Sutton v. United Air Lines, Inc.

Twins Karen Sutton and Kimberly Hinton suffered from severe myopia. Their uncorrected visual acuity was 20/200, but with corrective lenses, both were able to function normally. They applied to United Air Lines to be commercial airline pilots, but were rejected by the company due to their uncorrected vision being worse than 20/100. The twins then filed suit under the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA). The District Court dismissed the complaint, partially holding that the plaintiffs could not be considered “disabled” because their impairment could be fully corrected. The United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit affirmed.[3][4]

In a 7–2 decision delivered by Justice O’Connor, the Court affirmed, holding that “the determination of whether an individual is disabled should be made with reference to measures that mitigate the individual's impairment, including, in this instance, eyeglasses and contact lenses.” [5]

The ADA Amendments Act was passed in 2008 in response to controversial Supreme Court decisions, including Sutton and Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Kentucky, Inc. v. Williams, that narrowed the definition of disability under the ADA.[2][6] According to the "Findings and Purposes" section of the Act, "the holdings of the Supreme Court in Sutton v. United Air Lines, Inc., 527 U.S. 471 (1999) and its companion cases have narrowed the broad scope of protection intended to be afforded by the ADA, thus eliminating protection for many individuals whom Congress intended to protect."[6]

• Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990
• ADA Amendments Act of 2008
• List of United States Supreme Court cases, volume 527

• Text of Sutton v. United Air Lines, Inc., 527 U.S. 471 (1999) is available from: Cornell  CourtListener  Findlaw  Google Scholar  Justia  Library of Congress  Oyez (oral argument audio)