americans with disabilities act Archives

9th Circuit Court Rules Against Harkins Theaters & Says Movies Must be Accessible to Hearing & Visually Impaired

Movie ticket prices within the jurisdiction of the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals will be going up. From the Yuma Sun: “Theater owners have to make special devices available to ensure those with hearing and vision disabilities can enjoy the movies, a federal appeals court ruled Friday. In a unanimous decision, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals rejected arguments by attorneys for the Arizona-based Harkins theater chain that nothing in federal law requires them to purchase and install the necessary equipment. The judges said the kinds of devices at issue here clearly fall within the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act.”

When Treating One Worker’s Allergy Sets Off Another’s

The New York Times has an interesting story (“It’s a case of King Solomon meets the Americans With Disabilities Act.”) about what happened when an employer hired a disabled woman whose disability (allegoric paprika) adversely affected the health of another employee. The employer laid off the newly hired disabled person who has filed a complaint with the EEOC alleging that the employer violated the Americans with Disabilities Act. The story also illustrates one of the unintended consequences of the ADA, i.e, many employers are reluctant to hire the disabled because of the fear of an ADA lawsuit.