She had the placard and the approval. She says they cited her anyway
A caseworker says her agency punished her over a parking spot she was allowed to use - then fired her.
Jessica Ward used a handicap placard to park near her office. According to a complaint filed June 17, 2026 in federal court in Columbus, Ohio, that parking spot set off a chain of events that ended with her termination.
Ward worked as an Ongoing Caseworker at Fayette County Children Services. She told the agency she had ankylosing spondylitis, rheumatoid arthritis, and complications from ear surgery - conditions that, the filing says, limited her ability to walk, stand, and bend. She says she could still perform her job.
The accessible parking space, the complaint alleges, became a recurring problem. It claims a Lead Social Worker began telling Ward in January 2025 that she could not park there despite her disability. On February 3, 2025, according to the filing, that same supervisor reprimanded Ward about the parking in front of several coworkers.
The treatment escalated from there, Ward says. She claims she was singled out for leaving briefly at lunch while coworkers were not, and criticized over an on-call assignment when similarly situated caseworkers were not - what the complaint labels "Disparate Treatment." She says she reported it on June 28, 2025 to a coworker, her supervisor, and the agency's director.
Nothing happened, the complaint alleges. It says the agency conducted no interviews, gathered no written statements, and ran no investigation.
In September 2025, the filing says, an assistant director confirmed by email that the agency had approved Ward's use of the accessible space through the County Commissioners. Days later, according to the complaint, the same supervisor and a lead worker "mocked and laughed at" Ward as she walked down the stairs.
On October 6, 2025, the filing states, a detective issued Ward a parking citation for using the space - despite her valid placard and the approval. The complaint alleges the timing followed close behind her accommodation request and her discrimination complaint.
Ten days later, on October 16, 2025, the agency fired her, the complaint says. Ward alleges it skipped its own progressive discipline - no verbal warning, no written warning - and went straight to termination. She also claims she was replaced by a non-disabled person.
Ward brings claims for disability discrimination and failure to accommodate under Ohio's R.C. § 4112.02, citing the Americans with Disabilities Act as the basis for federal jurisdiction. She says the agency never engaged in the "interactive process" - the discussion employers are expected to have with a worker to land on a workable accommodation.
For HR leaders, the sequence is the story. A complaint that drew no investigation. An accommodation approved on paper but contested in practice. A termination that skipped the employer's own disciplinary steps. The filing stacks three classic exposure points into one timeline.
Ward is seeking compensatory and punitive damages "in excess of $25,000 per claim," attorneys' fees, and a permanent injunction ordering the agency to rebuild how it handles discrimination and retaliation complaints. She is represented by Trisha Breedlove of Spitz, The Employee's Law Firm.
The allegations have not been tested in court. Fayette County Children Services has not yet filed a response, and no court has ruled.
