to improve employment for the disabled.

Discrimination in employment is against the US Americans With Disabilities Act, a federal act of Congress administered by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC).

“According to the EEOC’s suit, Disability Network denied a deaf employee, who worked as an independent living specialist for the non-profit, reasonable accommodations such as The complaint also alleged that Disability Network rejected the employee’s requests, failed to provide him with alternate accommodations, and finally fired him because he is deaf.”

Discriminatory conduct violates the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). “After first attempting to reach a pre-litigation settlement through its conciliation process, the EEOC sued Disability Network (EEOC v. Metropolitan Center for Independent Living d/b/a Disability Network / Wayne County, Case No. 4:14-CV-12118) in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District Court of Michigan.”

“In addition to the $38,500 in monetary relief, the five-year consent decree settling the suit provides for training on the ADA and enjoins Disability Network from terminating an employee on the basis of disability or failing to provide reasonable accommodations in the future.” From EEOC  news release.

The EEOC is responsible for enforcing federal laws prohibiting employment discrimination. Further information about the EEOC is available on its website at www.eeoc.gov.

By Stephen Pate, NJN Network