[HumanSer] EEOC issue

[Jonathan Franks]

Hello,
I will be in the communications committee meeting on behalf of my my chapter.

We can talk after convention.

Sent from my iPhone

> On Jul 15, 2020, at 12:56 PM, Yingling, Valerie <Vyingling at nfb.org> wrote:
> 
> Hi Jonathan,
> 
> I'm sorry we didn't get to your questions. There are still legal office hour appointments available for this evening. Would you like to schedule an appointment with an attorney for 8:30 p.m. Eastern tonight?
> 
> If you're not available tonight, I can follow up with you after convention.
> 
> Regards,
> Valerie
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Jonathan Franks <jfranks at nfbtx.org>
> Sent: Wednesday, July 15, 2020 1:44 PM
> To: Human Services Division Mailing List <humanser at nfbnet.org>; labarre at labarrelaw.com
> Cc: Yingling, Valerie <Vyingling at nfb.org>; ddavis at blindinc.org
> Subject: EEOC issue
> 
> Hello all,
> Unfortunately, I could not ask this at the Advocacy seminar due to lack of time.
> The story is that I applied for two different positions with a company. I received two emails stating that one a different candidate was chosen( I was not interviewed) and the other position was cancelled due to the Covid19 pandemic. During the application process, it asked whether or not I needed a reasonable accommodation to perform the essential job duties of the job. On each one I had selected yes., after thinking about it, that did not sit right with me. I researched on the EEOC website and became educated that employers are not allowed to ask this question on job applications.
> I then filed an EEOC complaint and cited that this was a barrier to potential job seekers with disabilities. I received a position statement citing that the reason I was not selected for the job was that 1. They had chosen a different candidate and 2. the other position was cancelled. There was no mention in the statement of the reasonable accommodation question and its legality.
> 
> I was hoping for some advice on what else I can do to advocate for the removal of this potentially discriminatory practice on their job applications.
> 
> Thanks,
> 
> Jonathan Franks MSW
> Board Member
> National Federation of the Blind of Texas
> 
> --
> The National Federation of the Blind knows that blindness is not the characteristic that defines you or your future. Every day we raise the expectations of blind people, because low expectations create obstacles between blind people and our dreams. You can live the life you want; blindness is not what holds you back.