Wednesday, March 22, 2006

Person with AS Wins Disability Discrimination Suit

I found this article on the ASPIRES web site:
After a dedicated employee disclosed that she had Asperger's Syndrome and requested a transfer to a vacant position as an Americans With disabilities Act accomodation, her request was left in limbo for 1 1/2 years. She was forced to take a demotion and 45% pay cut. What happened next? Read on:
" In October 2003, Grossmont-Cuyamaca Community College District (GCCCD) administration placed her on an indefinite “illness leave” with no request for such leave from L.K., no documented medical necessity and no authorization by medical professionals. To this day, GCCCD does not allow L.K. to return to work...

On October 7, 2005, after a two-week trial, the El Cajon, CA, jury awarded L.K. damages for lost wages, lost benefits and mental distress in the total amount of $299,402.88.
The jury concluded that the employer subjected its employee with a disability to disparate treatment, and that GCCCD failed to timely engage in an ADA interactive process in good faith even after US Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights (DOE OCR) intervention and request to comply with the law. "

1 comment:

abfh said...

Hello Chris, welcome to the Autism Hub.

This discrimination article was also discussed in the Neurodiversity Weblog.

L.K. deserves much respect for persisting with her claim and not letting her employer get away with such abuse.