The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has sued Fort Worth-based American Airlines claiming they fired a woman after she developed a disability.
The lawsuit claims American did not provide a reasonable accommodation to an employee after she developed cortical blindness. They say the employee requested screen reader software to convert text and other information into speech.
They maintain American put her on nearly four years’ worth of unpaid leave and then fired her.
"Employers violate their workers' civil rights when they fail to provide required reasonable accommodations or unreasonably delay providing such accommodations, said EEOC Acting Dallas Regional Attorney Ronald Philips.
The EEOC says in this case screen reader software has long been available and successfully used in the workplace.
KRLD has reached out to American Airlines for comment.