As a Pawnee woman who is Deaf, I’ve long faced barriers to being evaluated fairly, not because I lack experience or qualifications, but because of systemic bias and technology that wasn’t built with people like me in mind.

So when I was offered a job at Intuit, a financial software company, in late 2019 as a tax associate, I was thrilled. In this role, I helped customers with their tax questions and consistently received high ratings for my service. I took pride in being able to resolve customer concerns quickly and with empathy.

But, during my first year, I was shocked to learn that one of my key performance indicator scores was unusually low. After meeting with my manager, I learned that Intuit’s artificial intelligence (AI) software—used to measure how closely employees followed call scripts—wasn’t accurately recognizing my speech because of my Deaf accent. Instead of correcting the problem, I was reassigned to a role that no longer involved answering customer calls. Even after that setback, I stayed committed to my work. In 2021, I was promoted to Tax Expert Lead. Over the next three tax seasons, I consistently hit high performance metrics and received positive feedback.

In 2023, I joined Intuit’s Accessibility Team to help identify and address barriers that people with disabilities face across the company’s services. During that time, I raised concerns about Intuit’s use of HireVue—a vendor that provides AI-based video interviewing software—as part of the company’s hiring process. I specifically noted that the platform posed challenges for deaf and hard-of-hearing applicants. The Accessibility Team chair said they would look into it, but I never heard about any follow-up or action taken.

After the 2023 tax season, my manager—who was also part of the hiring committee—encouraged me to apply for a seasonal manager position. It was the next logical step in my career, and I knew I was qualified. I applied in spring 2024.Soon after, I received an invitation to complete a video interview using the HireVue platform. I immediately knew this would be a problem because the platform didn’t provide consistent subtitles for all audio content. In fact, studies show that the technology underlying HireVue performs worse for non-white speakers and even worse for speakers with a deaf accent.

I requested an accommodation: human-generated captioning for the interview. Unfortunately, Intuit did not provide me with this requested accommodation, instead saying that HireVue had built-in subtitles. But, when I began the interview, those subtitles weren’t there for all the content. I had to rely on Google Chrome’s auto-captions, which were full of errors and made it hard to fully understand the questions. Still, I pushed forward. I did my best, confident in my qualifications and experience.

Weeks later, I got an email letting me know Intuit had moved on with other candidates. The feedback I received was devastating: I was told to improve my communication by being more concise, adapting my style to different audiences, and projecting more confidence. What hurt the most was the suggestion that I “practice active listening. ”As a Deaf woman, that comment was not only ignorant—it was deeply offensive. It made me feel like the HireVue system had completely failed to assess me fairly. Worse, it made clear that the people interpreting the HireVue results didn’t understand the realities of Deaf communication.

My experience reflects a bigger problem: the systemic discrimination embedded in AI-powered hiring tools. These systems were not built for people like me. Native professionals, deaf individuals, and countless others are being unfairly screened out by biased technology that prioritizes data over human understanding.

That’s why the ACLU, the ACLU of Colorado, Public Justice, and Eisenberg & Baum, LLP have filed a complaint with the Colorado Civil Rights Division and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. The complaint charges Intuit and HireVue with violating the Colorado Anti-Discrimination Act (CADA), the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act.

Real change is needed. Companies must stop using hiring technologies that discriminate against disabled and non-white applicants. They must implement accessible, equitable hiring practices that evaluate people based on their skills, experience, and potential—not on biased algorithms.

AI should never be used as a barrier. It’s time for action, accountability, and justice.

This week at the ACLU of Maine: We sued Trump (again), a recap of last week's Hands Off! events, what's happening in the legislature, and more!

We Sued Trump for Violating the First Amendment with Sanctions against the ICC

On Friday, we filed another lawsuit against President Trump -- this time for silencing human rights advocates. 

 

Earlier this year, Trump signed an executive order imposing sanctions on the International Criminal Court (ICC), which would prohibit Americans from sharing information with the ICC's Office of the Prosecutor. We're representing two human rights advocates who have devoted their lives to seeking justice for the victims of atrocities, like the genocide of Myanmar's Rohingya people and sexual violence committed against Afghan women under the Taliban. Now, our clients will face stiff penalties for exercising their First Amendement right to share information about horrific crimes with ICC investigators and prosecutors. 

The president's threats -- which have forced our clients to stop their critical work in Myanmar and Afghanistan -- directly target free speech, and the heart of what the First Amendment protects: truth-telling, advocacy, and holding the powerful accountable. We're suing the Trump administration so our clients can exercise their free speech to continue their incredibly important work. We'll keep you updated on the case as it proceeds. 

Read more about the case here

Thousands of Mainers Send a Clear Message to Washington at Rallies Throughout Maine

Tens of thousands of people in more than 20 towns and cities throughout Maine gathered last Saturday for Hands Off! rallies to send a clear message: “Hands off our services. Hands off our rights. Hands off our communities.”

 

The ACLU of Maine attended the Portland rally, where organizers estimate nearly 4,500 people gathered in opposition to the Trump administration’s unprecedented abuses of power. The event featured several speakers from the community, including Senator Angus King.

Nationally, over 1,200 Hands Off! events were held all across the country, with an estimated 3 million attendees calling for Trump to keep his hands off trans rights, immigrants, free speech, abortion, and our democracy. We have some more community events coming up in May. We'll keep you posted as they're confirmed and you can stay up to date by signing up for email updates and following us on Facebook, Instagram, and Bluesky.

Maine Women's Lobby Hosts Girls' Lobbying Day in Augusta

On Monday, 100 8th grade girls from all across Maine visited the State House for Girls' Lobbying Day, hosted by the Maine Women's Lobby. Our policy fellow, Alicia, discussed LD 396 with the group -- a bill that proposes later high school start times. Alicia outlined the process of how a bill becomes law and how members of the public can engage with the legislative process to make their voices heard. We had a great time meeting these young Maine leaders, and can't wait to see what they do in the future!

 

Relevant Reads

• The Guardian: Trump ICC sanctions order challenged in US court by human rights advocates
• Maine Morning Star: Immigration detention increase reveals expanded federal operations in Maine
• Portland Press Herald: A Maine judge might not release people from jail until state’s top court weighs in