The Hot Frontier of Diversity Management The disabled are making big inroads in the diversity efforts of cor- porate America, partly because the population is getting older, but also because of a growing awareness of the American with Dis- abilities Act, which is leading to a rapid increase in disability law- suits. A few recent examples of legal challenges under the act for the period 2009-2014 are listed as follows: Phillis Dewitt says she was fired by Proctor Hospital in Peoria, Illinois, as a result of her disabled husband's exten- sive medical bills for cancer treatment. Ms. Dewitt, then a clinical nursing manager at Proctor Hospital, says her su- pervisor pulled her aside and told her the hospital was self insured and "could not continue to sustain the substantial medical bills incurred" by her husband, Anthony, whose treatment had cost the hospital $177,826 the year before. Resources for Human Development (RHD) employed Lisa Harrison as prevention/intervention specialist, working with the young children of mothers being treated for addiction. While she is now deceased, her family claims that RHD per- ceived Harrison as being disabled because of her obesity and that RHD fired her as a result. Chipotle Mexican Grill boasts on its Web site that it offers qual- ity food served quickly in restaurants with a distinct interior design" more commonly found in the world of fine dining. But a federal appeals court in California has ruled that the chain's "distinct interior design" is also illegal. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco ruled that two restaurants in San Diego violated the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) because the counters where the staff prepared tacos and burritos were too high and blocked the view for people in wheelchairs. A deaf woman, who claims she hasn't been able to sell items on eBay Inc.'s e-commerce Web site, has filed a lawsuit.

a. Apart from the potential legal outcomes of the lawsuits discussed, are any larger ethical issues involved?