EEOC Suit Alleges Texas Outsourcing Firm Discriminated Against Blind Employee

The Results Companies, LLC, a services outsourcing firm, violated federal law when it refused to provide a reasonable accommodation for a blind call center employee and then fired her, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) charged in a lawsuit.

According to the EEOC’s lawsuit, The Results Companies hired a blind employee as a telephonic customer service representative to work from its call center in Wichita Falls, Texas. After accepting the position, the employee requested to use screen reader software as a reasonable accommodation, which would allow 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 charged the company with taking only minimal steps to facilitate the employee’s use of screen reader software, refused the employee’s requests to contact her vocational counselor and the publisher of her screen reader software to request technical assistance, and then fired her because she required the disability-related accommodation.

This alleged conduct violated the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), which prohibits employers from making employment decisions based on an individual’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 seeks back pay, compensatory and punitive damages, and injunctive relief, including an order barring The Results Companies from engaging in discriminatory treatment in the future.

Topics Lawsuits Texas