Christina
Jacobs
worked as a deputy clerk at a courthouse in New Hanover County, North
Carolina.
Jacobs was assigned to provide customer service at the courthouse front
counter. After suffering from several panic attacks and extreme stress
from her
position at the front counter, Jacobs went to one of the supervisors to
request
a role that involved less direct interpersonal interaction. The
supervisor
instructed Jacobs to seek medical attention. Once the stress and panic
attacks
began to increase, Jacobs submitted a second request for an
accommodation. Jacobs was terminated following the second request. The
United States Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals
determined that social anxiety disorder qualifies as a disability
because it hinders
a person’s ability to interact with others. The court
explained that the ADA imposes a good-faith duty upon employers, to
engage with
their employees, to identify a reasonable accommodation when one is
requested.
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