Strathie v. Department of Transportation

As part of the nearly decadelong judicial interpretation of the landmark Rehabilitation Act of 1973 with its controversial Section 504, which outlawed denying full participation for the disabled in any community endeavors funded by the federal government and mandated reasonable efforts to allow the disabled to be integrated into mainstream culture, states wrestled particularly with accommodations to the disabled that balanced their rights with the safety concerns and efficient operations of a variety of occupations from hospitals to schools.

In 1978, James Strathie was a 58-year-old resident of the eastern suburbs of Philadelphia. A high school graduate, he had served with distinction in World War II during which he had suffered ear damage (he had undergone bilateral mastoid surgery two years after the war) sufficient to ...