U.S. Office of Personnel Management - Ensuring the Federal Government has an effective civilian workforce

A 7. Generally the agency (employer) must bear the costs of accommodations. Some agencies are organized to provide central funding of the costs of accommodations. Central funding assures that funding is available for accommodations. Check with your personnel office, disability coordinator, or EEO office or your agency’s reasonable accommodation policy to see how funding for accommodations is handled in your agency.

Also, the Computer/Electronic Accommodations Program (CAP) at the Department of Defense may pay the cost of any technology-related accommodations for covered agencies. Contact the CAP for more information.

If a client of the State vocational rehabilitation program is being hired, the State agency may pay for those accommodations that the individual would be able to use at any job site (e.g., a Braille notetaking device, an assistive listening device for use with the telephone). The State agency generally does not pay for accommodations to a work station or worksite that must then remain at that location after the individual leaves.

If a client of the Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment Service of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is being hired, the VA may pay the cost of accommodations.

A 8. Agencies may appoint readers, interpreters, and personal assistants without regard to the normal competitive hiring regulations and processes. Such employees may be appointed directly under an excepted hiring authority without job postings, etc., after identifying an appropriate candidate (5 CFR 213.3102 (ll). Some agencies may also hire such assistants under contractual arrangements. For more information, see People with Disabilities in the Federal Government: An Employment Guide located on this website.

A 9. Yes. There are many potential sources which may be tapped. In many cases, the disabled employee already has a candidate in mind. Universities and colleges, including junior colleges, are good sources for readers, who are often part-time. For interpreters, the Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf, Inc. can be reached at 703-838-0030. In the Washington, DC area, Gallaudet University is another source for interpreters. State vocational rehabilitation agencies and offices of the Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment Service in the Department of Veterans Affairs are also possible sources of reader, interpreter and personal assistant referrals. Advertisements in local newspapers also yield good results.

A 10. Once any necessary accommodations are made to help the employee with a disability function on the job, no other special consideration need be made. As with a non-disabled employee, an employee with a disability must be evaluated according to the items in his/her annual performance plan or agreement. As with any other employee, direct and honest feedback aimed at improving performance is always appropriate. For more information on employee performance management see OPM's Performance Management Technical Center.

A 11. An employee with a disability who fails to meet performance standards or whose conduct on the job is inappropriate should receive the same treatment as an employee without a disability. In most cases, documentation of poor performance or misconduct should be collected, and the employee should be advised that there are issues of concern. As with any employee, the disabled employee’s failure to address performance or conduct issues may result in letters of counseling, suspension, and even termination. The disabled employee has the same rights as the non-disabled employee to appeal these personnel actions. For additional information, contact your human resources office; OPM also has posted information on employee relations issues on their Employee Relations website.

A 12. As with all interviews, the interviewer should have a full understanding of the job requirements before interviewing any candidate. The interviewer should be familiar with his/her agency’s own policies and practices.

The interview must focus on abilities and how the applicant will accomplish tasks and meet the goals and objectives of the position. Ask all applicants the same questions including whether or not they have any needs that will require reasonable accommodation.

Do not ask specific questions about an applicant's disability even if the disability is obvious. Some applicants will voluntarily explain how their disability relates to their ability to do the job, but others will not. Even if the applicant does discuss a disability, do not ask any questions about the disability that are not relevant to the actual position. It is important not to speculate about how you would perform a specific job if you had the applicant’s disability.

For more tips on interviewing people with disabilities, visit the Mainstream website and the Job Accommodation Network (JAN) website.

A 13. Common courtesy should prevail when interacting with individuals with disabilities, as with all other employees. If questions arise as to whether assistance should be offered or whether a particular accommodation is necessary, the best course of action is simply to ask the person with a disability his or her preference. Most people with disabilities will not become offended if asked their preferences and would, in fact, welcome the opportunity to share information that would create a more pleasant work environment for everyone.

A 14. People with disabilities who work in offices have been using service animals successfully for many years. Service animals may accompany a person with a disability to the office, cafeteria, meetings, and on travel. Since service animals are alert to the needs of their owner, it is important not to interfere or distract them while they are working. Most service animals sleep when not providing service and need to have a safe rest area of adequate size located near their owner. The person with a disability should be allowed to provide water and food rewards for their animal. Offices that are already wheelchair accessible usually have wider hallways and doorways that are accessible enough to provide the individual full access while walking with their animal.

Individuals with disabilities who use service animals must be allowed time to attend to their basic needs. It is not the responsibility of office colleagues to provide care for the service animal. For more information, see People with Disabilities in the Federal Government: An Employment Guide located on this website.

A 15. Employers have found that people with disabilities and people without disabilities are about the same in terms of attendance and job performance. Perhaps the longest recurring study of employment issues concerning people with disabilities was done by DuPont, a private corporation. For over 35 years, this DuPont study has shown that employees with disabilities are equivalent to other DuPont employees in job performance, attendance and safety.

A 16. If the critical functions of a job involve the need to travel, it is important that job candidates and employees are made aware of this requirement. Many people with disabilities are not limited in their ability to travel or perform temporary duty away from the office. In this case, no accommodation is needed. In other cases, a person's disability may affect his or her ability to travel.

As with all reasonable accommodations, start with the employee. The accommodation needed for traveling will vary according to a person's disability and the mode, frequency and duration of travel. Constant travel is far different from an occasional trip. Local travel needs are far different from international air travel needs.

For an employee who uses the services of an interpreter, reader, or personal assistant, it may be a matter of ensuring that the personal assistant, reader, or interpreter accompany the individual on a trip or be available once the individual reaches the destination. The General Services Administration travel regulations also provide authority to allow airline travel by first-class accommodation when a person with a disability is unable to travel standard coach because of space requirements or mobility limitations.

In some cases, travel may not be involved in a critical job function, and it may be possible to redistribute duties in a work center, giving travel duties to some employees and other duties to those employees who have limitations with regard to travel. Sometimes, after looking at the job requirements and consulting with the individual and professional resources on job accommodations, you may find that the particular job requirements and the particular needs/limitations of a person with a disability are simply not compatible.The important point is not to assume that travel is impossible for a disabled person. In many situations, with a little thought and advance planning, a person with a disability can perform required travel and effectively accomplish the requirements of his/her job.

For helpful information for travelers with disabilities, see the Disability.gov website.

A 17. People with disabilities are appointed through a number of hiring authorities for temporary (one year or less), term (more than one year up to four years), and permanent appointments. The majority of people with disabilities working for the Federal government are in the civil service and were appointed competitively. Competitively means that they applied for a vacancy announcement published by either OPM or an agency. Typically, they were then rated and ranked in comparison to the other applicants for the vacancy and referred to the selecting supervisor for consideration. The selecting supervisor then interviewed and identified which candidate he/she would hire.

However, there are a number of excepted hiring authorities, meaning competition is not required, that apply to individuals with disabilities. These hiring authorities cover: people with mental retardation; people with severe physical disabilities; people with psychiatric disabilities; disabled veterans enrolled in a VA training program; and veterans determined to be 30 percent or more disabled.

Consult with your human resources office to ensure that you use the best hiring strategy for your specific vacancy.

A 18. The excepted hiring authorities referenced in question 18 create a streamlined process to hire people with disabilities. Using these excepted hiring authorities eliminates the requirement for competition which may be very time-consuming. The excepted hiring authorities may require that the disabled person have a certification from a State vocational rehabilitation agency or the Veterans Administration.

Once again, consult your human resources office to ensure that you use the best hiring strategy for your specific vacancy.

A 19. The summer jobs program for college students with disabilities is called the Workforce Recruitment Program (WRP). This program is co-sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy and the Department of Defense. The WRP aims to provide summer work experience, and in some cases, permanent employment, for college students with disabilities. The program develops partnerships with other Federal agencies, each of which makes a commitment to provide summer jobs.

The Department of Defense Computer/Electronic Accommodations Program (CAP) provides assistive technology and accommodation services to all WRP participants working for the Federal Government for the summer.

A 20. Yes. As part of the WRP, students who have a successful summer experience and are qualified for the position may be offered a permanent job. They may be hired under special hiring authorities governing the employment of persons with disabilities. (See also Questions 18 and 19, above, and contact your human resources office for additional information.)

A 21. First, contact your human resources office and your organization's Persons with Disabilities (PWD) Manager (or equivalent). Your agency may already have established recruiting and referral relationships with organizations serving people with disabilities, such as:

Federal agencies may work directly with these organizations to refer candidates for employment opportunities using the excepted appointing authorities for hiring people with disabilities. Your agency's Plan for Employment of People with Disabilities may also include good sources of qualified candidates with disabilities for your vacancies. In addition, individuals with disabilities may always apply for vacancy announcements that are open to the general public.

The Workforce Recruitment Program (WRP) for college students with disabilities is a great source of potential candidates when considering college students with disabilities for employment. Employers can access the WRP candidate database by contacting their agency's WRP representative (usually in the human resources office).

A 22. Contact your human resources office for advice and assistance on hiring people with disabilities. Your personnel specialist will be able to advise supervisors and managers on the different avenues available to recruit and hire qualified candidates, including individuals with disabilities. If your organization has designated a Persons with Disabilities (PWD) Manager or a Selective Placement Coordinator, these individuals can serve to connect you and your HR specialist with interested candidates. Take advantage of all the resources in your agency.

A 23. The human resources office within your agency can obtain information and guidance on hiring people with disabilities from several sources, including the following: