Accommodation was "no problem," the company allegedly said — until it was
A federal lawsuit filed this week alleges Spectrum assured a hearing-impaired new hire that accommodations would be easy — then rescinded her offer.
The case, Jacobs v. Charter Communications, Inc., d/b/a Spectrum (No. 2:26-CV-00647, E.D. Wis.), was filed on April 15, 2026, and centers on what happened after Stephanie M. Jacobs applied for a Customer Service Representative role at the telecom giant in the summer of 2022.
According to the suit, Jacobs was upfront from the start. During her first phone interview, she told the recruiter she had no hearing in her right ear, severe hearing loss in her left, wore two hearing aids daily, and would need assistive technology on the job. The response, she alleges, was reassuring — hearing technology would be "no problem," and Spectrum already had employees working with hearing aids.
She moved through the process. An in-person interview followed, where she again outlined her needs — a phone compatible with her hearing aids and closed captioning. Again, "no problem." Spectrum recommended her for hire, walked her through hiring paperwork, and gave her an August 8 orientation date. By July 24, she had finished everything asked of her.
Then the waiting began.
On July 29, Spectrum told Jacobs she could not start until her assistive technology was in place. Her audiologist submitted the required paperwork by August 1, offered a discounted device, and advised that...
Malaysia has taken steps to ensure continuity of the country's fuel supply as war in the Middle East has caused a global energy crisis, but social media posts continue to spread false claims about ...