Blind PepsiCo worker requested screen reader for NC job, then was fired, feds say
PepsiCo hired a blind worker for a North Carolina call center, then fired him after he requested accommodations, federal officials said in a lawsuit.
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission accuses PepsiCo of discriminating against the man for his disability, according to a lawsuit filed May 31.
“While PepsiCo does not comment on the details of pending litigation, we fully comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act and provide reasonable accommodations to support individuals in achieving their full potential within our organization,” the company said June 4 in an emailed statement to McClatchy News.
In April 2022, the company hired the man for a customer service position at a Winston-Salem call center, federal officials said in the lawsuit.
The man told PepsiCo’s human resources coordinator that he was blind and asked for screen reading software to help him perform his job, which included fielding calls from customers, entering orders, working through issues with soda machines and sending help to customers’ locations, according to the lawsuit.
The man’s vocational counselor at the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services spoke with PepsiCo and “offered to purchase a laptop, screen reader, and other technology as needed” to help accommodate the new hire, EEOC attorneys wrote in the lawsuit.
Federal officials said the company told the counselor it had to handle accommodations internally.
The man’s initial start date came and went as PepsiCo put him on unpaid leave to figure out the accommodations, officials said. The company said their software couldn’t accommodate a screen reader, according to the lawsuit.
Human resources employees told the man they were going to get new software in 2025, but upgrading the current system to be compatible with a screen reader could cost up to $1 million and take over a year, officials said.
The company said it didn’t have any other positions that would work for him and fired him, according to the lawsuit.
The EEOC says the company violated the Americans with Disabilities Act by failing to provide a reasonable accommodation, then firing the new hire.
“PepsiCo is fully committed to providing equal opportunities for all applicants and employees, ensuring our operating practices adhere to our Equal Employment Opportunity policy,” the company told McClatchy News.
Winston-Salem is an 80-mile drive northeast from Charlotte.
This story was originally published June 4, 2024 at 6:01 PM with the headline "Blind PepsiCo worker requested screen reader for NC job, then was fired, feds say."