Handicap Provision of Texas Employment Discrimination Statute Protects Only Those Individuals Whose Disabilities Severely Limit Them in Performing Work-Related Tasks in General: Chevron v. Redmon, 745 S.W.2d 314 (Tex. 1987)

Abstract

Examines the Texas Supreme Court’s analysis in Chevron v. Redmon, a case brought by an applicant rejected for failing to meet a company’s visual acuity requirement. The applicant in this case filed suit under the Texas Human Resources Code, alleging employment discrimination. The author surveys both broad and narrow statutory interpretations of the words “disability” and “handicap” in various jurisdictions, and concludes that the narrow definition employed by the Texas Supreme Court effectively renders antidiscrimination protections in the Commission on Human Rights Act, the successor to the Texas Human Resources Code, useless.