Sign Language Interpreters Can Be a Reasonable Accommodation

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission settled a lawsuit against a parts manufacturer.  The EEOC’s lawsuit alleged that it hired an employee in May 2017 who had a severe hearing impairment.  She was proficient in American Sign Language but not English, and she communicated almost entirely with ASL.  The employee filed grievances between January 2018 to May 2018 claiming that the company was excluding her from meetings due to her disability.  The Complaint further alleged that, after she brought the complaint, the company disciplined her.  After she was forced to attend a mandatory meeting with no ASL interpreting, she filed a formal request for an interpreter to be present at meetings.  The company denied the request and then terminated her employment.  This alleged conduct is a violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act, as amended, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of an employee’s disability.  See Commission v. Pneuline Supply, Inc., No.: 22-00292 (Dist. Colo.).