[Excerpt] The goal of the hiring process is to attract and identify the individual who has the best mix of skills and attributes for the job available. Ensuring that all qualified individuals can participate in the process is key to achieving this goal. By examining their hiring procedures and implementing some simple steps, employers can widen their pool of potential talent and ensure that they do not miss out when the best person for the job happens to have a disability

Office of Disability Employment Policy

English

[Excerpt] The goal of the hiring process is to attract and identify the individual who has the best mix of skills and attributes for the job available. Ensuring that all qualified individuals can participate in the process is key to achieving this goal. By examining their hiring procedures and implementing some simple steps, employers can widen their pool of potential talent and ensure that they do not miss out when the best person for the job happens to have a disability.Opening_Doors_to_All_Candidates_Tips_for_Ensuring_Access_for.pdf: 81 downloads, before Oct. 1, 2020

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Opening Doors to all Candidates: Tips for Ensuring Access for Applicants with Disabilities

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OPENING DOORS TO ALL CANDIDATES:
TIPS FOR ENSURING ACCESS FOR
APPLICANTS WITH DISABILITIES
The goal of the hiring process is to attract and identify the individual who has the best
mix of skills and attributes for the job available. Ensuring that all qualified individuals can
participate in the process is key to achieving this goal. By examining their hiring procedures and
implementing some simple steps, employers can widen their pool of potential talent and ensure that
they do not miss out when the best person for the job happens to have a disability.
JOB ANALYSIS
Although it is not required under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), it would be prudent
for employers to carefully examine each job to determine its essential functions. According to
guidance from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), essential functions are
the basic job duties that an employee must be able to perform, with or without a reasonable
accommodation. Determining essential job functions will assist in establishing appropriate
qualification standards, developing a job description, conducting interviews and selecting people.
Do:
■ Evaluate each candidate for the job based on whether he or she has met the employer’s
requirements for the job, such as education, training, employment experience, skills 
or licenses. 
■ Consider whether a person with a disability can perform the essential functions of the job,
with or without a reasonable accommodation.
■ Recognize that there are often many ways to accomplish the same task. 
Do not:
■ Assume that certain jobs are more suited to persons with disabilities. 
■ Assume that a person cannot or does not want a particular job because of apparent or 
non-apparent disabilities.
■ Assume a person with a disability does not have the requisite education and training 
for a job. 
■ Hire a person with a disability who is not qualified to perform the essential functions of a
job, even with a reasonable accommodation.
COMMUNICATION
Do:
■ Relax and make the applicant feel comfortable.
■ Treat an individual with a disability with the same dignity and respect you would give 
any applicant. 
Do not:
■ Assume that staff would need special training to learn how to work with individuals 
with disabilities.
MEDICAL INFORMATION
Do:
■ Check that applications and other forms do not ask disability-related questions.
■ Make sure that any medical examinations required are also required of all other
applicants and are performed after a job offer has been extended. The job offer may be
conditioned on the results of the post-offer medical examination. However, if a decision is
made not to hire an individual based on the results of the medical exam, the basis for that
decision must be job related and not because of the individual’s disability. 
■ Keep in mind that among those protected by the ADA are qualified individuals who have
a substantial limitation in a major life activity. Whether qualified individuals with a
medical condition like AIDS, cancer, mental retardation, traumatic brain injuries and
learning disabilities will be considered disabled under the law will depend on the facts of
each case. 
■ Develop procedures for maintaining and protecting confidential medical records. 
■ Make sure that any disability-related information is kept confidential and shared only
with those who need to know. For example, supervisors and managers may be told about
necessary restrictions on the work or duties of the employee and about necessary
accommodations. 
Do not:
■ Make medical judgments.
■ Ask an applicant if he or she has a disability during a job interview. 
■ Assume that a work environment will be unsafe if an employee has a disability.
ACCOMMODATIONS
Do:
■ Ensure that the recruitment process is accessible to all individuals by providing 
reasonable accommodations that qualified applicants will need to compete for the job
(e.g., applications in alternative formats and accessible route-of-travel to the human
resources office).
■ Remember that accessibility pertains not only to a physical environment. Application
forms and other relevant information should be available in alternative formats for people
with visual or cognitive disabilities. 
■ Develop an accommodations process and ensure all employees are aware of and
understand it. For guidance, see the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Disability
Employment Policy publications page, www.dol.gov/odep/pubs/publicat.htm.  
Do not:
■ Assume that accommodations are expensive or difficult to implement. Most are not, and
a number of resources are available to assist in making accommodations. 
■ Assume that one accommodation will work for all individuals with similar disabilities. 
■ Assume that a person does not need an accommodation because he or she does not have
a visible disability. 
OPENING DOORS TO ALL CANDIDATES:  TIPS FOR ENSURING
ACCESS FOR APPLICANTS WITH DISABILITIES
WORKSITE ACCESSIBILITY
In general, the ADA does not require employers to make accommodations unless requested to
do so by an individual with a disability. However, individuals with disabilities must be able to
participate in all aspects of the application process. Below is a list of steps employers may use to
check how well they are fulfilling this responsibility. 
■ Parking spaces for persons with disabilities should be close to the work site entrance.
■ The pathway from the parking area to the entrance should not include abrupt level
changes or steps.
■ Ramps used to provide access should be appropriately graded and have handrails.
■ Doors should be wide enough (36 inches) for people who use wheelchairs. Also, they
should be easy to open.
■ The human resources office, or location within the work site where the application
process is administered, should be accessible.
■ The bathroom, water fountain and public telephone should all be useable by and
accessible to people with disabilities.
■ Elevators should have control panels lower than 54 inches from the floor and raised
symbols or numbers on the control panels.
■ All signage should include the use of symbols and graphics to be appropriate and
accessible for persons with visual, learning and cognitive disabilities.
■ The emergency warning system should include both audible and visual alarms.
For complete descriptions and diagrams of accessibility standards, visit the U.S. Access Board’s
Web site at www.access-board.gov.
RESOURCES TO ASSIST 
A number of resources are available to assist employers in ensuring that their hiring process is
inclusive of individuals with disabilities. 
Job Accommodation Network (JAN)
1-800-526-7234 (V/TTY)
www.jan.wvu.edu 
Access Board
1-800-872-2253 (V) or 1-800-993-2822 (TTY)
www.access-board.gov
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)
1-800-669-3362 (V) or 1-800-800-3302 (TTY)
www.eeoc.gov
ADA & IT Centers
1-800-949-4232 (V/TTY)
www.adata.org
Employer Assistance and Recruiting Network (EARN)
1-866-327-6669 (V/TTY)
www.earnworks.com
September 2005
Office of Disability Employment Policy • U.S. Department of Labor • 200 Constitution Ave., NW • Washington, DC 20210
Voice: 1-866-ODEP-DOL (633-7365) • TTY: 1-877-889-5627 • Fax: 1-202-693-7888 • www.dol.gov/odep 


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Opening Doors to all Candidates: Tips for Ensuring Access for Applicants with Disabilities

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