Yesterday, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission announced that the nation-wide pet store PETCO would pay $145,000 for the suit filed against them for disability discrimination.  The EEOC had charged PETCO with failing to properly accommodate a deaf employee at one of its stores in Aurora, Colorado. 

Nancy Buchner was hired by the PETCO store in 2001 for her thirty years of experience in pet grooming.  Buchner has been deaf since birth and was told that the store's manager and employees would assist her in scheduling appointments over telephone.  However, Buchner went to the EEOC after fellow employees and store managers failed to schedule appointments for her, even when specifically requested by customers.  Some workers told customers that Buchner no longer worked there in order to shift appointments to other groomers.  Moreover, Buchner was criticized for her communication skills in annual performance reviews done by the company.  Buchner decided to resign in 2006.

The EEOC filed the suit against PETCO in April 2009 for violating the Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990.  In addition to fines, PETCO will be required to train staff members in avoiding disability discrimination.

If you or someone you know has been the victim of disability discrimination, contact the Houston disability discrimination attorneys of the Ross Law Group at 800-634-8042 to learn more about your rights.