Companies Must Discuss Reasonable Accommodations with Disabled Employees

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission recently settled a lawsuit against Voyant Beauty, in which the EEOC alleged that the company had terminated an employee because of their disability.  The EEOC's lawsuit claimed that Voyant hired an employee, but, on the first day of her employment, Voyant learned that this employee was deaf.  After learning this, Voyant terminated her employment, despite the new employee being qualified for the job and being able to perform the job with or without an accommodation.  Rather than discussing whether the employee would need any accommodations, Voyant assumed that she could not perform the job and fired her.  Such alleged conduct violates the Americans with Disabilities Act, as amended, which prohibits discrimination against employees due to a disability and which requires employers to provide reasonable accommodations to disabled employees who need such accommodations.  See Civil Action No.1:23-cv-014023 (N.D. Ill.).