Wanted: Accessibility Coordinator--with Driver's license

RantWoman likes to think of herself as calm, grounded, reflective, slow to become irate, focussed. RantWoman, to be honest, is not necessarily interested in her readers' suspicions to the contrary. Nor, is RantWoman necessarily delighted to have such a rich variety of opportunities to thoroughly test this self image.

One of RantWoman's frequent flyer themes in the realm of opportunities to become irate is the juxtaposition, with slight variations, in job descriptions:

·-Valid Washington driver's license or ability to obtain upon employment.

--Erstwhile potential employer is an equal opportunity employer (EOE). We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, creed,sex, sexual orientation, disability, familial status, marital status, and age. All interested candidates are encouraged to apply. Persons of disability needing assistance in the application process, or those needing this announcement in alternative format, should call (360) 236-5073.

Consider the following actual job posting from RantWoman's very own state government, a function RantWoman heartily endorses. RantWoman is quite sure the critical activity described can be elegantly accomplished without the successful applicant having a driver's license. RantWoman further understands that the job as described likely will involve a lot of travel and meeting with people, and RantWoman unquestionably knows people who would find both hard. HOWEVER, RantWoman freely admits she finds it hard to have much confidence in the "EOE" claim if the first thing she would have to do to apply is to make a reasonable accommodation request related to a poorly worded job requirement or, worse yet, an electronic application that could screen out people who do not provide the desired driver's license number!



RantWoman is posting most of an email from a lovely articulate RantFriend who shares RantWoman's point of view:


Accessibility Coordinator Employment Opportunity
Hello,
...
I notice that one of the "REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS" is a "Valid Washington driver’s license or ability to obtain upon employment." But, I think that anyone who is otherwise qualified for this position would have a valid reason for arguing that she or he could utilize alternative means of transportation to do the job quite adequately. I sincerely hope that someone with a visual impairment who is qualified and motivated will apply for this job.


February 04, 2010 11:09 AM
Subject: FW: Accessibility Coordinator Employment Opportunity
Good Morning!
I am forwarding the Accessibility Coordinator recruitment announcement.Please feel free to forward this to anyone that might be interested in this position.
Here is an excerpt from the announcement:The Accessibility Coordinator is responsible to manage voter accessibilityissues surrounding voter education, voter registration and HAVA grants tosupport a statewide effort to help counties make election’s more accessiblefor individuals with disabilities. The Accessibility Coordinator reviewscounty practices for adherence to state and federal accessibility laws andbest practices, provides essential tools for election administrators throughofficial communications and community forums, and acts as liaison for theOffice of the Secretary of State.

To: OSOSSubject: Accessibility Coordinator Employment Opportunity
The Office of the Secretary of State, Elections Division is recruiting forone project- permanent, full-time Accessibility Coordinator (ProgramSpecialist 4). The project is expected to last through August 31, 2012.This is a direct employment opportunity and the recruitment announcement maybe viewed at: http://www.sos.wa.gov/office/employment.aspx; chooseAccessibility Coordinator (10 PS4 EL P092). This position is currently funded by federal Help America Vote Act (HAVA) funds. Thank you.


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Elections Division
ACCESSIBILITY COORDINATOR
Direct Employment Opportunity
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Recruitment Number: 10 PS4 EL P092
Classification: Program Specialist 4 (107K)
Status: Full-Time, Project-Permanent
Location: Olympia, WA
Salary: $3819 to $5010 per month (Range 55)
Posting Date: February 4, 2010
Closing Date: February 19, 2010
This recruitment will be used to fill this position only. Applications willbe reviewed upon receipt. The hiring authority reserves the right and mayexercise the option to make a hiring decision at any time. It will be tothe applicant’s advantage to submit materials as soon as possible.
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AGENCY PROFILE
Headed by an elected state official, the Office of the Secretary of State isresponsible for administering elections within the state, registeringcorporations and charities that do business within the state, collecting andpreserving the records of governmental bodies within the state, andmaintaining the Washington State Library. The agency also administers theAddress Confidentiality Program, the Productivity Board, and the LegacyProgram. Visit our website at: http://www.sos.wa.gov/.

POSITION SUMMARY
The mission of the Elections Division is to maximize citizen access tocomprehensive, timely, and accurate election related information, to supportthe conduct of elections at the county level, and to establish uniformstandards in the critical areas of election administration. It is thepolicy of the state of Washington to encourage every eligible person toregister to vote and to participate fully in all elections and to protectthe integrity of the electoral process by providing equal access to theprocess.

Within the Voter Services Program, the Accessibility Coordinator isresponsible to manage voter accessibility issues surrounding votereducation, voter registration and HAVA grants to support a statewide effortto help counties make election’s more accessible for individuals withdisabilities. The Accessibility Coordinator reviews county practices foradherence to state and federal accessibility laws and best practices,provides essential tools for election administrators through officialcommunications and community forums, and acts as liaison for the Office ofthe Secretary of State.

This position is assigned to the HAVA Accessibility Project #PE-3007 whichis currently funded through 8/31/2012.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS
· Four years of full-time (40 hours per week) paid or volunteerexperience working on disability or senior citizen issues as part of acommunity organization or advocacy agency; A Bachelor’s degree involvingmajor studies in public relations, communications, social work, psychologyor related field may be substituted for up to two years of experience
· One year of full-time (40 hours per week) experience using standardoffice software products such as Microsoft Office Suite (Outlook, Word,Excel, PowerPoint) to: compose, send and respond to electronic mail, createcalendar appointments and send meeting requests; create and edit documents,tables and graphs; create complex spreadsheets; import data from othersources
· Six months of full-time (40 hours per week) experience preparingand delivering formal presentations to small and large groups
· Experience conducting research in order to produce a summary reportwhich includes results, lessons learned and suggestions
· Valid Washingtlicense or ability to obtain upon employmenton driver’s
· Willing to travel in and out of state, staying overnight onnumerous county visits; Weekend and overnight travel may be required
· Ability to work irregular hours and weekends, as needed
· Ability and willingness to move and maneuver objects weighingapproximately 25 pounds with or without reasonable accommodation
· Ability to handle highly stressful or adverse situations, solveproblems, make good decisions, work calmly and accurately, help to calmothers and resolve conflicts

Required experience may be gained concurrently.

DESIRABLE QUALIFICATIONS
· A Bachelor’s degree involving major studies in public relations,communications, social work, psychology or related field
· Ability to represent an elected official or politician in acompetent, confident, and professional manner while maintaining the higheststandards of honesty, integrity, loyalty, confidentiality and ethics
· Knowledge of federal and state election law
· Knowledge of federal grant management policies and procedures

COMPENSATION
$3819 - $5010 per month, depending on qualifications. Washington Stateoffers a full benefits package that includes health, life, and long termdisability insurance; paid vacation, sick, and military leave; optionalcredit unions, savings bonds, and deferred compensation plans; eleven paidholidays; and a public employees’ retirement plan.

APPLICATION PROCESS
To be considered for this position, please submit:
1. A letter of interest describing how your experience and qualifications relate to the position summary and required and desirable qualifications
2. A completed employment applicationhttp://www.sos.wa.gov/office/docs/OSOSEmploymentApplication.doc
3. A current resume with three professional references and contactinformation including a statement from you granting permission to contact
4. Voluntary completion of the applicant profile data form is appreciated http://www.sos.wa.gov/office/docs/ApplicantProfileDataForm.doc
5. Submit electronically to: recruitment@sos.wa.gov, indicating 10 PS4EL P092 on the subject line; Electronic submission (e-mail) is preferred &original signatures are not required; Alternatively, you may submit yourmaterials via US Mail: Office of the Secretary of State, Recruitment, PO Box40227, Olympia, WA 98504 or fax to: (360) 236-5075

Note: The act of submitting application materials is considered affirmation that the information provided is complete and truthful. You understand that the state may verify information and that untruthful or misleading information is cause for removal from applicant pool or dismissal if employed.

The Office of the Secretary of State is an equal opportunity employer (EOE).We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, creed,sex, sexual orientation, disability, familial status, marital status, andage. All interested candidates are encouraged to apply. Persons ofdisability needing assistance in the application process, or those needingthis announcement in alternative format, should call (360) 236-5073.