Answered Questions

Hello,

My first thought was to find out what the EEOC itself had to say on the topic. I Googled EEOC and "morbid obesity". The first result was not the EEOC, but an interview of the EEOC Commissioner, EEOC Commissioner Feldblum Offers Insights on Obesity as a Disability,  conducted by a named reporter for Bloomberg BNA, a highly respected business trade publication. The interview provides important insight into how the issue is framed legally.

Among the many less credible websites (advocacy pieces from law firms who want to sue for you) was a press release from the EEOC's web site: BAE Systems Subsidiary to Pay $55,000 to Settle EEOC Disability Discrimination Suit. Aside from the information gained from the press release, the EEOC web site has a search box in the upper right corner where you can search for additional information on morbid obesity.

My next thought was to find out what other people have to say about the EEOC and morbid obesity. I went to the Business LibGuide at http://libguides.brenau.edu/business, which lists the best places to search for articles relevant to business. After clicking on the articles tab, I clicked on LexisNexis Academic, a great source for legal information. All of the articles are full text. I was asked to log in with my Brenau username and password. I typed EEOC and "morbid obesity" into the red search box. Be sure to include the quotation marks to focus the results. Before searching, I clicked on Advanced Options, right below the box. under content type I selected only Law Reviews. These are scholarly journals focusing on legal issues. I clicked Apply, then Search. The first result was NOTE: AGAINST THE WEIGHT OF AUTHORITY: CAN COURTS SOLVE THE PROBLEM OF SIZE DISCRIMINATION?, which is right on target. There are other articles as well.

If you need more information, go back to the Business LibGuide and click on ABI/Inform Complete. Using the same search term as before I found two reports from the EEOC. I also changed up my search to get a different perspective. This time I searched "weight discrimination" and limited the results to full text. The results include a number of relevant articles, including Too big to hire: Factors impacting weight discrimination and Weight discrimination in the American workplace: Ethical issues and analysis.

Good luck with your interesting research.