(Rightallegiance.com) – The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is actively seeking individuals with “severe intellectual” disabilities, psychiatric issues, and various mental and physical conditions as part of a diversity and inclusion hiring initiative, as outlined on the agency’s website.
According to the FAA, these targeted disabilities are those identified by the federal government for special emphasis in recruitment, encompassing areas such as hearing, vision, missing extremities, partial paralysis, complete paralysis, epilepsy, severe intellectual disability, psychiatric disability, and dwarfism.
This initiative is a component of the FAA’s broader “Diversity and Inclusion” hiring plan, asserting that diversity is essential to accomplishing the agency’s mission of ensuring safe and efficient travel nationally and internationally. The FAA’s diversity hiring guidelines were last updated on March 23, 2022.
As a government agency overseeing civil aviation and employing around 45,000 individuals, the FAA, under Secretary Pete Buttigieg’s Department of Transportation, recently faced scrutiny after a Boeing 737 Max 9 experienced a plug door failure during an Alaska Airlines flight on Jan. 5. In response, the FAA grounded all 737 MAX 9 planes, initiated extensive inspections and maintenance, and announced increased oversight of Boeing, including auditing the production line and suppliers.
Following the incident, critics on social media, including tech billionaire Elon Musk and commentator Matt Walsh, suggested that the emphasis on diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives in the airline industry compromises safety. However, the FAA defends its commitment to diversity, stating on its website that individuals with “severe” mental and physical disabilities constitute the most under-represented segment of the federal workforce.
In response to inquiries about the initiative, the FAA emphasized its thorough search for qualified candidates from diverse sources for various positions within the agency. Dr. Stanley Goldfarb, chairman of Do No Harm, a group focused on safeguarding healthcare from divisive ideologies, argued that safety considerations should outweigh identity politics in the aviation industry.
The FAA’s website outlines that managers can utilize an “On-the-Spot hiring process” to hire disabled individuals and veterans, provided the necessary documentation is submitted. Additionally, the FAA ensures “reasonable accommodation” for employees with disabilities, involving modifications to facilities or special equipment to meet their needs.