NEWS RELEASE
February 14, 2024
Wheelchair User Files Federal Complaint Over Jefferson Radiology’s Discriminatory Denial of Services to People With Mobility Disabilities
in Violation of Federal Law
Attorneys with Disability Rights CT filed a federal Complaint today on behalf their client, Suzanne Garraffa, alleging disability discrimination by medical provider Jefferson Radiology against people with mobility disabilities. Jefferson Radiology is a large for-profit provider of imaging services throughout the Greater Hartford, Connecticut area, with nine offices in Hartford County.
This Complaint, filed with the U.S. Department of Justice, alleges violations by Jefferson Radiology on several days in August 2023, pursuant to an affirmative policy of barring services for anyone who uses a wheelchair if they are not able to “stand and pivot.”
This policy was communicated by telephone to the Complainant, and well as others who sought corroboration of the existence of the policy. While Jefferson Radiology fails to provide reasonable accommodations to patients who need accessible imaging equipment due to their mobility impairments, this complaint is about something more basic: raw, affirmative discrimination against people with mobility impairments even when they do not request accommodations.
This discrimination is alleged to be in violation of Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, 42 U.S.C. §§ 12181-12189 (“Title III” of the “ADA”), which prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability by places of public accommodation, and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (“Section 504”), 29 U.S.C. § 794, which prohibits such discrimination by recipients of federal funds.
The complaint asks that, following investigation and confirmation of the facts as stated in the complaint, including that Jefferson Radiology has or had a policy of refusing to serve individuals with mobility impairments unless they are able to “stand and pivot,” the U.S. Department of Justice obtain an order requiring Jefferson Radiology to, among other things, adopt and incorporate a formal Non-Discrimination Policy into its existing policies and post it in conspicuous locations in all of its offices, including waiting rooms, patient examination rooms and employee work areas.
It also asks that the requested order require Jefferson Radiology to train its staff who answer the telephone or meet patients in its offices that they may, solely for the purpose of ascertaining whether any accommodations are needed, inquire if an individual uses a wheelchair, but may not, under any circumstances, refuse service to someone who volunteers the information that they use a wheelchair or provides this information in response to a question from staff.
Media Contact:
Sheldon Toubman, Litigation Attorney, Disability Rights CT
sheldon.toubman@disrightsct.org 475-345-3169
