The Office of Diversity and Civil Right's Disability Employment Program objectives include:
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has taken the lead on federal policy and guidance regarding equal rights for applicants and employees with disabilities. The commission classifies the following disabilities as severe or targeted:
The commission tracks the employment of individuals with these disabilities.
People with disabilities can apply for ICE positions through the competitive process or, if they have a severe disability, can apply for a noncompetitive appointment to a Title 5 position via Schedule A. ICE's health-related positions are covered by Title 38 and are not covered by Schedule A's excepted appointment authority. These positions are noncompetitive.
Section 501 of the Rehabilitation Act requires agencies to provide reasonable accommodations to applicants and employees with disabilities. A reasonable accommodation is defined as a change in the work environment or in the work processes that enable a qualified individual with a disability to experience equal employment opportunities. The accommodation must be effective in meeting the individual's needs by addressing any barriers created by functional limitations.
Types of reasonable accommodations include, but are not limited to:
Reasonable accommodation is available to both applicants and agency employees with disabilities.
Accommodation requests require careful consideration, and ICE may ask the requestor to provide sufficiently detailed medical documentation to substantiate the need for reasonable accommodation.
Accommodations that enable a disabled person to compete for a job, perform job duties once hired and experience equal benefits and privileges of employment will be considered. Reasonable accommodations do not include removing essential job functions, lowering production standards, creating new jobs, purchasing personal need items or providing accommodations that pose an undue hardship.
If you are an applicant who will need accommodations for an ICE interview, please let your interviewer know. The interviewer will work with the Office of Diversity and Civil Rights to ensure the necessary accommodations are in place.
The employee's healthcare provider and ICE's medical review officer determine whether an employee has a disability. The reasonable accommodation coordinator and the Office of Principal Legal Advisor determine whether the accommodation requested is appropriate for the determined disability.
An employee should request an accommodation through his/her manager. The manager will coordinate with the Office of Diversity and Civil Rights to determine whether the employee is entitled to an accommodation. Within 10 days of receipt – excluding extenuating circumstances, the manager will approve or deny the request. If approved, the Office of Diversity and Civil Rights will recommend the most appropriation accommodation.
Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act requires ICE to ensure that all events are fully accessible to employees with disabilities. For large events where it is not possible to determine who will attend, ICE's Office of Diversity and Civil Rights recommends using the following language in the event announcement:
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is committed to providing equal access to all event participants. If in order to attend, you need alternative formats or services, please contact the reasonable accommodations coordinator at (202) 732-0077 with your request.
Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act requires that all electronic technology be fully accessible to employees with disabilities. This includes software, Web pages, videos, phones, copy machines, etc. This law requires ICE to ensure that all software and hardware is compliant with Section 508 requirements and all videos are captioned."
For further clarification, email Michael Aronin, disability program manager or Tina Plunkett, reasonable accommodations coordinator.