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Jessica Chrysler was hired to be a photographer for The Picture People in 2007. Hiring managers were aware that she was deaf before she was hired. In order to communicate with customers, she wrote notes to them, the same manner in which she'd interviewed for the position. The company found her note writing to be "cumbersome and awkward" for the customers, moving her to the lab where her hours were cut significantly and she ended up leaving her job.
Shortly after, the EEOC sued the company for not fully accommodating Jessica. Surprisingly, the District Court sided with The Picture People, asserting that oral communication was paramount to the function of the position that was held. Even after appealing this notion, the EEOC's claim was still denied on the same premise that studio personnel must be strong in verbal communication.
This decision speaks volumes regarding our current laws governing the workplace.
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