EEOC Sues The Results Companies for Disability Discrimination
Federal Lawsuit Says Business Services Outsourcing Firm Refused to Provide Accommodation for Blind Employee, Then Fired Her
DALLAS — The Results Companies, LLC, a Fort Lauderdale, Florida-based business services outsourcing firm, violated federal law when it refused to provide a reasonable accommodation for a blind call center employee and then fired her, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) charged in a lawsuit it filed today.
According to the EEOC’s lawsuit, The Results Companies hired a blind employee as a telephonic customer service representative to work from its call center in Wichita Falls, Texas. After accepting the position, the employee requested to use screen reader software as a reasonable accommodation, which would allow her to use the company’s computer systems to perform her job duties. Screen readers convert text and other information on computers into synthesized speech.
The lawsuit charged the company with taking only minimal steps to facilitate the employee’s use of screen reader software, refused the employee’s requests to contact her vocational counselor and the publisher of her screen reader software to request technical assistance, and then fired her because she required the disability-related accommodation.
This alleged conduct violated the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), which prohibits employers from making employment decisions based on an individual's disability or need for reasonable accommodation and requires them to make accommodations absent an undue hardship. The EEOC filed suit, Civil Action No. 7:24-cv-00128 U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas, Wichita Falls Division, after first attempting to reach a pre-litigation settlement through its conciliation process.
In this case, the EEOC seeks back pay, compensatory and punitive damages, and injunctive relief, including an order barring The Results Companies from engaging in discriminatory treatment in the future.
Alexa Lang, a trial attorney in the EEOC’s Dallas District Office, said, “Employers have a legal obligation to provide reasonable accommodations to employees with disabilities, barring the existence of an undue hardship. This obligation can extend to the employer addressing compatibility and other technical issues to allow for the use of accessibility software such as screen readers, screen magnifiers, and voice-to-text programs.”
“Screen reader software such as JAWS (Job Access with Speech) has long been available and successfully integrated into America’s workplace,” said Robert Canino, regional attorney for the EEOC’s Dallas District Office. “When an applicant or employee requests that form of accommodation, the employer is expected to engage in an interactive process to determine how the tools available can be applied to the performance of the essential job functions.”
For more information on disability discrimination, please visit https://www.eeoc.gov/disability-discrimination.
The EEOC’s Dallas District Office is responsible for processing charges of discrimination, administrative enforcement, and the conduct of agency litigation in Texas and parts of New Mexico.
The EEOC prevents and remedies unlawful employment discrimination and advances equal opportunity for all. More information is available at www.eeoc.gov. Stay connected with the latest EEOC news by subscribing to our email updates.
Source: U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC.gov)
