Suit Alleges Service Outsourcing Firm Discriminated Against Blind Texas Call Center Employee

Results Companies, LLC, a service outsourcing firm, violated federal law when it refused to provide a reasonable accommodation to a blind call center employee and then fired her, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has charged ) from the USA.

According to the EEOC lawsuit, The Results Companies hired a blind employee as a telephone customer service representative to work out of its Wichita Falls, Texas, call center. After accepting the position, the employee requested the use of screen-reading software as a reasonable accommodation to enable her to use the company’s computer systems to perform her job duties. Screen readers convert text and other information on computers into synthesized speech.

The lawsuit accused the company of taking only minimal steps to facilitate the employee’s use of the screen-reading software, refusing the employee’s requests to contact her professional advisor and the publisher of the screen-reading software for technical assistance and then fired her because she needed disability accommodations.

This alleged conduct violated the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), which prohibits employers from making employment decisions based on a person’s disability or need for reasonable accommodation and requires them to make accommodations absent an undue hardship. The EEOC filed suit, Civil Action No. 7:24-cv-00128 U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas, Wichita Falls Division, after first attempting to reach a pre-litigation settlement through its conciliation process.

In this case, the EEOC is seeking back pay, compensatory and punitive damages, and injunctive relief, including an order prohibiting The Results Companies from engaging in future discriminatory treatment.

TOPICS
Texas lawsuits