Southeastern Community College v. Davis

Davis (plaintiff), who had a serious hearing disability allowing her to understand speech only through lip-reading when directly facing an attentive speaker, applied to a nursing program at Southeastern Community College (defendant); the college, after consulting the state nursing board's executive director, determined Davis's disability would make it unsafe for her to respond to vocal commands from physicians in clinical settings like an operating room with surgical masks, and rejected her application. Davis sued under the Rehabilitation Act, the district court ruled for the college, and the court of appeals reversed; the college petitioned for Supreme Court review.