Deaf job applicant wins $225k discrimination settlement in Oregon
The Oregonian reported that a deaf job applicant won a $225,000 settlement from a Portland software company, Viewpoint, and their staffing firm, CampusPoint.
I did a report last year based on an article from The Oregonian which explained the situation. The deaf applicant, Indigo Matthew, applied for a position in 2018 and passed an initial screening from both companies while using a video relay service.
The next portion of the application was a group interview. When Mathew requested an ASL interpreter, the two companies allegedly responded that they wouldn’t pay for an interpreter and then “erroneously assumed that Matthew would need a full-time interpreter” if he was hired. Matthew’s application was rejected.
Matthew then worked with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) to file a federal lawsuit against the two companies in Portland last year.
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The EEOC said Matthew can read lips with individuals but needs an interpreter for group settings and that Viewpoint decided to not hire him because of his request for an accommodation. The EEOC attorney in this case is Teri Healy.
The case was settled last week in the U.S. District Court in Portland. Viewpoint and CampusPoint are required to pay $112,500 each to Matthew. The two companies also must take steps to ensure compliance with the ADA and create an appeals process if it rejects disabled employees or applicants’ requests for accommodations.
Healy told The Oregonian that “she hopes cases like Matthew’s will help raise awareness that deaf workers are frequently capable of thriving without major accommodations.”
The Oregonian said Viewpoint declined to comment on the settlement.