Boeing could be forced to hire blind man to build planes due to lawsuit

A blind man has sued Boeing, alleging the aerospace giant failed to provide proper accommodations after offering him a job, and accusing executives of appearing "offended" that he believed he could perform essential duties.

The lawsuit alleges John Ott, 63, suffered wrongful termination, disability discrimination and retaliation. Ott is seeking unspecified damages and potential job reinstatement, which could be an equitable remedy available under discrimination statutes as part of a winning jury verdict, his attorney, Christopher Stockwell, told Newsweek.

Ott has since returned to a previous employer. The former police officer and father of four said he still wants to work at Boeing, but would need to be convinced that there have been changes in the company.

"I'd have to think about it and be convinced that the culture has changed," Ott told Newsweek during an interview Monday on the prospect of a judge ordering Boeing to make accommodations for his return. "If the culture changes and they would embrace people with blindness working for them, I'd love it. Who wouldn't want to change an hour-plus commute to five minutes and double their pay?"

The lawsuit comes after Ott received an offer of employment as a machinist at Boeing's plant in Everett, Washington, in late September 2023, days after a job fair he attended with his wife, according to a lawsuit filed last month in Snohomish County Superior Court.

"During this interview, Mr. Ott's blindness was apparent, due to his use of a white cane and assistance from his wife, Lindsay Ott," the lawsuit reads.

Days later, Ott received an offer from Boeing via email, but the position had been changed to "composite fabricator." Ott tried to retain the initial "machinist" offer but accepted the different role, according to the suit.

Boeing declined to provide a statement in response to Newsweek's inquiries regarding Ott's lawsuit but insisted in court documents filed August 7 that it demonstrated "good faith efforts" throughout the hiring process to reasonably accommodate Ott without creating an undue hardship for the company.

Ott, whose vision started deteriorating in his 30s as a result of the rare genetic disease retinitis pigmentosa, says he proceeded to complete all necessary paperwork for the position, including a health questionnaire disclosing his blindness. He also indicated that he'd likely need a closed-circuit television device when Boeing reps later contacted him regarding accommodations, the lawsuit alleges.

Ott said that the devices had allowed him to work as a machinist at the Lighthouse for the Blind, a Seattle-based nonprofit that trains and employs people with disabilities. He had worked there since 2014 as a machinist—producing parts for Boeing— according to Ott's lawsuit, which was filed in federal court in Seattle on July 31.

Boeing later expressed "safety concerns" during a call with Ott as he awaited a start date, asking him to cite nearly 10 years of machinist experience without injury, according to the lawsuit. The company then offered a start date of January 19, 2024, according to Ott's lawsuit.

Ott said his subsequent orientation in Seattle included a diversity video featuring a deaf person, which initially encouraged him about Boeing's inclusiveness. But the lawsuit alleges he "immediately encountered barriers due to lack of accommodations."

Ott told an instructor about his blindness with partial eyesight and, according to the filing, the Boeing employee appeared "annoyed and often did not respond."

"While Mr. Ott had initially been hopeful, he started to feel like his instructor, and some others, resented his presence," the lawsuit continues. "The stress of this situation made Mr. Ott feel physically ill each day."

Ott "kept pace in class and completed tasks on time" during a plant tour, but Boeing reps told him in late January 2024 that it would be unsafe for him to remain at the plant. He was then removed from the job site despite his proposal of incorporating readily available assistive technology like blind-access software, the lawsuit claims.

Boeing representatives later suggested Ott had "attempted to hide his blindness" during subsequent meetings, though the lawsuit says his use of a white cane had been clear at the job fair and he divulged his disability in medical forms submitted in October.

A Boeing manager allegedly told Ott in late January 2024 that even if he could perform essential job duties, he "would be fired in the future if unable to do so."

"Mr. Ott then returned to work at The Lighthouse of the Blind," the filing continues. "After returning, Pat O'Hara, COO, reported that years earlier a Boeing manager said they did not want 'f***ing blind people' working for them."

A doctor cleared Ott to work at Boeing in February 2024, but company representatives told him that the composite fabricator role now required driving a vehicle, he alleges.

"This requirement was never previously mentioned and seemingly added to the job description to deny employment due to Mr. Ott's disability," the suit alleges.

In July 2024, Boeing closed its file on Ott and told him there would be no appeal process. He had been on unpaid leave throughout the entire six-month ordeal, his lawsuit alleges.

"Throughout the process, Mr. Ott sought a CCTV as the only specific device request made to Boeing Accommodation Services, but the device was never provided," the filing states.

Boeing said in court documents it attempted to reasonably accommodate Ott without creating an undue hardship for the company.

"When plaintiff submitted his request for accommodation, Boeing became aware that plaintiff had been diagnosed with bilateral retinitis pigmentosa," Boeing wrote in court documents.

The aerospace manufacturer acknowledged extending an offer of employment to Ott as a composite fabricator in late September 2023 but denied escorting him off the property.

"After determining that a leave of absence was appropriate for plaintiff until the interactive process could be completed, Boeing sought to arrange transportation for plaintiff to return home," Boeing wrote in the filing. "Plaintiff stated he probably could use public transportation."

Boeing says it identified nine potential positions for Ott during a 60-day reassignment process, but he expressed interest only in a safety specialist role, which would require him to drive vehicles. He was terminated on July 18, 2024, court documents indicate.

"Boeing admits that plaintiff requested a CCTV device as a reasonable accommodation for reading work orders; but even with such an accommodation, plaintiff was unable to perform the essential functions of his job," the company alleges.

Ott has since returned to the Lighthouse for the Blind and recently graduated from the Aerospace Joint Apprenticeship Committee's Machinist Apprenticeship Program after more than 8,000 hours of training.

In addition to higher pay and a shorter commute, a Boeing job would provide better benefits and an opportunity to grow, Ott said.

"It was really a win-win for me all the way around," he said.

But company officials never appeared to be working in unison throughout hiring process, Ott said.

"They already knew," Ott said of Boeing's knowledge of his disability. "But it was like the right hand never knew what the left hand was doing there."

Stockwell accused Boeing of determining that his client simply wasn't worth the effort.

"Once he got there, Boeing was like, 'This is just too much work for us, we're not interested in doing this,' " he said. "They just showed him the door."

Boeing representatives told Ott to leave the plant in his hometown during his fourth day of orientation for "no other reason than being blind," Ott said.

"That would be putting it mildly," he said. "It was like the people there unfortunately who were making the key decisions were offended that somebody like me should think they could even work there."

Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Jason Lemon and Dave Siminoff.