[blindlaw] Federal Hiring Processes and Accommodations

Shickeytha Chandler shickeytha at gmail.com
Thu Jun 13 23:52:08 UTC 2019


Same agency, but different office than where I started.  I just read your
email again, and I am curious if they specifically requested a medical
documentation or just more details about what you are requesting for an
accommodation. It might not have been clear to them what you need. For
example, do you need a human reader to read the assessment to you? Or are
you requesting the assessment questions in an alternate format such as
Microsoft word? If there is anyway that you can speak to someone on the
phone, that might help to  clear things up. Let me know how it goes.


On Thursday, June 13, 2019, Cody Davis via BlindLaw <blindlaw at nfbnet.org>
wrote:

> 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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> >> shickeytha%40gmail.com
> >>
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