Deaf employee sues UPS

[oldngray]

My building had an old deaf guy working inside. UPS did give him special attention but he was mostly there as a token and it wasn't something a new employee should expect to get.

 

[UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)]

Deaf and can't read?

I wonder if he is a pinball wizard.

 

[HEFFERNAN]

You read it wrong. It didn't say he couldn't read or write. It said this:

If the meeting is less than five minutes, the gist of it can be communicated through a short written note or text message, MacDonald said. But if it's longer than five minutes, he said he would need an interpreter "because it's just too complicated."

Like many deaf people, MacDonald doesn't fluently read or write English. Asked why MacDonald couldn't learn to read English better, Foster explained that a major part of learning a language is to hear it, which MacDonald can't do.


Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/news/20151210_Deaf_employee_sues_UPS.html#38U7J4S3mP5pcmkt.99

1) I didn't put fluently down but regardless, how long a meeting is should have no bearing on how hard it is to relay a message with notes.
2) The only time any of us are in a meeting longer than 5 minutes, it's either a United Way presentation or discipline. Both can be relayed easily.
3) Technology has improved so much that talk-to-text for the hearing impaired should be easily available to the deaf. He owns a smartphone in the article.
4) Any inaction by management should have been corrected by HR. They hired him and would know the extra care needed because of his disability.
5) This is a frivolous lawsuit and hopefully gets dumped.

 

[Operational needs]

1) I didn't put fluently down but regardless, how long a meeting is should have no bearing on how hard it is to relay a message with notes.
2) The only time any of us are in a meeting longer than 5 minutes, it's either a United Way presentation or discipline. Both can be relayed easily.
3) Technology has improved so much that talk-to-text for the hearing impaired should be easily available to the deaf. He owns a smartphone in the article.
4) Any inaction by management should have been corrected by HR. They hired him and would know the extra care needed because of his disability.
5) This is a frivolous lawsuit and hopefully gets dumped.

My mother was born deaf. Having been around deaf people my whole life, I understand their frustrations trying to communicate in a hearing world.