Postal Service applicants and employees with disabilities may seek accommodations in order to take a test. For convenience, the Postal Service used the term applicant throughout this chapter to refer to any individual, including Postal Service employees, taking any type of Postal Service test.
Most of the hundreds of thousands of job applicants and current employees taking various Postal Service tests annually do not need accommodation in the testing process. However, for some individuals with disabilities, the test may serve as an artificial barrier to demonstrating the knowledge, skills, and abilities required for performing the essential functions of the job. In these instances, the Postal Service endeavors to provide reasonable accommodation to individuals with disabilities to enable their participation in the competitive testing process.
Supervisors or managers, selecting officials, RACs, Human Resources, and Organizational Effectiveness, as well as other organizations that may be involved, must consider accommodations case by case. When the Postal Service becomes aware of an applicant’s disability, the supervisor, manager, RAC, and any other individuals or organizations involved in the process must pursue flexible interactive dialogue with the applicant to do the following:
Some routine activities that may require additional time and special attention include the following:
Applicants with service animals (e.g., guide dogs) require special attention to provide for the physical needs of the animals.
