U.S. Federal Government Hiring

Article for With-TV
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U.S. Federal Government Hiring
Buzzing in the Workplace

Note to Readers: Article below focuses on U.S. Federal Government hiring of people with disabilities. If you are a reader from outside the U.S. and have interesting information to share regarding your government’s hiring of people with disabilities, please feel free to contact me.

In January 2008, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) released a report on the federal employment of people with disabilities*. Overall, the EEOC concluded that the federal government employs fewer people with disabilities now than it has at any point during the last 20 years. The EEOC’s finding is troubling for the following reasons:

· The federal government has a mandate to be a model employer in the hiring and advancing individuals with disabilities.
· During the past 20 years, significant technological advancements afford people with disabilities a greater opportunity to work.
· The Office of Disability Employment Policy, a division of the U.S. Labor Department, indicates that roughly half of individuals with disabilities in the United States are unemployed (note: the office cautions the statistic may vary based on definition of disability and data source).

The EEOC made several recommendations for improving efforts to hire and retain individuals with disabilities. These recommendations include:

· Establishment of numerical goals for hiring individuals with disabilities on an annual basis.
· Ensuring procedures that make agencies and officials accountable for reaching goals and verifying that goals are obtained.

The initial implication of the EEOC’s findings has been a surge in commitment among federal government leaders to re-focus efforts on hiring people with disabilities. While a commitment from leaders is a great start, a push from our community will help.

If you are seeking employment, consider reaching out to your local congressional representative about potential opportunities.
· If you aren’t sure who your Senator is, click on the following link: http://www.senate.gov/. On the top right side of your browsers select your state.
· If you aren’t sure who serves your district in the House of Representatives, click on the following link: http://www.house.gov/. On the top left side of your browser, type in your zip code and click “search”.

When contacting your local representative about potential employment opportunities, be sure to mention in the course of your conversation the EEOC’s report on federal hiring of people with disabilities. By networking with your representatives now, you may be able to reap the benefits of future efforts by the federal government to hire people with disabilities.

Feel free to contact me with your questions or thoughts…remmettroy@gmail.com.

Rob
* The Federal Government defines people with disabilities per codes on the Office of Personnel Management’s Standard Form. The coded disabilities are as follows: deafness, blindness, missing extremities, partial paralysis, complete paralysis, convulsive disorders, mental retardation, mental illness, and distortion of limb and/or spine.
** Sources: http://www.dol.gov/odep/faqs/working.htm, http://www.eeoc.gov/federal/report/pwtd.html.

Extended Time on GMAT

Wow – time passes quickly! I can’t believe it has two months since I posted on this blog. Consistent blogging is a skill and I admire those of you who are able to maintain your blogs daily.

Since my last blog, I took the GMAT (Graduate Management Admissions Test) and did much better than I expected. I received extended time on the test, which really helped as I know I could not have competed fairly with my peers without the additional time.

Why do I get additional time on my test if I only have a hearing loss?

When I was three years old, I was identified with a moderate to severe sensorineural hearing loss. Age three is considered a late diagnosis and therefore I was delayed in the formation of auditory skills needed for the development of perceptual organization and processing skills. As a result, the speed at which I process information is slower than my hearing peers. Therefore, my ability to perform on time-crunch exams is affected.

Throughout my education years in grammar school, high school, and college – accommodations have been made available to me to so I could have the opportunity to be educated in curriculums developed for hearing students. Accommodations afforded to me were as follows:
o Alternative Testing Services (i.e. taking test in room by myself with a proctor)
o Extended time on course exams
o 50% Additional Time on Standardize Tests
o Note taking Services
o Preferential Seating Recommendation Services

I had to provide extensive documentation in order to get extended time. The documents I provided include:
o Audiograms (a document that shows hearing levels for certain sounds) of my hearing loss from initial diagnosis to date
o Psychological Examinations performed by doctors over the course of my life
o Audiological and Speech Language Evaluation

The intent of providing the documentation was to show that I have had a disability over the course of my life and that it has limited my perceptual organization and process skills. While I have these skills, they don’t perform at same rate as hearing people, but that doesn’t mean I’m slow ;).