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Faculty Recruitment

Interview and Select Under the Americans with Disabilities Act

The Americans with Disabilities Act (1990) has had a great impact on how we recruit candidates for positions at GMU. Please review the following guidelines that are provided to assist you in interviewing and selecting candidates with disabilities for positions at the university.

When contacting the applicants to arrange an interview, it is strongly recommended that you ask all selected applicants whether they will need any accommodations during the interview process. If you ask this question of any one selected applicant, then you MUST ask this of all invited applicants. If accommodations are requested either before or at the time of the interview, please contact the ADA Coordinator in the OEDS.

During the interview, it is strongly recommended that a member of the search committee describe the job tasks and conditions under which the selected candidate will work. (This may be done orally or by providing the candidate some description in writing.) This should be done for each candidate. Further, it is recommended that you ask each candidate whether he or she can perform the described tasks "with or without accommodations." You must focus on tasks, not the particular methods of accomplishing the tasks.

If the applicant voluntarily indicates that he or she has a disability and may require an accommodation to perform the job tasks, then you should:

• Thank the person for sharing the information with the committee and indicate that GMU is committed to working with individuals with disabilities.



• Inform the applicant that GMU has an ADA Coordinator who manages all accommodation requests. If the candidate wishes to volunteer information about the accomodations s/he may need, briefly discuss those requests while indicating that the supervisor and the ADA Coordinator would address those requests if the individual is hired. The search committee will not make any determinations as to whether or not a request can be met. Do not ask for information about the applicant's condition. Refocus the interview on the job requirements and the applicant's ability to meet them.

At no time during the interview or selection process may you ask an applicant if she or he has a disability, has ever been injured on the job, or has ever filed a worker's compensation claim. This prohibition extends to checking references for candidates as well.

If the applicant has an obvious disability (i.e., is blind or uses a wheelchair) and it is reasonable to question whether the disability might pose difficulties for the individual in performing specific job tasks, you may ask the applicant to explain how she or he would perform those job tasks with or without accommodation. If a reference volunteers information about an applicant's health or disability, politely move on to your next question. Do not ask any further questions about the applicant's health or the nature and extent of the disability.

For more detailed information about the do's and don'ts during the interview/selection process you may contact:

ADA Coordinator
Office of Equity Diversity Services
(703) 993-8730
(703) 993-8787 (TTY)

Remember, candidates should all be judged on whether or not they can DO THE JOB. Individuals with disabilities should be judged with the same standards as candidates without disabilities. Search committees should leave the negotiation about what is a "reasonable accommodation" to the hiring authority and the OEDS.