Dignity Health, which operates Mercy Medical Center in Redding, Calif., will pay $570,000 and take important steps to prevent future discrimination to settle a disability discrimination lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). The EEOC’s suit charged that the medical center failed to accommodate Alina Sorling, a 10-year cafeteria employee who had survived a severe illness that left her with vision loss. Sorling’s work as a food service technician involved tasks such as cashiering, grilling, cleaning and stocking. In 2015, after a successful rehabilitation where she was trained to proficiency in kitchen skills, Sorling sought to return to work and informed her employer of multiple accommodations that she or the California Department of Rehabilitation could provide to allow her to perform her job duties. Dignity Health rejected the suggestions and fired Sorling. Such alleged conduct violates the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), which prohibits employers from discriminating based on disability and requires employers to provide reasonable accommodations to employees unless it would be an undue hardship.
