Educational Accommodations in the Fire Service

The fire service is full of written examinations. In fact, the standardized, multiple-choice exam might be the most frequently used tool for evaluating candidates for hire, certification, licensure and promotion. These exams are practical and easy to deliver, can be scored in an instant, and provide an unbiased and simple means of comparing one candidate with another.

Although standardized exams are useful tools for sorting through a list of candidates, are they identifying the best candidates or just the best test-takers?

Written exams present additional challenges for adults who have a learning disability and focus issues. Organizations that rely on these exams might dismiss quality candidates inadvertently based solely on their exam score and not their ability to perform a specific task or function. Organizations must understand the challenges that standardized testing poses for adults who have a learning disability. Organizations should be willing to evaluate and amend their testing processes to ensure a fair evaluation of each candidate.

Learning accommodations

According to the National Center for Learning Disabilities (NCLD), 1 in 5 children and adults have a learning disability, such as dyslexia, or an attention and focus issue, such as attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). For those whose struggles were diagnosed as children, receiving accommodations to aid in learning might be understood as part of the educational process. Adult learners who have lived with learning difficulties but never received an evaluation or diagnosis might struggle in silence, not fully understanding the cause of their challenges or what, if any, help is available to them.

Adults who have a learning disability, diagnosed or not, often struggle with low self-esteem, particularly in the learning environment. These self-esteem issues might explain why approximately 1-in-4 post-secondary students report a learning disability to their college, but only 1-in-20 adults seek accommodation in the workplace, according to the NCLD. The learning disabilities that are present during childhood, left unaddressed, might be limiting factors for how some adults are hired or advance through their career.

What are learning disabilities?

Learning disabilities are disorders that affect one or more of the cognitive processes that are related to learning. These processing problems often interfere with the learning and application of basic skills, including reading, writing and mathematical calculations. Adults who have a learning disability also might struggle with the executive function skills of personal organization, time management, planning, reasoning and focus.

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) defines an individual who has a disability as someone who has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more life activities, including working, reading, learning and communicating. Learning disabilities shouldn’t be confused with intellectual disabilities, which refers to a group of physiological disorders that affect both intellectual (learning) and adaptive (activities of daily life) functioning.

The term learning disabilities often is used to describe the presence of a more specific disability. Some of the learning disabilities are:

• Dyscalculia affects a person’s ability to understand number-based information and math.
• Dysgraphia affects a person’s physical ability to write and/or translate thoughts into written words.
• Dyslexia affects a person’s reading because of problems identifying speech sounds and learning how they relate to letters and words.
• Nonverbal learning disabilities affect a person’s ability to interpret and understand facial expressions and body language.
• Oral/written language disorder affects a person’s ability to understand and/or express language often in both oral and written forms.

Attention and focus disorders are:

• Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder affects a person’s ability to pay attention, control impulsive behaviors or remain still for extended periods.
• Executive disfunction affects a person’s ability to manage thoughts, emotions and actions.

Most people who have a learning disability have average or above-average intelligence. The issue lies within a gap between their potential for achievement and their actual achievements. The signs and symptoms of these achievement gaps often are recognized during the formative school years, and the accommodations that are needed to ensure equitable learning are put into place early, which allows these individuals to learn on pace with their peers.

The need for accommodation doesn’t end when the individual leaves school. With appropriate accommodation in the workplace, these people can reach expected levels of learning, acquire new skills, exceed job performance expectations and achieve competitive promotion.

Many people who have a learning disability don’t receive an evaluation until they’re in a collegiate or working environment, and even more never receive an evaluation at all. Based on research by the NCLD, 48 percent of parents refuse evaluation or accommodation for their child, because they believe that children will outgrow a learning disability. The failure of parents and educators to recognize the presence of learning disabilities, seek treatment and provide the necessary accommodations is setting students back educationally, socially and professionally.

Employees who have an undiagnosed learning disability exist throughout the workforce, and employers must understand the challenges that those people face and be willing to adjust processes as necessary to ensure those people’s success.

Employees who demonstrate high levels of technical competence but repeatedly perform poorly on assessments, exams or interviews might have undisclosed or undiagnosed learning disabilities that impede their performance.

Reasonable accommodation

The Department of Labor defines a reasonable accommodation as “a modification or adjustment to a job, the work environment, or to the way things are usually done during the hiring process.” Accommodations are crucial to adults who have a learning disability, because they afford equal access to the application and testing processes, course enrollments, and the benefits and privileges of the program (i.e., the knowledge and skills that are required for the job). Providing accommodation doesn’t weaken a process’ academic standards or integrity nor does it compromise the essential elements of a curriculum. An accommodation levels the playing field by providing an alternative way of accomplishing the objectives and eliminating or reducing any disability-related barriers that exist. The learner’s need for accommodation will continue into the professional setting, and organizations should be prepared to assist such an employee by having an established process for evaluating that person’s needs and providing the appropriate accommodation.

Organizations don’t need to offer the most sophisticated accommodations or aids that are available. Instead, an accommodation must meet the needs of the learner effectively. Accommodation should be unique to each individual and his/her specific learning needs. Not all students who have a similar disability will benefit from an identical set of accommodations. The appropriateness of accommodation should be discussed with the person who is receiving it and be based on that person’s individual needs.

The ADA extends the educational requirement of reasonable accommodation into the workplace for all exams that are administered for professional purposes. Employers should consider accommodation as a way to ensure that all tests or examinations measure the ability of an individual to perform job functions rather than reflect the limitations that are caused by a learning disability.

Some of the most common testing accommodations that are offered to learners who have a disability are large-print exam booklets; screen-reading technology; scribes to transfer answers to a bubble sheet or to record dictated notes and essays; extended time; and distraction-free rooms.

Any additional accommodation that a student or qualified professional believes might be beneficial should be discussed with the employer to ensure the feasibility and practicality of the request.

Applying for accommodation

Under federal law, accommodation is required only for those who disclose their disability. In academia, these requests are handled by the school’s disability resources office. In the professional setting, the responsibility for determining the efficacy of accommodation falls to the employer, who is responsible for evaluating all requests and making an official determination that’s based on the information that’s provided. These requests often are handled by the human resources department, to ensure compliance with applicable laws and best practices.

Those who suspect that they have a learning disability should begin the process by speaking with their personal physician. Many learning disabilities can be identified through simple questionnaires. If further testing is needed, the physician will make the appropriate referrals. In the end, an employee who seeks accommodation should be able to present written evidence of the diagnosis(es) and any recommended accommodations. Copies of this documentation should be kept in the employee’s confidential file for future reference and should be discussed with trainers or instructors on a need-to-know basis.

Examples of appropriate documentation include recommendations of qualified professionals; proof of past testing accommodations; results of psycho-educational or other professional evaluations; and an applicant’s history of disability diagnosis.

Employers should remember that accommodation doesn’t give candidates an unfair advantage but adjusts the evaluation process to ensure that their ability is evaluated over their disability. This process is also mandated by the ADA, and a failure to provide reasonable accommodation could result in legal action.

Expanding the candidate pool

The fire service’s reliance on standardized written exams places unintended hurdles in front of those who have a learning disability, and many organizations lack the policies and procedures that are needed to ensure that candidates are evaluated equally. Organizations must understand the unintended consequences and be willing to make the adjustments that are needed to ensure that an equitable evaluation is provided. Because standardized written exams will continue to be part of the fire service, reasonable accommodation in testing ensures that all candidates are evaluated equally and that the best candidates are selected.