AFGE, Women’s and Fair Practices Departments               

Survey for Workers with Disabilities

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NVP for Women and Fair Practices Andrea Brooks has heard the voice of AFGE members!  We are taking the challenge to hold the federal and D.C. governments accountable for their treatment of employees with disabilities and their failure to remove barriers to equal employment opportunities.  Please help us evaluate their treatment of workers and right these wrongs!  

If you would like to help please complete this survey and contact your District Women’s and Fair Practices’ Coordinators or the Women’s and Fair Practices Departments’ staff.

Special Instructions: 

            Please answer all the questions presented in sections A-G.  If any of the questions are not applicable or the answers are unknown, please place “N/A” in the appropriate place.  Send the completed survey by April 30, 2008 to eeo@afge.org , fax to 202-639-4112, or mail it to WFP, 80 F Street, N.W. Washington, D.C.  20001

Name: _______________________                    Work Phone: ________________________

AFGE Local No.:______________                     Home Phone: ________________________       

District ____      Agency ______________          Home Email Address: _________________

A.    General/Background Questions

1. Current job title: ________________________________

2. How many years have you been in your current position? _____   Current grade _____   Step _______

3. How many years have you been employed at that grade level?  _________  Your Gender ___________

4. Are you 40 years of age or older? _________   5.  What is your race/ethnicity? ___________________

6. Do you suffer from any type of disability? ____________

a.      If so, what is the nature of your disability? (optional) __________________________________________________________________________________

7.    Have you applied for a promotion within your position within the past five years? ___________________

a.   Have you received any promotions? _______________

b.      If not, when were you denied the promotion and for what grade level(s)?  _______________________

c.      If not, what was management’s reason for denying your promotion?_________________________________________________________________________

B.  Policies

1.       Does your agency have any written policies governing the employment of disabled individuals? (e.g.

          Reasonable Accommodations Policy). _____.  If so, please describe them:     

           ___________________________________________________________________________________

           ___________________________________________________________________________________

a.      If so, Please state how the policy defines “disabled” ______________________________________

 ___________________________________________________________________________________

2.   Are copies of the policies made available to all employees? _____   If so, in what format (online, hard

      copy, an alternative format for the disabled, etc.)?  _____________________________________________   

3.      Does your agency have an ADA office or a person responsible for implementing policies in furtherance

 of ADA enforcement?  _______   If so, please identify the person or office:  ______________________

     ______________________________________________________________________________________

      ______________________________________________________________________________________

       a. Is this person accessible to the employees? __________  If no, why not? ________________________

 _____________________________________________________________________________________

4.  Has the Union been involved in the policy implementation process? ________  If no, why not?     

       ____________________________________________________________________________________

        ____________________________________________________________________________________

5.      Are employees trained on or informed of  their rights and the agency’s obligations regarding disabilities issues or legal requirements? ______   If so, describe the training used or means of obtaining information:

      _____________________________________________________________________________________

      _____________________________________________________________________________________

6.       Is this policy implementation process effective? ______  If no, why not? __________________________

      _____________________________________________________________________________________

C.  Disability and Reasonable Accommodations

1.       Do you know the factors your agency considers when deciding if someone is disabled? ______  If yes,

        please describe: 

 _____________________________________________________________________________________

        _____________________________________________________________________________________

2.      Do you believe that disabled employees know that they may request an accommodation from management for their disability? ______   If no, why not? _____________________________________________________________________________________

      _____________________________________________________________________________________

3.      Do you know your agency’s procedures for requesting an accommodation? ________  If no, where can you go to get assistance? 

       _____________________________________________________________________________________

4.      Do you know what factors are considered when determining whether to provide a reasonable accommodation? _____     If so, please identify them: _____________________________________________________________________________________

      _____________________________________________________________________________________

5.      Do you know who determines whether to provide a request for a reasonable accommodation?  ____ If so, please state the name(s) of the person(s) or office. _____________________________________________________________________________________

       _____________________________________________________________________________________

6.      Please list the accommodations you know have been provided or denied to individuals with disabilities in the past?  _____________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

7.      On average, how long does your agency take to provide an accommodation? _____________________________________________________________________________________

      ______________________________________________________________________________________

8.      Do you know if any disabled employees in your agency have had to purchase their own equipment or supplies so that they could perform the essential functions of their position? ______ If so, describe the equipment or supplies.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

      _____________________________________________________________________________________

D.  Interaction with Management

1.    Are persons with disabilities hired, promoted, or rewarded with the same regularity as other non-disabled

       employees?  ______   If no, how are they treated differently?

       _____________________________________________________________________________________

      ______________________________________________________________________________________

2.      Do you know of any employee(s) with disabilities who have been placed on performance improvement plans or separated?  ______ If yes, provide the name(s) and whether your union was included in defending employee(s) in the process? __________________________________________________________________________________

             __________________________________________________________________________________

3.      Do you believe managers participate in back and forth conversations with any disabled employees to determine how to accommodate their medical appointments, and/or the accommodations they need to perform their job?   _______  If no, why not?_____________________________________________ 

             __________________________________________________________________________________

            a.  Is your union included in this process?  ______

E.  Access

1.  Are individuals with disabilities able to access your agency’s facilities? _____  If no, why not?

      __________________________________________________________________________________

2. Has your agency taken any steps to make the facilities accessible to disabled persons?_____ If so, what steps were taken?

       _________________________________________________________________________________

        ___________________________________________________________________________

F.  General

1. What is the agency’s attitude towards disabled employees? __________________________________________________________________________________

            ___________________________________________________________________________________

2. Do you know of employees with disabilities who have been mistreated by your agency?____________  Please explain. __________________________________________________________________________________

             __________________________________________________________________________________

3. Please list the disability issues that arise most frequently in your agency?  _______________________

       __________________________________________________________________________________

              __________________________________________________________________________________

4. Are issues relating to employees with disabilities kept confidential by the agency? ____ If no, why not? __________________________________________________________________________________

             __________________________________________________________________________________

5. Does your agency treat employees with physical disabilities differently than employees with mental disabilities? ________  Please explain.

       __________________________________________________________________________________

              __________________________________________________________________________________

6. Does your agency treat employees with existing disabilities different than employees who developed disabilities later in life?  _____ Describe how they are treated differently

       __________________________________________________________________________________

              __________________________________________________________________________________

G.  Reports

1. Does your agency report to the EEOC about its EEO programs? (e.g., MD 715, EEOC Form 462). _____   a.  If so, do you have a copy of them ________  b.  Have you asked for copies?  ________

      If  NOT, ASK!

Thanks for helping us help you!