Kansas City Lawyers Who Fight Against Disability Discrimination
If you have a disability, there are laws in place to uphold your right to fair treatment in the workplace. Unfortunately, some employers in the Kansas City metro area choose to disregard these laws.
Since 2007, Holman Schiavone, LLC, has stood as a shield for workers facing discrimination. We are a firm built on the belief that the underdog deserves a powerful voice. Our employment law attorneys bring more than 150 combined years of experience to every case. We never represent large corporations or insurance companies. We only represent individuals like you.
How Does Missouri Define Disability?
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Missouri Human Rights Act (MHRA) have specific requirements for workers to qualify for certain workplace protections. These laws provide a three-pronged definition of disability. You are protected if:
- You have a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits a major life activity.
- You have a record of such an impairment.
- Other people regard you as having a disability.
Disability discrimination law protects people with temporary disabling conditions as well as permanent ones.
How Employers Discriminate Against Disabled Employees
Discrimination in Kansas City professional offices is not always as blatant as someone using a slur. Employers may use subtle tactics to push out qualified workers who need support. Workplace disability discrimination Kansas City professionals often face involves hidden maneuvers, such as:
- Changing your job description or duties to include tasks you cannot perform.
- Asking pre-employment medical queries, which is illegal in most situations.
- Placing you on a performance improvement plan (PIP) or giving you poor performance reviews after learning of your disability.
- Excluding you from training by holding meetings in inaccessible locations or failing to provide materials in accessible formats.
These actions are not just unfair; they are often illegal. Fortunately, our Kansas City disability discrimination lawyer team recognizes these patterns and knows how to expose them in court.
What Do Reasonable Accommodations Look Like?
An accommodation is reasonable unless it causes an undue hardship for the employer. The request must not cause significant difficulty or expense for the company. Common types of reasonable accommodations include:
- Changes to the work environment, such as ergonomic equipment.
- Schedule-based modifications to allow for medical treatments.
- Technological accommodations, such as screen readers for the visually impaired.
- Policy exceptions that might include allowing a service animal in a no-pets office.
- Job restructuring of nonessential tasks to other team members so you can focus on your core role.
The refusal to provide a reasonable accommodation is often where litigation begins. The law does not just require a yes or no; it requires a good-faith back-and-forth conversation between you and your employer. Even if the accommodation you asked for was not feasible, the company should explore alternatives. Our Kansas City ADA lawyer team can investigate communication breakdowns to help you build your case.
Speak With A Missouri Disability Discrimination Lawyer For Free
If you face obstacles at work because of a disability, you do not have to fight alone. We are ready to help you pursue justice for wrongful termination, disability or harassment. Contact us for a free, confidential consultation with a disability discrimination attorney in Kansas City. To begin, call us toll-free at 888-493-5074 or send us an email. You pay no fees unless we win.