Tuesday, March 5, 2024

Valid WA State driver's license required, round n+1

 One of RantWoman's frequent media streams is job posting, OFTEN in the transportation or public transit sector that, as part of job requirements, say "Valid WA State driver's license required. Translating into RantWoman terms, this means :"must make an ADA reasonable accomodations request just to apply and then must demonstrate that one can satisfy the "essential job requirements." 


In the most recent case, RantWoman looked at the job description, determined that the job will probably involve situations that might require more transportation than showing up to an office, and made a snarky post on X / Twitter about the job perhaps having some "eat your own dog food" aspects as far as creativity about multiple transportation options. Now RantWoman gets to decide whether she has the guts to apply, if not for the immediate permanent position perhaps because of the "recruiting for a pool that may involve short-term positions.


RantWoman has in fact held a driver's license. In every state where she has ever had a license, there has been some kind of notation such as "must wear corrective lenses" or "must have a rear-view mirror on the side of the vehicle where she sees badly." Now, though, RantWoman's driver's license record says "medical suspension.: This is what happens when one goes to renew one's driver's license with an undiagnosed medical issue in her better eye and then decides after the automatic one-year suspension that there is no magic wand available that would justify trying to revisit the issue. 


Now RantWoman tends to walk into meetings, sow confusion pairing white cane and eyeglasses, and say things like "I don't drive...anymore, but this sounds really confusing." in that case the traffic engineer concurred and RantWoman added the location to her list of places she might discourage infrequent senior drivers from trying to figure out.. RantWoman also learned a while ago from RantMom that a few months before his death, Grandpa Farmer was told by his doctor that because of gout-related shakiness, he could no longer drive. Grandpa Farmer lived in a small town in SW CO with no public transportation. The fact that he could no longer drive up a hill to visit his sister was devastating. In other words, besides lots of youth who grow up with vision impairments, non-driver status happens for many different reasons.


RabtWoman digresses. Back to the original job description and current job application fashion about asking applicants to perform some increment of topical work for free.


RantWoman's first question: why should non-drivers be the only applicants who have explicitly to think about getting around without driving? In fact, RantWoman MIGHT think to dream up an interview scenario for EVERYONE. Imagine a situation that would involve some kind of transportation emergency, lack of a drivable vehicle, need for a wheelchair user to travel, disruption in some major transportation choke point, multiple Sound Transit elevators deciding they just are not interested in people's transportation needs for the day, and perhaps something else to amplify the crisis level such as a major event or large international delegation in town. Open Book test: take two hours. Solve the immediate need to be somewhere or to suggest enough audio / visual wizardry to meet the communications need, develop steps to address the crisis and decide on public statements.


If RantWoman were doing especially well about out of the box thinking RantWoman might add a supplemental question such as "if any of the needed travel segments involve either flying carpets or Mary Poppins umbrellas, please be prepared to discuss technological, regulatory, and budget considerations that could make that idea fly.


Presto, equal opportunity job interview for everyone.


Now, will RantWoman or will she not apply?????

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