Disability Job Placement Testing
According to the United States Department of Labor, disability employment statistics released on August 2010 showed that the percentage of people with disabilities in the labor force was 22 percent while that of people without disability was 70.2 percent. The unemployment rate for persons with disability was 15.6 percent compared to 9.3 percent for persons with no disability. Disability job placement testing is designed to correct the statistics and ensure people with disability enjoy equal benefits and privileges of employment.
Other People Are Reading
-
Introduction
-
Disability can occur from birth or during a person's lifetime. Disability comes in forms such as physical impairment, intellectual or cognitive impairment, mental disorder, chronic disease or sensory impairment. It is a condition where a person's function is considered significantly impaired relative to usual standards of individuals or groups.
Rights
-
The rights of persons with disability in job placement testing include right to safe and healthy working conditions and right for redress of grievances. According to the Americans with Disabilities Amendments Act of 2008, it is prohibited by U.S state laws for employers to discriminate against qualified applicants or employees on the basis of a disability in any aspect of employment.
-
Testing Guide
-
Employers perform disability-related job placement tests or selection criteria only after giving a conditional job offer to a disabled person. Disability-related questions should be asked only if the employer can demonstrate that the questions are related to and consistent with the job in question. This is aimed at protecting people with disability from being sidelined from a job application on the basis of their disability before their ability to perform the job is evaluated.
Testing
-
Employers perform job placement tests prior to offering a job to determine the applicant's ability to perform. Routine tests include asking the applicant if he can meet the physical demands of the job like lifting heavy loads and evaluating the technical and educational skills of the applicant. Common disability-related tests and examinations include confidential medical examinations and psychological evaluations. An applicant may be screened out for safety reasons if the employer determines the job poses a valid safety risk to the applicant or other employees.
Benefits
-
Disability job placement testing ensures that reasonable accommodation or adjustment to the job environment enables persons with disability to do their job. Accommodations include work station placements that are dependent on the needs of the employee. An employee with intellectual disability or attention deficit disorder, for example, may be moved from an open work station where employees work side by side and placed at a quiet section of the office to accommodate their limitations in concentration.
-
References
- United States Department of Labor: A World In Which People With Disabilities Have Unlimited Employment Opportunities
- Disable World: Definition of Disabilities
- United States Department of Labor: Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs
- The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission: Preemployment Disability-Related Questions and Medical Examinations
Resources
- Photo Credit sign. toilets. wc. toilets for men,women,& disabled people image by L. Shat from Fotolia.com
