Nonprofit Denied Accommodations to Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Employees and Fired Employees Who Requested Medical Leave, Federal Agency Charges

WASHINGTON - Didlake, Inc. a government contractor that provides janitorial and maintenance employees to federal worksites throughout Maryland, Virginia and Washington, D.C., violated the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) by failing to provide reasonable accommodations to employees with disabilities, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) alleged in a suit filed today.

The EEOC alleged that although Didlake, a not-for-profit corporation, employs a significant number of deaf and hard-of-hearing employees, it failed to provide communications accommodations, including American Sign Language (ASL) interpreters for safety meetings. Didlake also violated the ADA by maintaining a policy of terminating employees who requested medical leave but did not qualify for leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act (the FMLA), the EEOC said.

Employers, including nonprofits, are required to provide reasonable accommodations to employees with disabilities if doing so would not pose an undue hardship. The EEOC filed suit (EEOC v. Didlake, Inc., Case No.8:23-cv-2618), in U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland after first attempting to reach a voluntary pre-litigation settlement through its conciliation process. In the lawsuit, the EEOC seeks back pay, compensatory and punitive damages for the employees, and equitable...

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