Mendenhall v. North Carolina Department of Human Resources

COZORT, Judge.

Petitioner is a blind social worker who was terminated by the State Department of Human Resources in 1989 allegedly for insubordination. Petitioner refused a directive to provide hands-on training with sharp objects to a blind AIDS patient. The superior court ordered reinstatement of petitioner, holding there was insufficient evidence of insubordination. We affirm. The facts and procedural history follow.

In August of 1989, petitioner, who is legally blind, had been a social worker with the Division of Services for the Blind (DSB) in Guilford County for eleven years. DSB is a…