Reasonable Accommodations For Deaf Employees Required

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission recently settled a lawsuit against M&M Limousine, in which the EEOC had alleged that the company refused to hire a qualified individual because of his disability.  The EEOC’s lawsuit claimed that M&M did not hire an applicant because he was deaf.  The Complaint also alleged that the company did not even consider whether the prospective employee could perform the job but informed him that they were not hiring him because he is deaf, even though this applicant met all of the qualifications for the position.  This alleged conduct is a violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act, which requires employers and prospective employers to provide reasonable accommodations for disabled employees and prohibits discrimination on the basis of an employee or prospective employee’s disability.  See EEOC v. M&M Limousine, No. 19-CV-4213 (N.D. Ill.).