A blind Washington man is suing Boeing, alleging the aerospace giant discriminated against him and failed to accommodate his disability after offering him a job. John Ott, 63, a former police officer and father of four who lost his vision to a rare genetic disease, says Boeing offered him a machinist position at its Everett plant in September 2023, days after a job fair he attended using a white cane, but the role was later switched to composite fabricator. Ott, who had worked as a machinist producing Boeing parts at a nonprofit for the blind since 2014, says he disclosed his blindness in medical forms and requested a single assistive device, a closed-circuit television for reading work orders, which was never provided.
He alleges Boeing removed him from the plant during orientation, saying it was unsafe for him to remain, then later added a driving requirement to deny him the job. Boeing says it made good-faith efforts to accommodate him without undue hardship, but that he could not perform the job’s essential functions even with the device. Ott, seeking damages and possible reinstatement, said executives seemed offended that someone like him thought he could work there.
Source: Newsweek
