KEARNEY, Neb. (AP) - A professor at the University of Nebraska at Kearney has sued the university system’s Board of Regents, saying she was discriminated against because of her disability.
Beth Wiersma filed lawsuits last month in both U.S. District Court in Lincoln and in Buffalo County District Court, the Kearney Hub reported (https://bit.ly/1aPbj4z ).
Wiersma was hired by the university in August 2001, and in 2007, she was diagnosed with muscular dystrophy.
She was chairwoman of the university’s criminal justice department when restrictions imposed on her by the university forced her to resign the post last year, according to her lawsuits. She is still an associate professor of criminal justice and social work at school and is teaching three classes this spring.
UNK spokeswoman Kelly Bartling declined to comment on the lawsuits, but said UNK is dedicated to serving all its constituents and does not discriminate.
Wiersma served from August 2010 to July 2012 as the interim chair of UNK’s criminal justice department, and later became the chair. In the spring of 2012, when she applied to become the chair for a five-year term, the dean who oversees her department went to Wiersma’s colleagues and asked them about her health, according to her lawsuits.
The lawsuits also allege that it took the school years to respond to her requests for a handicapped parking space and an access ramp to the building that housed her office.
She also said she had to repeatedly request a special adjustable chair that would allow her to stand and sit, as well as renovations to the restrooms in her building to make them handicap accessible. Wiersma said she was twice knocked down by the doors to the restroom after the school ignored her requests to have automated doors installed.
In December 2012, Wiersma said she received a letter from the UNK human resources director restricting Wiersma from being in her office when no other department staff or faculty members were present. The letter also required Wiersma to use her power chair anytime she was on campus, the lawsuits state.
Wiersma said it was not medically necessary for her to use a power chair, and if the requirement were imposed, it would limit her ability to move freely, such as standing up in her classrooms or using the restroom.
Because of the restriction, Wiersma said she was forced to resign her position as department chair.
She is seeking an unspecified amount for lost wages, attorney fees and other damages.
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Information from: Kearney Hub, https://www.kearneyhub.com/
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