My wife was just turned down for a job and it may be because our daughter has a disability.

Hi Thank you for your question. If you think the failure to hire was due to your wife's responsibility as caregiver for your daughter, the place to raise this complaint would be the Colorado Civil Rights Division or the EEOC. You have only 180 days from the date of discrimination to make the complaint--otherwise the legal claims are forfeited. It takes a fair bit of time from the first contact with either of these agencies before your complaint is "submitted" so don't delay. Working with an attorney can speed up the process, but is not required.

Before you go this route, however, I would suggest you try to get some additional information. Perhaps your wife can ask the interviewer why she was not selected. Is your wife still the primary caregiver for your daughter? Is it possible that those responsiblities would interfere with the job? An employer is not required to hire someone who cannot perform the essential job functions with or without a reasonable accommodation--So talk to an attorney to evaluate the facts here before you file a charge of discrimination, if you aren't running up against the statutory time limitation.

posted by Nina Kazazian  |  Jul 16, 2021 4:44 PM [EST]