Accessibility and Accommodations – Careers

Accessibility and Accommodations

The Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended, is a federal civil rights law that prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability in programs conducted by Federal agencies, in programs receiving Federal financial assistance, in Federal employment, and in the employment practices of Federal contractors. The U.S. Department of State is committed to recruiting and retaining qualified individuals with disabilities. The Bureau of Global Talent Management, Office of Accessibility and Accommodations (GTM/OAA) employs the agency Selective Placement Program Coordinator (SPPC), who acts as a liaison between qualified applicants with disabilities, HR personnel, and hiring managers. The SPPC educates on the Schedule A non-competitive hiring authority (5 C.F.R. 213.3102(u)) which can streamline the hiring process. For more information on Schedule A non-competitive hiring at the Department of State, please click here.

An employee or qualified applicant may request a reasonable accommodation to participate in the application process or to perform the essential duties of the position for which they were hired. These accommodation requests are reviewed by the Disability and Reasonable Accommodations Division (GTM/OAA/DRAD). The request process follows an interactive process between DRAD, the requesting individuals, and the individual’s supervisor, as appropriate. Accommodations span a wide range of potential services, technologies, and/or workplace modifications. As an example, an applicant taking the Foreign Service Officer Test might request sign language interpretation for the personal interview component of the exam, or a visually impaired employee might request screen magnification software. Additional information or inquiries may be directed to DRAD at ReasonableAccommodations@state.gov.

To learn more about the Federal government’s progress in hiring persons with disabilities, take a look at the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Director’s blog.