[blindlaw] Federal Hiring Processes and Accommodations

Fri Jun 14 12:52:58 UTC 2019

Thanks, all, for your insight. 

They never did respond to my inquiry about what kind of qualified professional they are needing documentation from. I’m just going to visit a GP physician in my area to get the documentation. What’s unfortunate is that now I am having to spend money just to apply for the job that no other applicant is having to spend. 

They di change the deadline to June 18, giving me a total of 5 calendar days (3 business days). It’s still going to be difficult getting an appointment with a physician in that short amount of time. 

Finally, the one time someone from the US Staffing Office did contact me by phone, he made it clear that phone conversations regarding accommodation requests were very rare. Regardless, I will see if there is a way to contact the office about my request other than by using the email provided. 

> On Jun 13, 2019, at 7:58 PM, Ronza Othman <rothmanjd at gmail.com> wrote:
> 
> Hi,
> I am the Chair of the NFB Blind Federal Employment Committee, a former
> Reasonable Accommodations Coordinator, and currently an EEO Complaints
> Director.  I'd say that the answers to your questions are complicated.
> First, an agency can indeed require documentation from you of the disability
> before providing accommodations.  That documentation should ordinarily be
> from a medical professional, and while Voc Rehab letters are fine for
> certifying disability for Schedule A, they aren't sufficient for reasonable
> accommodation.  The complexity comes into play though when the medical
> condition is obvious, and in those instances employers shouldn't require
> medical documentation of obvious conditions - blindness is an obvious
> condition by the way.  However, in pre-employment screenings and the
> interview process, they don't know you and haven't seen that your condition
> is obvious, so it's not so simple.  I'd refer you to the EEOC's Guidance on
> Pre-Employment Screenings and Medical Examinations.  
> 
> 
> Is it reasonable to ask for more time?  Definitely.  Is one business day and
> two weekend days reasonable?  Probably not.  I'd say something like a week
> to 10 calendar days is reasonable - because if your condition is obvious,
> you should be able to get a letter from your doctor - and remember, it can
> be any doctor - saying you are blind - diagnosis, prognosis, and limitation.
> 
> Ronza Othman, President
> National Federation of the Blind of Maryland
> 443-426-4110
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: BlindLaw [mailto:blindlaw-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Cody Davis
> via BlindLaw
> Sent: Thursday, June 13, 2019 3:50 PM
> To: Blind Law Mailing List <blindlaw at nfbnet.org>
> Cc: Cody Davis <cjdavis9193 at gmail.com>
> Subject: [blindlaw] Federal Hiring Processes and Accommodations
> 
> 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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