The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has sued Starbucks Coffee Company for allegedly denying a reasonable accommodation to a barista with dwarfism at its El Paso café and then firing her because of her disability.

According to the EEOC’s suit, Elsa Sallard has a physical impairment, dwarfism. She was hired by Starbucks to work in a customer service position in July 2009, but was only allowed to train for 3 days before she was fired. Soon after being hired, Sallard asked to use a stool or small stepladder to prepare orders and serve customers at the counter. Starbucks allegedly disregarded Sallard’s request. Later that day, it terminated her employment, claiming that she could pose a danger to customers and employees. The EEOC filed suit after first attempting to reach a pre-litigation settlement through its conciliation process.

“Starbucks has become a virtual icon of modern American culture, appealing to an incredibly diverse customer base,” said Robert A. Canino, regional attorney for the Dallas District Office of the EEOC. “We’d hope that when considering hiring a person with a disability, Starbucks would choose to enhance its brand with the mark of equal opportunity and access.”

The EEOC has done much good work over the years to reduce the amount of discrimination in the workplace. I’m not sure that this case, however, represents the best use of the agency’s resources.