Equal Employment Opportunity

State of Rhode Island

Commission on the Deaf and Hard of Hearing

Executive Department/Established in 1977. Restructured in 1992.

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Please note: ASL and Captioned Videos with more information are available below (under National Association of the Deaf on this page)

State

If you have experienced discrimination in employment due to your hearing loss, you may file a complaint.

State Equal Opportunity Office (state employment only)
Department of Administration Building
One Capitol Hill, 3rd Floor
Providence, RI 02908
(401) 222-3090 (voice)

Rhode Island Commission on Human Rights (All types of employments including state, private, etc.)
180 Westminster Street, 3rd Floor
Providence, RI 02903
(401) 222-2661 (voice)
(401) 222-2664 (TTY)
(401) 222-2616 (fax)
Web site: www.richr.ri.gov

Federal

If you have experienced discrimination in employment due to your hearing loss, you may file a complaint.

U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission

Filing a Charge of Employment Discrimination (All types of employments including state, private, etc.)

  • How to File a Charge
  • Contact Your Local Field Office
  • EEOC's Charge Process Procedure
  • Mediation

U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission

ADA Title I: Employment

Title I requires employers with 15 or more employees to provide qualified individuals with disabilities an equal opportunity to benefit from the full range of employment-related opportunities available to others. For example, it prohibits discrimination in recruitment, hiring, promotions, training, pay, social activities, and other privileges of employment. It restricts questions that can be asked about an applicant's disability before a job offer is made, and it requires that employers make reasonable accommodation to the known physical or mental limitations of otherwise qualified individuals with disabilities, unless it results in undue hardship. Religious entities with 15 or more employees are covered under title I.

Title I complaints must be filed with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) within 180 days of the date of discrimination, or 300 days if the charge is filed with a designated State or local fair employment practice agency. Individuals may file a lawsuit in Federal court only after they receive a "right-to-sue" letter from the EEOC.

Charges of employment discrimination on the basis of disability may be filed at any U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission field office. Field offices are located in 50 cities throughout the U.S. and are listed in most telephone directories under "U.S. Government." For the appropriate EEOC field office in your geographic area, contact:

(800) 669-4000 (voice)
(800) 669-6820 (TTY)

www.eeoc.gov

Publications and information on EEOC-enforced laws may be obtained by calling:

(800) 669-3362 (voice)
(800) 781-9403 (TTY)

http://askjan.org

(The sources are obtained from the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.)

National Association of the Deaf:

Employment Discrimination – by State and Local Government and Business Employers

YouTube Description: NAD explains how a deaf or hard of hearing employee can file a complaint regards workplace discrimination by a state/local government or a business employer.

YouTube Video

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) is responsible for investigating charges of workplace discrimination by businesses (for-profit; non-profit; with 15 or more employees) and state and local government agencies. An example of discrimination is the employer’s informing you that they refuse to hire or keep you as an employee because you are deaf even though you are otherwise qualified for the position. The EEOC has offices throughout the country. In some states, you must file a charge within 180 days of the discrimination. In other states, you may have more time. In all cases, you must file your charge within the time limit. You should contact your local EEOC office to learn more information about how to file a complaint. You may find your local EEOC office online at http://www.eeoc.gov/field/index.cfm.

After you file a complaint, the EEOC can investigate your case. The EEOC may try to resolve your case informally through mediation. If the EEOC cannot resolve the case through mediation, the EEOC will decide whether to bring a lawsuit on your behalf. If the EEOC decides not to bring a lawsuit or finds that there was no discrimination, you will get letter that permits you to file a lawsuit in court. This is called a "right to sue" letter. After you receive this letter, you have 90 days to file a lawsuit in court.

When you file a complaint, please let the NAD know, so we can see if we can provide assistance with your case. For more information:

Employment Discrimination – by Federal Government Employers

YouTube Description: NAD explains how a deaf or hard of hearing employee can file a complaint regards workplace discrimination by a federal government employer.

YouTube Video

The EEOC does not investigate charges of workplace discrimination on basis of disability by the federal government or discrimination against job applicants.The first thing to do is to contact the Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) office at your agency or where you applied within 45 days.The EEO counselor then will talk to you about your rights and responsibilities and ask you for basic information about your situation.

In most cases, the EEO Counselor will give you the choice of participating either in EEO counseling or in an alternative dispute resolution (ADR) program, such as a mediation program. Not all problems are covered by an agency’s ADR program, and the EEO Counselor should be able to tell you whether yours is the type of situation that is covered. If it is not covered, then the Counselor will try to settle the matter informally. An example of discrimination is an employer’s refusal to provide an interpreter for staff meetings or attempts to exclude you by telling you that meeting minutes will be provided to you afterwards to avoid interpreting costs. If you do not settle the dispute during counseling or through ADR, you can file a formal discrimination complaint against the agency with the agency’s EEO Office.The Counselor will hold a final interview with you and then give you a notice with instructions about how to file a formal complaint. This interview will take place within 30 days from the day you first contacted the EEO Office to request counseling (unless you participated in ADR or agreed to an extension of up to an additional 60 days). If you participate in ADR, the pre-complaint process is extended to 90 days.

When you file a complaint, please let the NAD know, so we can see if we can provide assistance with your case.

For more information, contact your agency’s EEO office or go to http://www.eeoc.gov/federal/fed_employees/complaint_overview.cfm or http://www.nad.org/issues/employment/discrimination-and-reasonable-accommodations.

(The sources are obtained from the National Association of the Deaf.)