I have some intriguing conversations with individuals all of the time and thus the impetus for many of my posts. This week I had the most interesting conversation by far. A female Vet chastised me about supporting the provisions for Schedule A purporting to assist Veterans in gaining employment competitively and non-competitively.
She said why do you think all the people in the Federal government with the 5 automated systems used to hire should not be available for the disabled? She further stated that disabled people are able to use all sorts of technology just like the rest of us. There are no separate Facebook pages for the disabled. There are no separate Linkedin pages for the Disabled. There is no separate Google mechanism for the disabled and she went on and on with such obvious logic. She said Schedule A is an exact parallel to Brown v Board of Education. Systems cannot be separate and equal, it is impossible from every end of the spectrum. Her lecture was spell-binding.
I never looked at Schedule A that way until she spelled it out for everybody in the room. Remember this is coming from a Vet who is allowed either 5 or 10 preference points based on the disability in order to acquire Federal Employment. She alleged that the entire idea of Schedule A is discriminatory and wondered why no one, particularly Vets, had filed a similar law suit against the Federal Government as was done in Brown v Board of Education for blatent discrimination.
I know when I need to take a deeper dive and analyze a situation far beyond what appears on its face. That Vet has given me a lot to think about and something urgent that needs to be discussed before the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), the Department of Labor (DOL), the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), and most important the Americans With Disabilities Act Amendment Act (ADAAA) 2008.
The object of ADA was well intended. However, the food feed to the forum I lead, was enough to fill our stomachs for months to come. It is not food that is easily digested, but is certainly food that needs to be served on a bigger plate. I thanked that Vet and I appreciate the insight and foresight of that Vet. I am thinking and this is a post I would surely like to know what your thoughts are about this very eye-opening 5 thousand pound guerilla in the room.
P. S. Always Remember to Share What You Know
Dianna Tafazoli
