Employment Testing of Persons with Diasabling Conditions - IPAC

Next, funding for the acquisition of special equipment needed by disabled
workers, as well as things like restructuring work areas to provide access, i3
also needed. Any employee must have access to the tools needed to do the job.
For disabled workers these tools may include such things as talking computers
or braille printers, which must be leased or purchased. Operating budgets
rarely provide for such equipment.
Finally, a mechanism must be established to monitor the effective
utilization of the program. Without such monitoring there is always the risk
that jobs identified for inclusion in the set-aside program may be degraded
through restructuring in such a way as to effectively strip them of real
responsibility. Though slight, the possibility exists that some managers
might be tempted to reassign the essential work of a set-aside position to
other employees rather than go through the difficult task of developing and
introducing new work procedures, then training staff in their use.
Pennsylvania' s accommodation program has proved to be beneficial in a
number of ways. First, it provides disabled candidates a voice in determining
how they will be tested. As a result, they are facilitators of solutions
rather than simply being "another problem". The procedure also encourages
candidates to realistically think through and evaluate their capabilities
relative to the jobs for which they are applying. All too often, this is the
first opportunity they have taken to do so. Sometimes this self-evaluation
will lead candidates to adjust their goals and expectations in such a way as
to maximize their chances of achieving success.
Agency managers benefit from the opportunity to evaluate the structure
of jobs under their control, relative to the needs of disabled persons. The
evaluative process can lead to the elimination of artificial barriers which
tend to exclude disabled candidates.
The Commission has benefited from a program that promotes a structured,
rational approach to accommodation requests and encourages cooperative problem
solving. In the process, the Commission is learning a lot about how disabling
- 23 -