Retailer Toys “R” Us will pay $35,000 to settle allegations that it required a deaf applicant to provide her own interpreter for a job interview according to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
EEOC filed suit earlier this year on behalf of Shakirra Thomas, alleging multiple Americans with Disabilities Act violations.
According to the commission, Thomas applied for a position with Toys “R” Us. She was qualified for the job and the company called her to schedule a group interview. Her mother informed the company that Thomas was deaf and needed an interpreter for the group interview. Toys “R” Us responded that Thomas would need to provide her own interpreter at her own expense. She attended the interview with her mother serving as the interpreter. Thomas was not offered the position and she filed a complaint with EEOC.
EEOC sued on Thomas’ behalf, alleging that Toys “R” Us violated ADA’s requirement to provide reasonable accommodations for applicants and employees with disabilities. It also alleged that the company failed to hire her because of her disability.
Without admitting wrongdoing, Toys “R” Us agreed to settle the claims for $35,000. Thomas will receive $931 in back pay and $34,069 in compensatory damages. The employer also agreed to train its managers on the company’s nondiscrimination policy and its responsibility to accommodate workers with disabilities.
“This settlement should remind all employers that, absent an undue hardship, the ADA requires providing a reasonable accommodation to job applicants and employees who request one,” said Spencer H. Lewis, Jr., an EEOC district director, in a press release. “Hiring decisions should be made based on an individual’s qualifications and not because of a disability.”
The suit, EEOC v. Toys“R”Us-Delaware, Inc. (No. 1:13-cv-00756-CCB) was filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland.
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