Employers often have questions regarding hiring and
accommodating persons with disabilities. Below are the answers to the most
frequently asked questions.
Q: Where can employers find qualified applicants
with disabilities?
A: Qualified applicants with disabilities can be
located through various resources, including Vocational Rehabilitation (VR). VR
personnel can assist in job training, job placement and reasonable
accommodation, and can provide follow-up services to both the person with a
disability and the employer. The nearest vocational rehabilitation office will
be listed in the local telephone directory under the State government listings.
In some states the agency is called Division of Rehabilitation Services. VR
agencies can also be contacted through local One-Stop Career Centers.
Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP),
U.S. Department of Labor financially assisted programs
- Workforce Recruitment Program for
College Students with Disabilities (WRP): This contracted service of ODEP
is a free nationwide database of pre-screened, qualified postsecondary students
and recent college graduates with disabilities from a wide variety of majors,
who are available for permanent and temporary positions. Employers can search
the database by state or job category, obtain specific information on
candidate's qualifications, then conduct independent employment interviews. To
learn more about the WRP call 1-866-633-7365 (V) or 1-877-889-5627 (TTY) or
write <wrp@dol.gov>.
- Employment Assistance Referral Network
(EARN): This contracted service of ODEP is another free service to which
employers provide specific job vacancy information to EARN staff who survey
local disability-related employment organizations to locate providers who have
qualified, job-ready candidates for the employer's position(s). EARN conveys
this information to the employer, who then contacts the employment provider(s)
directly. EARN can be contacted at 866-EarnNow (866-327-6669), or through its
website <www.earnworks.com>.
- Job Links: A free Internet service
of ODEP, Job Links enables employers who list job openings on their Website to
request a link to their employment information. Prospective applicants can then
contact the employer directly. Employers who wish to be listed should contact
ODEP at 1-866-633-7365. To visit Job Links go to <www.dol.gov/odep>.
- disAbility.gov <www.disability.gov>
The Employers' Resource section of this site contains information on
interviewing, recruiting and hiring people with disabilities, including links
to resume posting sites for people with disabilities.
Q: What does an employer need to know about
interviewing individuals with disabilities?
A: An employer may not make a pre-employment-offer
inquiry on an application form or in an interview as to whether, or to what
extent, an individual is disabled. The employer may ask a job applicant whether
he or she can perform particular job functions. Additional information on
interviewing applicants with disabilities can be found at the U.S. Equal
Employment Opportunity Commission's (EEOC) Website at <www.eeoc.gov/docs/guidance-inquiries>.
Q: How may employers contact and communicate with
applicants who have hearing and speech disabilities?
A: Employers may contact and communicate with
applicants with hearing and/or speech disabilities in several ways: writing
directly to the applicant, using e-mail or using a telecommunications
device for deaf persons (TTY). A TTY is a simple keyboard device which can be
attached to a telephone or plugged into a telephone line. A person who is deaf
using a TTY can have a typed conversation over the telephone with another
individual who also has a TTY.
If only one caller has a TTY, a conversation can be
conducted using the nationwide Telecommunications Relay Service (TRS). TRS
employs specially-trained Communications Assistants (CA) who serve as
"confidential bridges" between TTY users with hearing or speech disabilities
and users of standard telephones. The relay service operator reads the typed
part of the conversation to the hearing individual and types the
spoken part of the conversation to the person with a hearing or speech
disability.
In at least 10 states the relay service can be
reached by dialing 711. If 711 service is not available in a given area, the
TRS number can be found in the front of the local telephone directory. A
nationwide listing of TRS telephone numbers can be found at <www.fcc.gov/cib/dro/trs.html>.
A new, free telephone assistance service called
Speech-to-Speech (STS) provides CA's who are trained to "interpret" for people
whose speech is difficult to understand on the telephone. STS is provided
through the TRS relay in each state. Unlike TRS, STS enables people with speech
disabilities to communicate by voice through a CA, as many people with speech
disabilities have difficulty typing. A directory of STS relay access numbers
can be found at <www.stsnews.com/
>.
If requested by a person who is deaf, an employer
must usually provide the services of a an effective sign language interpreter.
Sign language interpreters can be located under "Translators and Interpreters"
in the local telephone yellow pages directory. Employers also may contact the
Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf (RID) in Silver Spring, MD at
301-608-0050 or visit the Website at <www.rid.org>
to obtain a free list of interpreter service agencies nationwide.
Q: How can employers make information accessible
for individuals with visual and learning disabilities?
A: Information may be made accessible to individuals
with visual and learning disabilities in alternative formats:
- Large print: Information can be formatted by changing
the font size on an office computer or with a photocopier with enlargement
capability. Commercial copier companies can readily increase the size of the
print of any document. A minimum of 14-point print, preferably in a sans-serif
typeface, is necessary for individuals with visual disabilities.
- Audiocassette: Documents and other information may be
read onto audiotape for playback on standard cassette recorders.
- Electronic access: Documents already on computers can
easily be made available on computer disk for persons with visual or learning
disabilities.
- Braille: Documents can be produced in Braille in-house
using special computer software and a Braille embosser, or through commercial
Braillers. The National Library Service for the Blind and Physically
Handicapped (NLS) has extensive information on providing and producing
alternative formats. NLS maintains a list of commercial Braille transcribers.
To contact NLS, call 202-707-9275 or toll-free: 800-424-8567 (ask for
reference). A list of Braille transcribers can also be found at <duxburysystems.com/resource.asp>.
The Job Accommodation Network (JAN), a federally
financially assisted service of ODEP, has an extensive list of resources for
alternative formats. Contact JAN at 800-JAN-7234 or visit the web site at
<www.jan.wvu.edu>
Q: Where can employers find information about
reasonable accommodations for individuals with various disabilities?
A: The best source of information about reasonable
accommodations usually is the individual with a disability.
If an applicant or employee with a disability is not
certain what he or she needs, an excellent resource is the Job Accommodation
Network (JAN). JAN is an international toll-free consulting service that
provides information about job accommodations and the employability of people
with disabilities. Calls are answered by consultants who have instant access to
the most comprehensive and up-to-date information about accommodation methods,
devices and strategies. JAN preserves the confidentiality of communication
between caller and consultant.
For those who want to explore possible accommodations
JAN operates SOAR, a Searchable On-Line Accommodation Resource <http://www.jan.wvu.edu/soar/index.html>.
JAN also has publications which provide accommodation ideas grouped by
disability. Employers can access JAN by calling 800-JAN-7234 or by visiting
JAN's web site at <www.jan.wvu.edu>.
The EEOC has published Enforcement Guidance:
Reasonable Accommodation and Undue Hardship Under the Americans with
Disabilities Act as well as specific guidance on reasonable accommodation for
the small employer titled Small Employers And Reasonable Accommodation. To
obtain copies, call EEOC: 800-669-4000 (V), 800-669-6820 (TTY) or
visit EEOC's Website at <http://www.eeoc.gov/policy/docs/accommodation.html>.
This publication is available in alternate formats.
July 2001 |