Opinion ID: 158163
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: she is a disabled person within the meaning of the ADA;

Text: 19 2. she is qualified, i.e., she can, with or without reasonable accomodation perform the essential functions of her job; and 20 3. the employer terminated her because of her disability. 21 White v. York Int'l Corp., 45 F.3d 357, 360-61 (10th Cir. 1998). The parties do not dispute on appeal that Plaintiff has provided evidence that she is disabled within the meaning of the ADA. Accordingly, we must determine whether she is qualified under the ADA. 22 We have adopted a two-part test for determining whether a person is qualified under the ADA. Milton v. Scrivener, 53 F.3d 1118, 1123 (10th Cir. 1995). First, we examine whether the individual can perform the essential functions of the job, i.e., functions that bear more than a marginal relationship to the job at issue. Id. Second, if we conclude that the individual is not able to perform the essential functions of the job at issue, we must determine whether any reasonable accommodation by the employer would enable her to perform those functions. Id. 23 In determining whether Plaintiff was qualified, the district court looked at the essential functions which must be performed by a TPO. Examining those functions, the district court concluded that Plaintiff was not qualified for the job. Plaintiff argues that the district court erred by defining the essential functions of her employ as those of a TPO. Plaintiff contends that she was hired as a can sorter, not a TPO. Thus, she argues, the district court should have limited its inquiry to the essential functions of a can sorter. We disagree. 24 The record clearly shows that Defendant hired Plaintiff as a TPO and assigned her to a can sorting line. She admitted as much in both her opening brief and her response to Defendant's motion for summary judgment. Plaintiff's argument is nothing more than an attempt to twist from the appellate record an issue of fact where none exists. 25 We also reject Plaintiff's argument that the district court should have considered only the essential functions of a can sorter position because she spent most of her time in that position. Plaintiff worked for Defendant for sixteen days. Although she spent the majority of her time on the can-sorting line, she worked in five different areas and performed a variety of tasks. Defendant requires TPOs to perform numerous tasks on an as needed basis for a period of approximately 185 days. The fact that Defendant spent the majority of her sixteen days on the can sorting line does not mean that Defendant narrowed her job description from TPO to can sorter. The district court properly considered the essential functions of a TPO in determining whether Plaintiff was qualified. 26 Plaintiff further contends that the district court's failure to limit its determination of essential functions to those of a can sorter effectively undermines the protections afforded by the ADA. The crux of this argument appears to be that the TPO position is so demanding that nobody can perform all of the functions of the job. Thus, Plaintiff contends that an employer may undermine the ADA by hiring people as a TPO and, upon learning that they are disabled, fire them under the guise that they are not able to perform the essential functions of the job. We disagree. 27 It is not the province of the court to undermine the legitimate operation of a production facility. Milton, 53 F.3d at 1124. In many situations, an employer may create a position, the nature of which, requires an employee to perform a multitude of tasks in a wide range of environments. The Seventh Circuit recently examined such a position. In Miller v. Illinois Dept. of Corrections, 107 F.3d 483, 485 (7th Cir. 1997), a corrections officer was involved in a serious car accident. As a result, she suffered severe vision impairment which required the use of a seeing-eye dog. Because of her problem, the Department of Corrections (DOC) terminated her because she could not perform the essential functions of her job. 28 The DOC described the essential functions of the job as standing guard, counting inmates, inspecting for contraband, escorting inmates outside their cells, searching inmates and visitors, searching for escaped prisoners, being on 24-hour call to respond to emergencies, operating a switchboard and issuing guns to correctional officers. The plaintiff filed suit alleging violation of the ADA. She argued that she was a qualified individual because she could operate the switchboard and issue guns to officers. Rejecting her argument, the Seventh Circuit explained: 29 It seems to us... that if an employer has a legitimate reason for specifying multiple duties for a particular job classification, duties the occupant of the position is expected to rotate through, a disabled employee will not be qualified for the position unless [s]he can perform enough of these duties to enable a judgment that [s]he can perform its essential duties... If it is reasonable for a farmer to require each of his farmhands to be able to drive a tractor, clean out the stables, bale the hay, and watch the sheep, a farmhand incapable of performing any of these tasks except the lightest one (watching the sheep) is not able to perform the essential functions of the position.... In the case of correctional officers... the reason for having multiply able workers who rotate through the different duty positions is to be able to respond to unexpected surges in the demand for particular abilities. The prison has to be able to call upon its full staff of correctional officers for help in putting down a prison riot, and therefore each officer must have experience in the positions... as well as the capability [to respond]. It would not do to have a correctional officer whose only experience and capability were in operating a telephone switchboard or issuing weapons. 30 Id. 31 The record clearly demonstrates that the TPO position is a multiple duty job classification which serves a legitimate business purpose. Defendant runs a large operation which brews, packages and ships its product. The TPO position allows Defendant to rotate workers on an as needed basis to different parts of its operation in response to surges in the demand for particular abilities. See id. It is employer's province to define the job and the functions required to perform it. Milton, 53 F.3d at 1124. The record contains no evidence suggesting that the TPO position does not serve a legitimate business purpose. Accordingly, we will not secondguess the employer's judgment.