Mitchell v. Washingtonville Central School District

In 1977, Mitchell (plaintiff) started wearing a prosthesis after his right leg was amputated following a car accident. In 1987, Mitchell began working for Washingtonville Central School District (defendant) as the head custodian at one of its high schools. When he started, Mitchell worked on his feet for most of the day, performing sedentary work or breaking for only three hours each day. Almost immediately, Mitchell began experiencing pain, swelling, skin breakdowns, and drainage due to the amount of standing and walking required on the job. By 1989, Miller’s sedentary work decreased. By 1993, the school’s physical size doubled, and Mitchell’s workload increased. At that time, Mitchell notified the school district that he was injured and stopped showing up for work. In April 1994, Mitchell applied for Social Security disability benefits and was denied. Mitchell requested reconsideration, claiming he was totally disabled and was unable to perform any type of gainful employment because of a cyst that developed due to prolonged standing and walking. A year later, Mitchell reasserted his claims in an administrative-law judge (ALJ) hearing, adding that he was in constant pain when he wore his prosthesis. The ALJ awarded benefits. While Mitchell’s Social Security claim was pending, the school district notified him that he would be terminated for job abandonment. In response to the notice, Mitchell requested reasonable accommodations for his disability under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The school district terminated Mitchell, and he sued the school district in a United States district court for refusing to provide reasonable accommodations. The district court granted summary judgment in favor of the school district. Mitchell appealed.