American Airlines to pay $200,000 in

American Airlines will pay $200,000 to settle a federal lawsuit alleging it failed to accommodate a reservations agent who lost her eyesight.

American Airlines has agreed to pay $200,000 to settle a federal discrimination lawsuit. The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) brought the case on behalf of a telephone reservations agent who was terminated after losing her eyesight.

According to the EEOC, the employee suffered an injury in 2012 that resulted in permanent cortical blindness. After her recovery, the now fully-blind agent asked to return to her job. This would have required screen reading software called JAWS.

The Failed Accommodation

A local charity in Texas offered to supply the JAWS software to American Airlines at no cost. The EEOC considered this a reasonable accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act. American Airlines claimed it was impossible to accommodate the employee in her old role.

The airline did not deploy the offered software. Instead, it kept the employee on leave while exploring alternative jobs. The worker herself identified several open positions, including baggage resolution specialist and customer service representative. American Airlines rejected these ideas.

More than eighteen months later, the airline conducted third-party testing. It found JAWS was not fully compatible with its aging proprietary software. A fix was available. Custom scripts could be written into the JAWS software to navigate the airline's systems. American Airlines chose not to pursue this solution.

Termination and Settlement

The employee remained on unpaid, involuntary medical leave for years. In early 2020, the airline said it would look again for an alternative role. The COVID-19 pandemic then led to a hiring freeze. In October 2020, American Airlines terminated the blind employee.

The EEOC lawsuit charged the airline with failing to take legally required steps. It accused American of not enabling the use of screen reader software or helping find a reasonable accommodation. The settlement includes a two-year consent decree.

Beyond the financial payout, American Airlines has agreed to several systemic changes. It will incorporate critical web accessibility standards into new software development. The airline must have a new accessible reservations system operational by 2027.

Following implementation, an independent auditor will spend at least 120 hours testing the system. The goal is to ensure it meets accessibility requirements for blind and visually impaired employees.

Finally, American Airlines will provide further training to human resources staff on handling reasonable accommodation requests. The airline must also post a notice to employees about disability discrimination. It must report to the EEOC on accommodation requests made over the next two years.

Acting EEOC Dallas Regional Attorney Ronald L. Phillips commented on the case. "Blind and otherwise visually impaired workers deserve every opportunity to put their skills and knowledge to work," he said.

"The Americans with Disabilities Act prohibits disability discrimination and requires employers to provide reasonable accommodations, such as screen reader technology." American Airlines did not immediately respond to a request for comment, according to the source report from Paddleyourownkanoo.com.

Source: Paddle Your Own Kanoo