The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), an agency under the purview of Secretary Pete Buttigieg's Department of Transportation, is actively seeking employees with "severe intellectual" disabilities, psychiatric issues, and other physical and mental conditions.
This initiative is part of the FAA's "Diversity and Inclusion" hiring strategy, as outlined on the agency's official website.
The FAA's website explains, "Targeted disabilities are those disabilities that the Federal government, as a matter of policy, has identified for special emphasis in recruitment and hiring." The disabilities listed include hearing and vision impairments, missing extremities, partial or complete paralysis, epilepsy, severe intellectual disability, psychiatric disability, and dwarfism.
The FAA, responsible for regulating civil aviation and employing approximately 45,000 individuals, asserts that diversity is crucial to achieving its mission of ensuring safe and efficient travel across the nation and beyond. The agency's guidelines on diversity hiring were last updated on March 23, 2022.
The FAA has recently been in the spotlight following an incident on January 5, where a plug door on a Boeing 737 Max 9 blew out during an Alaska Airlines flight. The FAA grounded all 737 MAX 9 planes after the incident and is conducting "extensive inspection" and maintenance work.
In response to the incident, the FAA announced increased oversight of Boeing, including auditing Boeing's 737 Max 9 jetliner production line and companies supplying parts to the airline manufacturer.
The incident has sparked a debate on social media and among public figures about the impact of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives on airline safety. Tech billionaire Elon Musk questioned, "Do you want to fly in an airplane where they prioritized DEI hiring over your safety? That is actually happening."
Matt Walsh, a commentator for the Daily Wire, penned an op-ed titled "The DEI Rot In The Airline Industry Is Way Worse Than You Think." Critics have countered these arguments, with civil rights groups condemning Musk's tweet as "abhorrent and pathetic."
The FAA's website states that individuals with "severe" mental and physical disabilities are the most underrepresented segment of the federal workforce. The agency actively supports and engages in various associations, programs, coalitions, and initiatives to accommodate employees from diverse communities and backgrounds.
When asked for comment on the initiative, the FAA told Fox News Digital that the agency thoroughly seeks and vets qualified candidates "from as many sources as possible" for a range of positions. The FAA employs tens of thousands of people in a wide range of roles, from administrative to oversight and execution of critical safety functions.
Dr. Stanley Goldfarb, chair of Do No Harm a group of health care professionals, medical students, and policymakers working to "protect health care from a radical, divisive, and discriminatory ideology" told Fox News Digital that the aviation industry, like the medical field, has a duty to protect its travelers.
Goldfarb, a retired professor and the former associate dean for curriculum at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, stated, "The aviation industry has a responsibility for traveler safety just as the health care industry has a responsibility for patient safety. These responsibilities outweigh other factors when considering applicants to work in those fields. People with disabilities who can successfully complete the task should never face discrimination."
Goldfarb added that identity politics is "creating opportunities for so-called oppressed groups by lowering standards for entry into those fields and thereby endangering the safety of those which its designed to serve. Some endeavors simply do not lend themselves to identity politics."
The FAA's website indicates that some managers can hire disabled individuals and veterans through an "On-the-Spot hiring process," provided the necessary documentation is submitted. The FAA also ensures that employees with disabilities will be provided "reasonable accommodation" on the job.
According to the FAA, reasonable accommodation "ensures that employees with disabilities have access to accommodations that suit their needs. This can include modifications made to existing facilities or special equipment."
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