[Nfbc-info] Fwd: [Nfbnet-members-list] Blind Woman Sues California Hospital for Employment Discrimination

[Matthew Gip]

Matthew Gip 
President | California Association of Blind Students 
A proud division of the National Federation of the Blind of California 
Co-Chair | National Association of Blind Students Outreach Committee 
Phone: (559) 375-2068 
Email: matthewhgip at gmail.com


Begin forwarded message:

> From: "Danielsen, Chris via NFBNet-Members-List" <nfbnet-members-list at nfbnet.org>
> Date: July 26, 2018 at 6:26:50 PM PDT
> To: nfbnet-members-list at nfbnet.org
> Subject: [Nfbnet-members-list] Blind Woman Sues California Hospital for Employment Discrimination
> Reply-To: "Danielsen, Chris" <CDanielsen at nfb.org>
> 
> FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
> 
> Blind Woman Sues California Hospital for Employment Discrimination
> National Federation of the Blind Assisting in Litigation
> 
> San Francisco, California (July 26, 2018): Alina Sorling worked for ten years as a food service technician at Mercy Medical Center in Redding, California until she went blind from an illness. After successful rehabilitation in which she learned to manage her home and perform the duties of her job as a blind person, she sought reasonable accommodations from her employer to return to work. Instead, she was fired.
> 
> The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and Ms. Sorling have filed suit in the federal District Court for the Northern District of California, alleging that Dignity Health, the parent company of Mercy Medical Center, unlawfully discriminated against Ms. Sorling, violating the Americans with Disabilities Act and other federal and state laws. The National Federation of the Blind, the nation's leading advocate for the equal employment of blind people, is aiding in the litigation.
> 
> Ms. Sorling's lawsuit alleges that she was fired because she did not meet a new vision requirement that Dignity Health claims applies to its food service technicians. Yet, the suit alleges, Ms. Sorling's vision was never tested in all the time she worked for the hospital, nor has such a vision requirement been applied to other food service technicians there.
> 
> "Today marks the twenty-eighth anniversary of the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act," said Mark Riccobono, President of the National Federation of the Blind. "Yet we still find employers discriminating against the blind, basing their decisions on fears rather than on facts. Many blind people work in food service jobs every day, using the kinds of reasonable accommodations that Dignity Health did not even consider before firing an employee with ten years of service. Alina Sorling's capabilities have not changed; only her vision has. We will fight for her rights, her dignity, and her ability to do the work she is qualified to do and live the life she wants."
> 
> "My termination has been a severe blow to me, not only financially but also emotionally," said Alina Sorling. "I have worked hard to be an asset to my employer. It is unfortunate that my former employer could not see the value that I brought to my work."
> 
> Ms. Sorling is represented by Timothy Elder of the TRE Legal Practice of Freemont, CA, and Scott C. Labarre of LaBarre Law offices of Denver.
> 
> ###
> 
> About the National Federation of the Blind
> The National Federation of the Blind (NFB), headquartered in Baltimore, is the oldest and largest nationwide organization of blind Americans. Founded in 1940, the NFB consists of affiliates, chapters, and divisions in the fifty states, Washington DC, and Puerto Rico. The NFB defends the rights of blind people of all ages and provides information and support to families with blind children, older Americans who are losing vision, and more. We believe in the hopes and dreams of blind people and work together to transform them into reality. Learn more about our many programs and initiatives at <http://www.nfb.org>www.nfb.org.
> 
> CONTACT:
> Chris Danielsen
> Director of Public Relations
> National Federation of the Blind
> (410) 659-9314, extension 2330
> (410) 262-1281 (Cell)
> <mailto:cdanielsen at nfb.org>cdanielsen at nfb.org
> 
> 
> 
> 
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