Aurora man who is deaf files lawsuit for his right to donate blood
AURORA, Ill. - An Aurora man is suing for his right to donate blood.
Now more than ever, blood centers say they need donations. But the man claims he wasn't allowed to give because he's deaf.
The lawsuit claims the donation center violated federal and state laws protecting those with disabilities.
"This was a way for him to support his family and their basic needs, mortgage, food, etc., and do something positive,” said attorney Steven Blonder.
Blonder is representing Mark Gomez, who is deaf. Last July, Gomez went to "CSL Plasma" in Montgomery, Illinois to donate blood plasma. Gomez says he was doing it to make a little money and give back.
But when he indicated he needed a sign language interpreter to understand the paperwork, that’s when the situation took a wrong turn.
"They offered him someone in Spanish, they took one look at him and saw a Hispanic complexion and offered him a Spanish speaker to interpret the forms, but he doesn't speak Spanish,” Blonder said.
Gomez is filing a lawsuit, claiming staff said they couldn't assist him and didn't have to comply with discrimination laws.
Gomez returned a week later and he was denied again.
"If someone's not deaf, they can donate plasma, his friends, his family can donate, but he can't. And to the extent that you're going to provide a service, you have to provide it to everyone,” Blonder said.
The suit claims the incident is a violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Illinois Human Rights Act.
"Everything going on with corona, with COVID 19, it's important for people to be able to donate blood whether for testing or people who need blood in hospitals and here's a segment of the population that's being denied that opportunity,” Blonder said.
Gomez's attorney says he doesn't want a cash settlement. He just doesn't want this to happen to anyone else.
FOX 32 reached out to CSL Plasma for a comment. They said they didn't know about the lawsuit until now, and because of that, couldn't comment.