Guide for Assessing Persons with Disabilities - How to determine and implement assessment accommodations - Overview

The Government of Canada is committed to a workplace where people of diverse cultures and abilities can contribute fully. Under federal staffing law, all applicants being assessed during an appointment process must be provided with an equal opportunity to demonstrate their qualifications. This being said, the notion of equitable assessment does not necessarily imply using the same assessment procedures for everyone in the assessment process. For example, when assessing persons with disabilities, certain changes or modifications in the standard assessment procedure or in the format or content of assessment tools may be required. Accommodating the needs of persons with disabilities during the assessment allows them to participate to the appointment process on the same level playing field as their peers. To help ensure the equitable assessment of persons with disabilities, the Public Service Commission (PSC) is providing this Guide for Assessing Persons with Disabilities.

The purpose of this document is to provide those in charge of determining and implementing accommodations with practical guidance on decisions about the changes or modifications to assessment tools and procedures that can be made, to accommodate the needs of persons with disabilities within an appointment process. Changes or modifications to the assessment procedure or to the assessment tools are called assessment accommodations.

This guide includes eight sections addressing issues related to assessing persons with disabilities. The first four sections cover essential background information and the other four offer guidance on how to determine and implement accommodations in an assessment process.

1. Key definitions - This section provides definitions for key terms used throughout the document such as "persons with disabilities", "accommodations in the assessment process".
2. Legal framework - A summary of the legal framework and related policy on which assessment accommodations must rest is presented.
3. Principles for assessment accommodations - The four principles guiding the determination and implementation of assessment accommodations are discussed.
4. Roles and responsibilities - The roles and responsibilities of those involved in establishing accommodations in the assessment process are highlighted.
5. Determining and implementing assessment accommodations - A six step procedure for determining and implementing assessment accommodations is proposed.
6. Standards for professional documentation - In some cases, it is recommended to obtain documentation from a qualified professional relative to an applicant's functional limitations. This section discusses the standards of such documentation.
7. Concerns to request assessment accommodations or to provide information - Suggestions on how to handle persons with disabilities' concerns about requesting accommodations and/or providing information on their functional limitations are outlined.
8. Issues applicable to specific disabilities - Discussions of issues related to nine specific types of disabilities and examples of assessment accommodations are presented.