STATEMENT BY EEOC CHAIRWOMAN IDA L. CASTRO ON EEOC vs. THE BOEING COMPANY

WASHINGTON  The case filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) against The Boeing Company in Seattle yesterday enforces the rights of four individuals to pursue their jobs and careers without being victimized by employer decisions based on stereotypes, myths, and fears about people with disabilities.    

EEOC's lawsuit, which was filed only after efforts to settle the matter first were unsuccessful, deals with the exclusion of these employees and applicants simply because they were perceived as being disabled or had a record of a disabling condition.      

As the Supreme Court has made clear, an employer violates the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) when it makes employment decisions about an individual's physical or mental ability to do a job in the absence of an individualized assessment of their capability to perform the essential functions of the job in question.  EEOC will continue to pursue such violations of the ADA.