Anybody work for the govt?

Post Reply New Topic

I know the govt hires lots of people with physical disabilities, but do they make as much of an effort to hire aspies? I expect that there would be less cronyism than the private sector. I've come close to getting GS-11 positions based on education alone before but that was pre-diagnosis. Would it make a difference if I disclose on the next applications?

If I were you I would not disclose it. You don't have to and its really none of their business. My fiancé works for a govmnt agency and has not disclosed it.

I work for the U.S. federal government, and my agency doesn't.

My agency requires a security clearance so there is a background investigation performed on employees. I read that some employees were concerned of failing it because of a mental-illness history. However, it might of been an issue of embarrassment to have to acknowledge your mental history to security clearance investigators.



Definitely.



Huh? How does a diagnosis change your employability?

Where I work a GS11 position is nearly impossible to get for someone with no experience.



Why? You want favoritism ?

I don't see why. If you are applying for a high security clearance job than I would think it might be detriment.

I still don't get why have a dx of ASD changes anything. You are still you.

I'm not very emotive and many interviewers seem to dislike that. I've gotten lots of interviews over the past few years but I've never been chosen. Many of the times I've been told that I'm in the final pool of 2-4 applicants who are basically the same on paper. I think that I'm being edged out based on lack of visible emotion. Anything to counter that would be huge. I haven't had a full time job since 2009 or a part-time one since 2011. My folks are starting to turn on me so I'm looking for any advantage I can get. I've seen some job listings on USAJobs.gov that are highlighted as being specific for people with disabilities.

In case you were unaware the agency that manages federal employees is OPM.

Here is their website concerning disability, there is a Q/A Disability FAQ

http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversigh ... qs/?page=2

I'm hoping to. I heard there's a way you can get a job the non-competitive way called Schedule A Authority. God knows it would beat competing with 100 people for one position. Its brutal. I'm going down to the rehabilitation commission in my area soon to find out.

I'm stuck in Schedule A hell right now. I had to hop through loops of fire to get in contact with the disability recruiter. She asked me to disclose but said I didn't have to. I asked what the advantage would be and she said she'd be able to help me better. I disclose and am immediately told that they are a competitive hirer. What is the point of 1) having me disclose, and 2) having a disability recruiter if they don't do Schedule A? There are consulting agencies claiming they can get me hired there using schedule a yet they haven't been responsive either.

I work for New York City.

In most cases, I would not disclose. There's no benefit to it, and there are many potential pitfalls.

Like LoveNotHate said, a diagnosis alone does not determine your fitness for the job.

Having Asperger's actually increase your chances at success in some fields; however, NT's don't really know that. They think of people with Asperger's as being either savant geniuses, or prone to meltdowns. Knowledge of ASD's is really lacking.

If I would have disclosed when I was first hired, I'm sure they would have withdrawn the offer.

(It should be noted, however, that when I was hired here in 1980, there was no such thing as Asperger's Syndrome, although Asperger wrote his article in 1943).

My parents were career government employees and their advice for me to seek work in the government has led me to moving to the state that I can get my chem or bio engineering degree. There are many opportunities for industry scientists to do entry level work for the Food and Drug Admin, Dept of Agriculture, etc. it just takes doing internships during school.... so it's still the same path as competitive private industry employment.

The myth of easy entry level secretary type government work is still quite prevalent, in fact I was recently told that I could "go online and take a bunch of tests for government jobs" --yet those tests haven't been used for employment searches in decades!

The trend is to basically shuffle people along to different services telling them different misleading things, and Aspies we are a bit susceptible to this kind of misinformation because... well, why would someone want to mislead me!? I just need a straight answer and getting one from bureaucracies gives me a headache.

A couple of rules that have held true for me are: If they hire you fast, it's a crappy job; if they want money to help you find a job--they won't find you one but will still collect the fee; If it's a government agency you want help from, use an advocate or lawyer for "translation" so you don't take things literally.

Even if you're on welfare some employers only hire you to get a tax break then lower your hours to nothing.

The legitimate hire-people-with-disabilities companies like Aspire and Goodwill, require lengthy application and approval process and with Goodwill, there is a waiting list for potential employees. Schedule A is something brand-new to me, is it something to do with vocational rehab? I know they help with noncompetitive employment though there are very few positions available because each one requires a support worker (a friend of mine does this for a living, he made $9/hr this past winter doing this job and he has his master's degree in social work), so funding has to be there (for some states it just isn't there, they funnel all their fed money into food stamps, housing, shelters, etc.)

Hopefully I've given the info you're looking for, I have a lot of experience applying to gov't jobs and dealing with local agencies (as a "well-spoken, highly educated Aspie they cannot help" ) so FWIW I wish I could help people find jobs in the service industry--- although I wouldn't recommend it for every Aspie, it's good supported employment due to the highly organized structure of restaurants/hotels, etc.

https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversig ... -Authority

I work for the federal government (business analyst for Defense agency)

I would not hesitate to disclose a disability (physical or mental) when applying for a job.

The government actually wants to increase hiring for people with all types of disabilities.
And if you need accommodations, they are pretty good about it.

For example, I am on full time medical telework. I have been doing this for 4 years (been with govt for 23 years)

I can't tolerate the office environment. Everyone agrees this arrangement works.
I also recently requested an upgraded laptop with the best possible screen and a backlit keyboard. I just got word they are ordering it.

I can't speak for local or state government, but federal government has been good to me.

I didn't disclose any 'issues' when I applied, but that was in 1991

there is ONE portal for ALL US Govt jobs http://www.usajobs.gov
DO NOT PAY ANYONE TO HELP YOU GET IN. maybe some help with application, but this is how they hire
there are links for students and recent grads on that site.

I actually did take a civil service test in 1991 and got on a list for clerical jobs
My foot in the door job was as a clerk earning 13K a year. I'm now a GS11 step 8 and I have no college

Krakken - If you get an interview but don't get the job ask for feedback. I don't know about the US system but in NZ if you get interviewed for a govt job and don't get it you can ask for feedback and the agency has to provide it. I have don this after eveytime I've been interviewed and missed out; the feedback has been very useful for helping me prepare for future interviews,

I've been trying to get a Schedule A letter from counselor from a state agency and she seems to be doing everything possible to stand in the way. First she said she'd never heard of it. The next time I saw her (a couple of months later) she slipped and mentioned that she'd known about them for a long time. The next time we met she said that she wasn't able to "write" the letter (it's actually a form that she signs) because she lacked a certification necessary to do so. During that same meeting she consulted with other counselors over several things but still nothing involving my letter. I looked up the details and sent her several links to govt pages that explained that she was indeed qualified to write the letter. She emailed me back saying that she needed links to usajobs.gov for every opening that I was planning to apply to. It's total BS but I complied. The thing about Schedule A letters is that they're light on details, merely verify that you are considered disabled, and you only need one. She thinks it's her job to determine what I'm qualified for and should be allowed to apply for. She also thinks she has to write a new letter each job I apply for despite being told otherwise and being provided with documentation that proves me correct. I don't wanna have to file a complaint against her but if that's what it takes... I've seen about 8 great job openings that I'm qualified for expire. I applied anyway but in this environment you need an edge because without some kind of waiver you don't even get a chance to compete. There are so many unemployed vets. I don't know what her problem is but it's gotta be one of two things. She's either one of those people who refuses to sign things or it could be that I'd make close to six figures for some of these jobs if hired. Social workers don't make much. I'm getting impatient with her. There's a computer related temp job that I've found that would give me a security clearance which is a license to print money and I'm dead broke right now.

I have recently been offered a government position and I am also having a dilemma of whether or not to disclose. The job requires a lot of field work and as a result I have to pass a pre-employment physical. I am worried that if I don't disclose, I may encounter problems later on where I feel like I need to disclose and I may be fired for lying during the physical. However, I'm also worried that if I do disclose they will rescind the offer because I no longer meet their requirements. I am even more stressed out about this because it turns out they have some vision requirements for the position that I don't meet (and are honestly absurd for the position...), so I don't necessarily want them to know that I have multiple problems.

If you aren't getting some form of preference I wouldn't disclose if I were you.

I filed a complaint against my VR counselor and the person who responded to it was even more ignorant than her. He kept trying to talk over me as well. At one point he asked to pause so that he could actually read my file and my complaint! He was interviewing me completely ignorant of what my complaint was and my history with the organization which is why he was responding to complaints that I never had. Then he made excuses about how the VR counselor has to make sure that the job I'm applying to is appropriate. I shot that down. He said she'd have to write a letter for each job I apply to which is false. I shot that down too. After explaining that I need only one letter that I reuse he suddenly had to go. He said he has a meeting all day tomorrow so I won't hear back from him until Thursday. Then he said Thursday afternoon. Then he said he may not call me and that I should call him on Thursday afternoon if I don't hear back from him. FML.