Q&A: Considering ADA when denying a promotion

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Issue: Katy, a long-time sales clerk, applied for the position of assistant store manager. Even though Katy was the best qualified applicant, the store owner decided to promote another employee after learning that Katy doesn’t have a driver’s license because of her epilepsy. The store owner told Katy that she was not promoted because she was unable to drive the store receipts to the bank. Is this a valid reason for not promoting her?

Answer: Under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), employers are required to provide reasonable accommodations (adjustments or modifications) to enable applicants and employees with disabilities to enjoy equal employment opportunities unless doing so would be an undue hardship (a significant difficulty or expense). An employer must provide a reasonable accommodation that is needed because of the epilepsy itself, the effects of medication, or both.

In this instance, depositing the store receipts in a safe and timely manner, not driving the store receipts to the bank, is an actual function of the job. Before deciding not to promote her, the store owner should have determined whether driving was an essential job function or whether Katy could have done the job with a reasonable accommodation (for example, having another employee drive her or paying for her to take a taxi). Because driving was not an essential function of an assistant store manager, the fact that Katy was an individual with epilepsy who did not have a driver’s license cannot be used to deny her an employment opportunity.

Source: EEOC Publication: Revised Questions and Answers about Epilepsy in the Workplace and the Americans with Disabilities Act, http://www.eeoc.gov/laws/types/epilepsy.cfm, reported in Employment Practices Guide, New Developments

About the author, Rhamy

Rhamy grew up watching and working with his mother and grandmother in the senior insurance market. This familiarity with the struggles faced by people trying to navigate the incredibly complicated and heavily regulated healthcare market led him to start Poplar Financial while working on his degree at the University of Memphis. After completing his MBA and Bachelors in Finance and Economics, Rhamy guided Poplar Financial through the disruptive opportunity that is the Affordable Care Act. Since then Poplar Financial has received numerous awards from major insurance carriers and has completed its fourth year in a row of doubling in size. Now his team focuses on the processes around human resources and specializes in providing companies with between 20 and 1000 employees with the payroll, benefits, and HR needs.

1 Comment

  1. Chris Lowe on 11/12/2019 at 1:50 PM

    My Company is questioning my reasonable accommodation request for teleworking. I am visibly impaired and have been relied on Mobility (transposition for disabled in Maryland). However, it is very unreliable getting to and from work (usually takes 3 hours on commute). Since the agency is ending all teleworking for all employees. I am request teleworking under reasonable accommodation. I got medical documentations and doctor’s letters stating my medical status and reasons for teleworking and how waiting on a Mobility will cause undue stress and anxiety. But long story short, now my company is suggesting that why not taking Uber if Mobility is not reliable and causing stress. I am literally crying and just need an advice on how I should response to that.

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