Justice Department Orders South Austin Culinary School Pay Deaf Woman After Being Denied Admission

South Austin, TX -- The U.S. Department of Justice has ordered a South Austin culinary school to pay a deaf woman a settlement after she accused the business of discrimination, according to a published report.

The charges against the Natural Epicurean Academy of Culinary Arts, 1700 S. Lamar Blvd., centered on violations of Americans with Disabilities Act safeguards, according to the Austin American-Statesman. The woman making the allegations, Heather Suhr, complained she had been denied admission to the chef training program at the academy after alerting school officials to her deafness and would need an interpreter during her classes.

The Department of Justice agreed with her assertion, ordering the school to pay the woman $8,000. The school also was ordered to pay the government a $1,000 fine. Moreover, as part of the agreement, the school will develop an anti-discriminatory policy and will be subject to monitoring by justice officials, the newspaper noted.

The Statesman noted the episode marks the second recent example of a local business compelled to pay a settlement after discrimination allegations made by a disabled individual. Austin's Park n Pizza at 16231 N. Interstate 35, agreed to pay $20,000 to a former employee allegedly fired over his inability to operate an electronic time clock system.

The Statesman reported the man in the earlier case had suffered traumatic brain injuries as a child, according to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

Read the full story at Austin American-Statesman >>