United airlines lawsuit

[drsharky]

I am at work, just listening to NPR, when.... GRRRRRRR!!!!!
A lawsuit has been raised against United Airlines by a man who was denied employment because he is an insulin-dependent diabetic.
Partly I'm just raising my own personal issues here, but jeez... you'd think in this day and age people are past making snap judgements about ANYONE. My personal feelings on this are, "let him prove that he can do the work (or not), and THEN act on his record either by firing him or by promoting him." I hope you can relate-- being told that you might not have a job just because of what your health condition MIGHT do in the future?
To present United's side in this, their argument was that they did not want the guy working for them because they were afraid he might "suffer an attack" of some sort while driving. While that is a legitimate concern, most of us who are responsible in our care test often during the course of the day to make sure we avoid that situation.
Any other thoughts?
s

[infinitepiphany]

i think in this case, diabetes would fall under the umbrella of ada. if it does, then united is at fault, and is so going down in court.

michelle

[dreya]

What job was he applying for? Because if he was applying to be a pilot....a person who has severe insulin reactions could suddenly become unconscious or incapacitated, causing a crash and the death of all the passengers....
It's similar to the rules about people with epilepsy having to be seizure-free for a certain amount of time before being able to get driver's licenses. A person who has frequent seizures could easily become unconscious while driving and kill himself/herself and other drivers/passengers.

I'd have to know more about the man's health status/stability and the work he was trying to get to be able to form an opinion about the "right or wrong" of this one...

[drsharky]

From what they reported, they said the guy had no health problems; United just denied him the job because they were AFRAID of what might happen. I gathered that he was not applying to be a pilot but wanted to work in some loading area where he'd have to drive sometimes.
Diabetes can fall under ADA requirements, but only if the person has significant limitations because of the disease (like blindness, or an amputation, or mobility problems). But you can use the ADA also to make sure that you are allowed to test your sugar frequently-- and THAT sounds like something where this person might benefit.