Companies Must Pay $120,000 In EEOC Suit

Conduent State and Local Solutions, Inc., a business services provider that operates the New York E-Z Pass toll collection system, and Broadleaf Results, Inc., an employment agency, will collectively pay $120,000 and furnish other relief to settle a disability discrimination lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). According to the EEOC’s lawsuit, an employee was placed by Broadleaf to work as a customer service representative at Conduent’s E-ZPass Customer Service Center in Staten Island. The employee notified both Broadleaf and Conduent supervisors that she was having difficulties hearing customer calls and requested an accommodation for her hearing-related condition, ultimately requesting a meeting with management to discuss the status of her accommodation request.

Federal Communications Comission Chair Jessica Rosenworcel announced recently that she shared a proposal with her fellow Commissioners that would for the first time require video conferencing platforms, like Zoom, Micro- soft Teams or Webex, to comply with the accessibility requirements under the Communications Act and agency rules that govern interoperable video conferencing services. “Today, I’ve proposed taking a bold step in ensuring that video conferencing platforms are usable by all who rely on them to stay connected to their family, friends, co-workers and community,” said Rosenworcel. The Chairwoman circulated three related accessibility proposals. One is a “Report and Order” that finds that the accessibility requirements of section 716 of the Act and Part 14 of the Commission’s rules apply to all services and equipment meeting the definition of “interoperable video conferencing service.”

Disability rights advocate Sally Johnston recently died at age 80, leaving behind a decades-long leg- acy of activism. Johnston, of Syracuse, N.Y., died after being hospitalized with pneumonia, according to an article by “Syracuse.com.” According to the news outlet, she was born with arthrogryposis, a condition that causes stiffness and loss of motion in the joints. Early in her career she began building relationships with county officials, which helped her lead the way to accessibility in public office buildings throughout Syracuse and Onondaga County, more than 15 years before the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was passed.

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