EEOC Sues Elwood Staffing Services for Disability Discrimination
According to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s (EEOC’s) lawsuit, Elwood Staffing Services, Inc., a nationwide staffing company, did not hire an applicant for a warehouse position because the applicant does not have a left hand. The EEOC said that the applicant sought work with Elwood Staffing and then received a conditional job offer for work as a product assembler for one of Elwood Staffing’s clients. Elwood Staffing chose not to administer one of two pre-placement tests to the applicant because the applicant does not have a left hand. Further, the EEOC said, Elwood Staffing failed to consider or provide any reasonable accommodations to the applicant before it chose not to hire her because of her disability and/or her need for an accommodation.
Justice Department Enters Agreement to Ensure Public Transportation for Passengers with Disabilities in the County of Hawaii
The Justice Department entered into a settlement agreement with the County of Hawaii and the County’s Mass Transit Agency (MTA) to resolve an investigation conducted under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
Under the agreement, the County and MTA must make their transit services, including Hele-On, the buses used by the majority of riders, accessible to passengers with disabilities. The agreement requires the County and MTA to ensure that passengers with disabilities have lifts to board buses; paratransit users are provided timely pick-ups and drop-offs; and bus stops are accessible. In addition, the County and MTA must ensure that transit system drivers undergo ADA training and that disability-related complaints are addressed fairly.
Disney Making Changes to Disability Access at Theme Parks
Big changes are coming once again to Disney’s system for providing accommodations to people with disabilities at its theme parks. The company said this month that it is “making some enhancements” to what’s known as the Disability Access Service, or DAS, program. The move comes nearly eight years after a revamp of Disney’s access policies that prompted lawsuits from families of those with developmental disabilities. The updates are part of a broader overhaul happening at Disney World and Disneyland this fall.