Wednesday, May 12, 1999
Miami won't fight hiring ruling
Case may open more jobs to handicapped
BY STEVE KEMME
The Cincinnati Enquirer
OXFORD — A mentally disabled woman who filed a civil rights complaint nine years ago after Miami University at Oxford refused to hire her as a dishwasher has finally won her long legal battle.
Miami officials have decided to accept a recent ruling by the 12th District Court of Appeals that says the university cannot require written exams for mentally handicapped job applicants.
Debra June Crouse was denied the food services job after she failed to attain a high enough score on a written civil service exam.
However, she will not benefit from her victory. Ms. Crouse and her mentally disabled brother, Jeff, died three years ago in a car accident.
Yet her case is expected to create job opportunities for other mentally disabled people.
“At last it's over,” Pam Long, spokeswoman for the Butler County Board of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities (MRDD), said Tuesday. “This case says that Debbie was valued and that it's important to realize that people with disabilities can contribute something to their community.”
After Miami refused to hire Ms. Crouse in 1990, she and Dennis Burger, director of Employment Services, an agency that provides job training, education and support for people with disabilities, filed complaints with the Ohio Civil Rights Commission.
The commission and Butler County Common Pleas Court ruled in their favor.
The state appeals court recently upheld the lower court's decision and ordered Miami to develop an alternate plan for evaluating mentally disabled job applicants.
“After careful consideration, the university determined it was in the best interest of all involved in the litigation not to appeal the case,” said Holly Wissing, university spokeswoman.
Miami's decision not to appeal occurred about two weeks after Dr. Fred Valerius, superintendent of Butler County MRDD, wrote a letter to Miami President Dr. James Garland asking Miami not to appeal.
“I'm pleased with Miami for taking this approach,” Dr. Valerius said.
This case may have implications for other state universities in Ohio, said Ronn Kolbash, spokesman for the Ohio Civil Rights Commission.
“It may cause other state universities to look at their policies and practices and see if they're complying with civil rights laws,” he said.
Greg Hand, spokesman for the University of Cincinnati, said it appears the case will have no effect on UC.
“Our legal and personnel offices said they could not find any direct parallels with the Miami situation,” he said.
Dr. Valerius has offered to work with Miami to help the university develop a way to evaluate mentally disabled job applicants and train them for jobs. The Ohio Bureau of Vocational Rehabilitation also can assist Miami, he said.
Mr. Burger has bittersweet feelings about the long-awaited resolution of the case.
“It feels kind of anti-climactic with Debbie's death,” he said. “Still, it will help other people, and that's a good thing. It will certainly remove a major barrier.”
Miami will pay the Crouses' parents an undetermined amount of back pay owed their daughter.
The Crouses, who live in Wayne Township, could not be reached for comment Tuesday.
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