Bonnie Cook applied for employment as an attendant at a Rhode Island hospital for the developmentally disabled. She had previously worked at the hospital and had a good work record but left voluntarily. She was not rehired because she was extremely obese. She was five feet two inches tall and weighed more than 320 pounds. The hospital’s human resources director stated that she felt Cook’s obesity would limit her ability to evacuate patients in case of an emergency and make her more susceptible to developing serious health problems. Cook sued the hospital under the ADA.

Is Cook’s obesity a disability under the ADA?

Does her obesity prevent her from being an

“otherwise qualified individual with a disability”

under the ADA? Does it matter that Cook’s weight may change? How should the court decide this case?

Explain your answers. See Cook v. State of Rhode Island Dept. of Mental Health, Retardation and Hospitals [10 F.3d 17 (1st Cir. 1993)].