Opinion ID: 771230
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Failure to Reasonably Accommodate Claim

Text: 13 On appeal, plaintiffs first contend that the district court erred in granting Sears summary judgment on the claim that Sears failed to reasonably accommodate Keane's disability. The ADA prohibits discrimination by covered entities, including private employers, against qualified individuals with a disability. Sutton v. United Air Lines, Inc., 527 U.S. 471, 477 (1999). Specifically, the ADA provides that no covered employer 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. 42 U.S.C. sec. 12112(a). Section 12112(b) of the Act defines the different ways in which discrimination under section (a) might occur. Relevant to our inquiry, the ADA states that not making reasonable accommodations to the known physical or mental limitations of an otherwise qualified individual with a disability who is an applicant or an employee is considered discrimination, unless such covered entity can demonstrate that the accommodation would impose an undue hardship on the operation of the business of such covered entity. 42 U.S.C. sec. 12112(b)(5)(A). Thus, in order for a plaintiff to recover under the ADA for an employer's failure to reasonably accommodate, that plaintiff must first show: (1) that she was or is disabled as defined by the Act, (2) that her employer was aware of the disability, and (3) that she was qualified for the position in question. Best v. Shell Oil Co., 107 F.3d 544, 547-48 (7th Cir. 1997). 14 In concluding that summary judgment was appropriate for Sears on plaintiffs' failure to reasonably accommodate cause of action, the district court focused almost exclusively on the first prong of the above three-part inquiry. Upon determining that Keane was not disabled under the ADA, the court resolved that the entire claim must fail. 1 Our review must therefore center, at least at the outset, on whether there exists a disputed issue of material fact regarding Keane's status as disabled within the terms of the ADA. 15 Under the Act, a disability is defined as: (A) a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more of the major life activities of such individual; (B) a record of such an impairment; or (C) being regarded as having such an impairment. 42 U.S.C. sec. 12102(2). Plaintiffs have not advanced that Keane should be considered disabled under either subsections (B) or (C). Rather, they suggest solely that Keane's neuropathy substantially limits her ability to engage in the major life activity of walking. 2 In determining whether an individual is substantially limited in a major life activity, we examine whether that individual, when compared to the general population, is unable to perform or is significantly restricted as to the condition, manner, or duration under which she can perform that major life activity. Duda v. Board of Educ. of Franklin Park Pub. Sch. Dist. No. 84, 133 F.3d 1054, 1058 n.5 (7th Cir. 1998); see also 29 C.F.R. sec. 1630.2(j). 3 Furthermore, if a person is taking measures to correct for, or mitigate, a physical or mental impairment, the effects of those measures--both positive and negative-- must be taken into account when judging whether that person is 'substantially limited' in a major life activity and thus 'disabled' under the Act. Sutton 527 U.S. at 482. 16 Once again, it is not our role to come to a decision as to whether Keane was disabled under the ADA. See Miranda, 91 F.3d at 1014. Rather, we only need decide whether a rational jury, viewing the evidence in the light most favorable to the plaintiffs, could come to such a decision. We believe they could. Thus, we conclude that summary judgment should not have been granted on the basis that Keane was not disabled. 17 In reaching this decision, we focus on two distinct factors. First, and of paramount relevance to summary judgment proceedings, we find that there exist disputed issues of material fact regarding whether or not Keane is disabled under the ADA. Specifically, we believe there is conflicting evidence surrounding whether Keane's neuropathy substantially limits her ability to walk. When determining whether an impairment is substantially limiting, courts shouldconsider the nature and severity of the impairment, its duration and expected duration, and its permanence or long- term impact. See Hamm v. Runyon, 51 F.3d 721, 725 (7th Cir. 1995). Though the progression of Keane's impairment subsequent to her resignation from Sears does not factor directly into the analysis of whether Keane was disabled when she was employed by Sears, we believe that her present inability to walk more than one city block does provide a certain degree of credence to the claim that her neuropathy may have been substantially limiting at the time at issue. In addition, the record contains evidence that during the relevant times, doctors diagnosed Keane as having an impairment that required she limit her walking. While we do not suggest that the evidence conclusively proves that Keane was substantially limited in her ability to walk, on the basis of the testimony of both Keane and her physicians, the plaintiffs have met their burden of establishing a material dispute as to the severity of Keane's impairment. 18 While such a dispute is sufficient to require our remanding of this case to the district court, we further note certain absences in the record. We believe it is important to point these out, as their presence could assist a court in making a proper determination as to whether an individual is substantially limited in a major life activity, and thus disabled under the ADA. First, the record is incomplete regarding the actual distances that Keane was able to walk. In the course of oral argument, counsel for both sides stated only that these were not long distances. Further, we do not find any evidence of how Keane's impairment limited her ability to walk in comparison to the average member of the population. As we have noted above, such an inquiry, if not required, is certainly helpful in resolving any dispute as to whether someone is substantially limited in a major life activity. However, in the absence of such a comparison, we suggest that a summary judgment determination is problematic. 19 Additionally, we note that Keane's use of a mitigating device, without a study of its effects, cannot, by itself, support a finding that Keane was not substantially limited in her ability to walk. The district court was correct in analyzing Keane's disability with reference to the mitigating device, as Sutton mandates. However, we must caution that the use of a mitigating device does not automatically bar any possibility of a person being considered disabled. The Sutton approach does not unilaterally exclude from the category of disabled all those who use a mitigating device to combat the effects of an impairment. Rather, Sutton merely dictates that the analysis of whether a person is substantially limited in a major life activity must be conducted with reference to the mitigating device. 527 U.S. at 482. Sutton, by suggesting that the analysis must factor in any negative impacts of a mitigating device, implicitly rejects the notion that a mitigating device unilaterally bars the determination that someone is disabled. We find that absent in the record is any analysis of how the use of the cane impacted Keane's ability to walk. Here, evidence on this issue was extremely relevant. As plaintiffs note throughout, Keane's cane did not mitigate her neuropathy in any sense, but rather provided her with an alternative means to travel longer distances without having to lean against a wall to keep from falling. 20 Because of disputes regarding the severity of Keane's condition, along with absences in the record regarding facts that would have assisted in the resolution of those disputes, we cannot conclude that Keane was not disabled as a matter of law. 4 The district court did not address whether summary judgment was appropriate based on reasons other than Keane's classification as disabled. While we recognize that the court stated in footnote that it found such arguments persuasive, we determine that it is necessary to remand this case for a more searching analysis. Therefore, we reverse the district court's decision granting summary judgment on plaintiffs' failure to reasonably accommodate claim and remand this cause of action. 5