[blindlaw] Federal Hiring Processes and Accommodations

[Cody Davis]

Glad to hear from you! How is DC going? It sounds like you might have moved to a new agency?

Back to my original email: apparently the deadline they sent originally was a typo. I have until the 18th to get the documentation. They did not say that they wanted medical documentation specifically. I am hoping that a letter from my vocational rehabilitation counselor will be sufficient, but they did not answer any of my questions asking about whether or not such a letter would be sufficient to get accommodations.

I have done other federal applications before, but this is the first one where there have been assessments to be filled out.

Sent from my iPhone

> On Jun 13, 2019, at 6:51 PM, Shickeytha Chandler via BlindLaw <blindlaw at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> 
> Cody,
> 
> Hello from your former colleague in the NCSU MPA program! I personally do
> not have experience navigating an inaccessible assessment in the federal
> hiring process. However, given my current role in GAO’s recruiting office,
> I would be interested to learn the outcome of your situation. I think we
> generally do not require medical documentation during the application
> process for accommodations related to the application and interview
> process, but I will check with some of my colleagues who have knowledge
> about common practices in other agencies.
> 
> 
> 
> On Thursday, June 13, 2019, Cody Davis via BlindLaw <blindlaw at nfbnet.org>
> wrote:
> 
>> All,
>> 
>> Has anyone had any experience requesting accommodations in the federal
>> hiring process?
>> 
>> I have applied for a paralegal position in a U.S. Attorneys office. Part
>> of the application requires taking multiple online assessments of various
>> kinds, some of which are timed and some of which, I think, include videos.
>> When I attempted to take the assessments myself, I found that my screen
>> reader had difficulty interacting with the assessment content. I am using
>> Voiceover on a Mac, and I tried using both Safari and Firefox browsers with
>> no success.
>> 
>> I submitted the required form to request accommodations through the U.S.
>> Staffing Office several days ago. I included a Schedule A letter to
>> document my disability and need for accommodations. I was submitting the
>> application on the second to final day it was open, and the request for
>> accommodations had to be submitted by the job closing date, so I had to
>> rely on the Schedule A letter as it was the only documentation I had
>> available to me.
>> 
>> The US Staffing Office got back to me today to let me know that they need
>> further documentation of my disability, why that interferes with my ability
>> to take the assessments, what accommodations I am requesting, and how those
>> accommodations will enable me to complete the assessments. I have no
>> problem getting this documentation to them, but it will take some time. I
>> received the request today at 3PM and it gave me a deadline of June 16 by
>> 3PM to submit the additional documentation. A single business day and 2
>> weekend days is not sufficient time to get documentation from a VR
>> counselor or medical professional. I have requested more time to submit
>> documentation.
>> 
>> Has anyone else had experience requesting accommodations for assessments
>> as part of a federal government job application?
>> If so, what documentation did you rely on and from whom did you get the
>> Documentation. I am wondering if a letter from my VR Counselor will be
>> sufficient.
>> Finally, does anyone else believe the deadline they gave me for submitting
>> the additional documentation is unreasonable?
>> 
>> I am grateful for any insight you all may have to share.
>> 
>> Respectfully,
>> Cody Davis
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