Hobby Lobby loses ADA lawsuit
Hob-Lob Inc, better known as Hobby Lobby a gift and craft store chain has lost a major ADA lawsuit. The case started when a worker was injured and could no longer use a ladder in their job. Rather than finding a job that the worker could do within the company, Hobby Lobby decided to let the person go. This turned into an ADA discrimination case as the woman was considered disabled because her injury (ankle injury) forced her to use a wheelchair for mobility. The worker won the lawsuit and Hobby Lobby was forced to pay $35,000 to the worker, update their documents to show people in wheelchairs could do a wide variety of jobs, and train management in how to deal with the disabled. To make sure that the company follows through on the constraints of the lawsuit, the EEOC will watch over how Hobby Lobby runs for 30 months. It was noted in the lawsuit that this situation would never have happened if Hobby Lobby had taken the time to document and train management in how to utilize disabled workers. (Source: Infozine.com)
It is sad that after all these years we have myopic management that does not know how to deal with the disabled. The disabled are looked as as somehow "broken" and unable to do any task at all. Instead of looking at all the jobs that can be done from a sitting position, the worker is tossed out and an able bodied worker is hired in their place. How are the disabled expected to take care of themselves and get off of federal aid if we are tossed out of work because management has no idea that we still have brains and can do many of the tasks we used to do. Paraplegics can do virtually any desk or computer job with few changes, if any to the environment. Perhaps the company needs to do a better job of hiring managers that do not look at the disabled as useless junk to be removed from the facility as soon as possible. There are many people that hate the disabled and cannot stand to be around them. This discrimination is disgusting and should be vetted from every company. There is no place in management for someone that cannot work with the disabled.
This a shot across the bow against haters of the disabled, and the companies who hire them. Managers should know the law and there is no reason why new hire training does not include info on the ADA. Why create a situation where you can and may well be sued if you can easily get around it. Disabled people work just as hard as anyone else and research shows they are a good fit in any organization. It is amazing how much griping disappears when everyone sees what a disabled person has to do to get their job done. Think about it the next time someone in a wheelchair is at your company looking for a job.
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