The Federal Aviation Administration actively recruits workers with “severe intellectual disabilities,” psychiatric problems and other mental and physical conditions under diversity and hiring initiatives outlined on the agency’s website.
“Targeted disabilities are disabilities that the Federal government, as a matter of policy, has identified for particular emphasis in recruitment and hiring,” the FAA website says. “They include hearing, vision, missing limbs, partial paralysis, complete paralysis, epilepsy, severe intellectual disability, psychiatric disability and dwarfism.”
The initiative is part of the FAA’s “Diversity and Inclusion” hiring plan, which claims “diversity is essential to achieving the FAA’s mission to ensure safe and efficient travel across our nation and beyond.”
The FAA website shows the agency’s guidelines on diversity hiring were last updated on March 23, 2022.
The FAA, overseen by Department of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, is a government agency responsible for regulating civil aviation and employs about 45,000 people.
All eyes have been on the FAA and the airline industry lately, after a plug door on a Boeing 737 Max 9 broke off on an Alaska Airlines flight on January 5.
The FAA grounded all 737 MAX 9 aircraft after the incident, and is conducting “extensive inspections” and maintenance work.
The Federal Aviation Administration is recruiting workers with “severe intellectual disabilities,” psychiatric problems and other mental and physical conditions under its diversity and inclusion hiring initiative. AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File
The FAA added it would increase its oversight of Boeing following the incident, including auditing the Boeing 737 Max 9 production line and companies that supply parts to the airline’s manufacturer.
In the wake of the incident, social media commentators and public figures accused airlines and airline manufacturers of emphasizing diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives making flying less safe.
“Would you want to fly in an airplane where they prioritize DEI intake over your safety?,” wrote tech billionaire Elon Musk on X last week. “That’s actually happening.”
“DEI’s Rot in the Airline Industry Is Much Worse Than You Think,” wrote Daily Wire columnist Matt Walsh in an op-ed last week.
The missing door plug that came out on Alaska Airlines Flight 1282. National/Planetary Transportation Pix via ZUMA Press Wire
Critics of such comments have dismissed arguments that prioritizing DEI has made travel less safe, with civil rights groups slamming Musk, for example, for “disgusting and depressing” tweets.
On the FAA’s website, the agency claims that people with “severe” mental and physical disabilities are the most underrepresented segment of the federal workforce.
“Because diversity is so critical, the FAA supports and is actively involved in various associations, programs, coalitions and initiatives to support and accommodate employees from diverse communities and backgrounds. Our people are our strength, and we are very careful in investing and valuing them as such,” FAA said.
When asked to comment on the initiative, including the roles that people with disabilities will fill, the FAA told Fox News Digital that the agency is actively seeking and vetting qualified candidates “from as many sources as possible” for various positions.
“The FAA employs tens of thousands of people for a variety of positions, from administrative roles to oversight and execution of critical safety functions. Like many large employers, the agency proactively seeks qualified candidates from as many sources as possible, all of whom must meet strict qualifications that of course vary by position,” the FAA said.
Dr Stanley Goldfarb, chairman of Do No Harm – a group of healthcare professionals, medical students and policymakers working to “protect healthcare from radical, divisive and discriminatory ideologies” – told Fox News Digital that just like medicine, the airline industry has an obligation to protect its travelers.
The FAA grounded all Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft after the Alaska Airlines incident. NTSB/Distribution via REUTERS
“The airline industry has a responsibility for traveler safety just as the healthcare industry has a responsibility for patient safety. This responsibility outweighs other factors when considering applicants to work in the field. People with disabilities who can complete tasks successfully should not face discrimination,” said Goldfarb, a retired professor and former associate dean for curriculum at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine.
“Unfortunately,” says Goldfarb, identity politics is “creating opportunities for so-called oppressed groups by lowering the standards to enter the field and thereby endangering the safety of those it is designed to serve. Some efforts simply do not lend themselves to identity politics,” he added. .
The FAA website outlines that some managers can hire people with disabilities and veterans through the “On-the-Spot hiring process,” provided the required documentation is submitted.
The FAA also specifies that employees with disabilities will be provided “reasonable accommodations” while on the job.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
