e

i work at a private company and sometimes i made phone calls regarding significant information to clients (other companies) or salesperson. now, i no longer able to make phone calls because my manager felt that using relay operator made our clients upset, or rather impatiently annoyed. from now on, i had to give people the numbers and information to call for me.

ive been trying to research on ADA law for the deaf and hoh employees and find out what a deaf employee can do with using customer service or important calls for work related. instead, what ive found out recently here:
http://www.zak.co.il/deaf-info/old/jobs.html

this is probably related mostly to this reason on sec 102, b-1:

SEC. 102. DISCRIMINATION.
(a) No [company with 15 or more employees] shall discriminate against a qualified individual with a disability because of the disability of such individual in regard to job application procedures, the hiring, advancement, or discharge of employees, employee compensation, job training, and other terms, conditions, and privileges of employment.

(b) The term "discriminate" includes:

(1) limiting, segregating, or classifying a job applicant or employee in a way that adversely affects the opportunities or status of such applicant or employee because of the disability of such applicant or employee;

(3) utilizing standards, criteria, or methods of administration
(A) that have the effect of discrimination on the basis of disability

(5)(A) not making reasonable accommodations to the known physical or mental limitations of an otherwise qualified individual with a disability who is an applicant or employee

because of phone calls, i was supposed or going to get promoted to work on installation in a program for new clients. during the training period, sometimes i had to call salespeople to get some information or a client directly. ive made impressions to my bosses but this manager had decided to take over my future position to take care of by himself, he felt that making phone calls would be too much hassles for those who wont give time for operator or discomfort/dislike using it. so i've never been promoted for past 2 years and been on same position, even doing things LESS than compared to last year when i was trained on other position. he wanted me to just focus on works that doesnt have to do with contact people.
(to make addition on why ive been doing less things than last year, one of my supervisors looked up on me and couraged me to do things until she got laid off or fired by him. it was probably part of reasons my manager doesnt like the idea of her supported me so much.)

so if you guys know so well about ada law based on what deaf employee is allowed to do so, post about it!!! so im hoping i can arrange to make a good complaint toward my CEO on my 2nd year review. thanks so much in advance!

Deafness

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Shiva

go for it girl! you deserve it and hope you make it through the 2nd year review with better result as you want.

Steve

You should contact the EEOC right away to get information on how to deal with this situation. This initial contact can help you decide quicker whether or not you want to file a complaint. You basically have 6 months from now to file. You should take notes of dates, times, and who was involved in keeping you from contacting clients through relay services.

This is a big deal. Good luck.

Steve

Deaf258

I thought it was 90 days or 3 months?

Dennis

e, you might want to talk to your company's HR department. If your manager isn't utilizing you in a way that could save the company money (i.e., free up his time for MANAGING while you make the calls that YOU CAN make), they will have a big interest in his bad management practices.

Be prepared to be put under a microscope from management. Be ready to defend your job and the fact that you have resources to do it exactly the way any other hearing person hired for the job would be doing it. Be prepared to accept the fact that your manager may simply be an arrogant, discriminating asshole and the only thing HR will do is back him up. In that case, a lawsuit won't help, and your best bet will be to leave your job to find one that doesn't have such a screwed up idiot in charge.

webexplorer

Last years, I had some customers for my framing business, and they refused to call me on the relay. I tried to explain them about the relay service. I doubt that it has nothing to do with the tele-market.

This year - When my mother called me on the relay, a few days later she received some tele-markets. I realize that my former customers might be right. I am being to wonder about the relay businesses that might have financial problems. I really cannot tell you that it is evidence.

webexplorer

Does your friend tells you that he/she received a telemarket after you talked your friend on the relay service?

Dennis

That is pure coincedence. No relay service uses any kind of telemarketing. Perhaps the person who used the relay service got another relay call and of course they mistook it for a telemarketing call?

Margie

Your company can get ttds for the deaf employees free from your local phone company.
Thats alot easier then using relay.
They can also if they AIM they can use MY IP Relay, if they have to.
Margie

Margie

If you can't get ttds you can use My IP Relay on AIM.
Its free too.
Or you can get HOVRS for free too.
Margie

webexplorer

You could be right about it.

e

we have AIM, faxes, phones, and e-mails to use to communicate with our clients in the office. my manager has to put my promotion on halt due to using relay to communicate with clients. hes still stubbornly doesnt get that there were other ways for me to use to make contacts with clients instead of using relay. he doesnt want me to develop relationship with clients. obviously, because he said to me not to contact others and let alone specialists to develop relationship with thier clients.

what happened was, relay operator gave some clients no patience and time. so he somehow got a complaint (MAYBE he made up a good excuse because client probably didnt complain at that time but a specialist did (unfortunately i couldnt hear what was going on)) from someone that he asked me not to do it anymore.

dennis, there was no supervisor in my dept, except me being as a senior employee along with my new assisant. my manager wouldnt consider me as a supervisor in this dept after my supervisor was laid off. he never worked with me, he does things without telling me nor working with me. he just thinks he knew what he was doing in my dept but he doesnt, he made some mistakes.

im in really hot seat, right now, especially with no supervisor in my dept and only people would support my side would be hopefully CEO and my assisant. so, guys, thanks for your attempt help. ill make contact with EEOC. i honestly do not want to set a lawsuit. im going to try to make points with my CEO, so this way he would talk to my manager instead of me talking to my manager directly. ive done this before, he was no help. he would agree with me just to drop this problem quickly and let something occur again.