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Does "regarded as" disabled employee get accommodation?
September 03, 2005 by Ross Runkel at LawMemo
If an employee is not actually disabled, but is "regarded as" disabled, the ADA defines that employee as disabled. And the big question is whether such an employee has a right to a reasonable accommodation.
Circuit courts are split on this fundamental question under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
- Holding no right to an accommodation: 5th, 6th, 8th, and 9th Circuits.
- Holding there is a right to an accommodation: 3rd, 10th, 11th, and (perhaps) 1st.
Two recent cases that have answered "Yes" are worth reading:
- D'Angelo v. Conagra Foods (11th Cir 08/30/2005)
- Kelly v. Metallics West (10th Cir 06/07/2005)
My view: I used to think it was odd that a court would require an employer to reasonably accommodate an employee who was not in fact disabled. But the recent cases have got me persuaded for two reasons.
- The text of the ADA does not support treating "regarded as" disabled employees differently than actually disabled employees.
- An employer that has stereotypical views of an employee's abilities is placing artificial limitations on the employee, and should be prepared to accommodate those limitations.
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