Suffolk fire dispatcher says he was forced to retire due to his disability

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A 40-year veteran of the Centereach Fire District said he was forced to retire because of his disability. Lou Cassara, of Centereach, says he proudly dedicated four decades to the Centereach community. He started his career as a firefighter, then became a full-time dispatcher in the late 90’s due to a disability that paralyzed one of his legs. The disability makes it extremely difficult for Cassara to climb stairs. Yet, the dispatch room at the fire station can only be accessed by stairs. Cassara tells Team 12 Investigates that he finally asked for help this year when he could no longer walk up the steep steps. “I requested assistance from them to come up with a plan to get me up those stairs, which they came back and said 'no,' Cassara says. “It broke my heart. I figured that I would be OK, that these people would help me, but they pushed me aside and actually pushed me out.” Instead of getting assistance, Cassara said he was given two options—go out on unpaid leave for up to 12 weeks or retire. According to a letter obtained by Team 12 Investigates, in response to Cassara’s request for accommodation, the fire district manager wrote “Unfortunately, there is no possible way for you to perform the essential functions of your job without walking up the steps.” Team 12 Investigates brought this claim to attorney Erik Bashian, of Bashian & Papantoniou law firm, who has handled hundreds of cases under the Americans with Disabilities Act. “Once that reasonable accommodation request gets made, the employer then is required to engage in this interactive process with their employee to ensure that a reasonable accommodation can be issued,” said Bashian. “Whenever an interactive process is not met, that is obviously going to lead way to other legal avenues.” Team 12 Investigates pressed the Centereach Fire District manager for answers about his letter to Cassara. His only response was “no comment.” The attorney for the Centereach Fire District did not return calls for comment. Cassara wishes he had a chance to give one final sign-off in a Signal 19—which means a unit is leaving the fire district. “My heart was always in that department,” Cassara said. “I just wish I could change things. I wish somebody would come through for me.” "