Diversity and Analysis: Recruitment of Candidates with Disabilities - 24/5th September 2018 - Brussels

1. Title goes in here Diversity and Analysis – Recruitment of Candidates with Disabilities 24/5th September 2018 Brussels

2. What I will cover • Introduction to the PAS and how we use Psychometric Testing • Background to recruiting candidate’s with disabilities including legislative context • Competition profiles and performance - themes observed • Learning and going forward

3. Introduction • Review the performance of candidates with a range of disabilities on 2 entry-level, large volume campaigns for the Irish civil service • Compare performance of disabled and non-disabled candidates on psychometric tests • Evaluate the performance of candidates with differentdisabilities and accommodations provided.

4. Background – Who we are • The Public Appointments Service (PAS) is the independent centralised recruitment, assessment and selection body for the Civil Service, Health Service, Local Authorities, the Garda Síochána, Prison Service and other public sector bodies in Ireland. The work of PAS ranges from traditional large volume recruitment and selection competitions, administrative, technical and professional positions to tailored selection processes for senior professional and management positions. In addition PAS plays an important role in the implementation of Government policy on appointments to State Boards.

5. Our Vision & Values Through our professionalism and excellence, we work in partnership with clients, attracting and engaging great people to the Irish public service.

6. Background - Rationale • Irish Equality legislation – Employment Equality Act 1998-2015, Disability Act 2005 • Comprehensive Employment Strategy 2015 – 2024 • 3-6% target for the employment of people with disabilities in the Irish public sector • Best practice in recruitment and selection • Highly trained and educated source of labour that is frequently untapped

7. Irish Equality Legislation • Employment Equality Acts 1998 – 2015 • Aim to • Promote equality • Ban discrimination across nine grounds • Ban sexual or other harassment • Ban victimisation • Make sure suitable facilities for people with disabilities are available in relation to access to employment, advancing in employment and taking part in training • Allow positive action to ensure everyone gets full equality across the nine grounds, one of which is disability • Employers may not discriminate against employees or potential employees on the basis of any of 9 grounds

8. Irish Equality Legislation • What is discrimination? • Discrimination occurs where, because of any one of the 9 grounds, a person is treated less favourably than another person is, has been or would be treated in a comparable situation. The Act applies to all employees and to applicants for employment and training except where an exemption applies under the relevant ground.

9. Irish Equality Legislation • Positive action • Employers can take steps that are not required under the law to promote equality for all their workers. It would be positive action if an Employer took measures to attract employees with disabilities – therefore, under the legislation it is possible to runa recruitment competition specifically for candidates with disabilities (e.g. 1999 and 2007) • The Acts oblige employers to make reasonable accommodations for people with disabilities. This means that they must make reasonable arrangements that will enable a person who has a disability to have equal opportunities when applying for work. • Reasonable accommodations does not mean that an employer has to recruit, promote, retain or provide training to a person who does not have the capacity to do a particular job.

10. Range of Disabilities • Cerebral Palsy Visually Impaired • Depression Wheelchair user • Diabetes Not Specified • Autism Spectrum Medical condition • Epilepsy Multiple disabilities • Head Injury • Hearing Impaired • Specific Learning Difficulty (e.g. Dyslexia) (largest group) • Mental Health difficulties/issues • Multiple Sclerosis • Muscular • Other • Paraplegic • Spina Bifida

11. Identifying candidate’s needs • Needs Identification Questionnaire available at application stage • Candidates send in medical/psychologist report • Consult with candidate • Reviewed by Occupational Psychologist • Decide on appropriate measures (time/format etc) • Invite candidate to attend (reassure) • Database of candidates - GDPR

12. Typical Accommodations • Braille, JAWS, Large Print, CCTV and zoom text • Text and paper colour • 1-1 sessions/small group sessions, Sign Interpreters • Large desks and level access for wheelchair users • Breaks during test sessions • Suitable lighting, flooring, space (Autism friendly room) • Mobile hearing loop (T-loop) • Reader, Scribe • Screen Reader for dyslexic candidates • Extra Time – Time + 1/6, ¼, ½ , 1, unlimited • Room beside toilets • Candidates with multiple disabilities (needs) may get additional accommodations e.g. additional time for each disability

13. Facilities at the PAS • Trained staff in disability awareness and testing / interviewing candidate’s with disabilities • Disability “Champion” • Website – web-pages for candidates with disabilities, Charter, Questionnaire , W3C AA, Building guide • Designated room for testing candidates with disabilities • Appropriate Technology – JAWS, Zoom text, large monitor, Braille , hearing loop etc • Braille throughout the testing suite on signs e.g. at lifts, restaurant • Close working relationship with National Council for the Blind in Ireland • WAM award (Willing Able and Mentoring) – Graduate programme for candidates with disabilities

14. Facilities at the PAS Facilities for candidates with autism • Website – social story , guide to the building • Autism-friendly interview and testing rooms • Autism friendly quiet room • Close working relationship with AsIAm a charity/advocacy group for people with autism • https://www.publicjobs.ie/documents/Accessible_Building_Guide.pdf

15. Competitions • Clerical Officer (Nationwide) 2016-8 (n=29811 applied) • Executive Officer (Nationwide) 2016-8 (n=15874 applied)

16. Most common disabilities for 2016-8 large volume campaigns – CO and EO (n=604) • Specific Learning Difficulty (e.g. Dyslexia) 197 (33%) • Other 136 (23%) • Hearing Impaired 81 (13%) • Physical 46 (8%) • Visual 46 (8%) • Cerebral Palsy 41 (7%) • Mental Health 38 (6%) • Multiple Sclerosis 19 (3%)

17. Overview of the Clerical Officer Campaign • Stage 1 Online unsupervised tests • (Part A) Assessment Questionnaire • (Part B) Aptitude Tests (Verbal Reasoning, Numerical Reasoning) • Stage 2 Online Supervised Tests • Verbal Reasoning • Numerical Reasoning • Stage 3 Interview

18. Overview of the Clerical Officer Campaign

19. Clerical Officer –Candidate performance on stage 1 aptitude tests • Candidate performance overall (n=18760) • Performance of candidates with disabilities(n=408 = 2.2%)

20. Clerical Officer – Profile of candidates on Stage 1 Tests • On average candidates with disabilities doing less well – but this is not an homogenous group and some candidates doing better than the overall group • Review of performance of candidates with the disabilities listed previously showed areas for improvement and areas where we are doing well.

21. Clerical Officer – Profile of candidates with disabilities on Stage 1 Tests • Candidates with a specific learning difficulty (e.g. Dyslexia) generally provided with extra time (Time + 1/6 or ¼), reader/scribe, use of technology where appropriate • Candidates with a specific learning difficulty (e.g Dyslexia) perform on a par with the overall population (average score verbal = 5341; average score numerical = 5107) once accommodations are provided • Candidates with a visual impairment are provided with a range of accommodations including extra time (double or time + 1/2) Screen Reader, Scribe, Zoom Text, Large Print, CCTV, Large Monitor etc • Candidates with a visual impairment performed better than the main candidate group with average score for the verbal = 5687 and for the numerical = 5272 • Average for overall group • Verbal = 5376 • Numerical = 5009

22. Clerical Officer – Profile of candidates with disabilities on Stage 1 Tests • Candidates with a hearing impairment are given time and a half to do the tests and are provided with a sign interpreter/lip reader, small group or 1-1 if required • Candidates with a hearing impairment not doing as well as the overall group (verbal average score = 4882 and numerical average score = 4687) • Candidates with a physical disability given a range of accommodations depending on the disability – the range of disabilities can be very varied in this category such as paraplegic, wheelchair user, muscular, head injury, spina bifida • Candidates with a physical disability not doing as well as the other groups with (verbal average score = 4787 and numerical average score = 4684) • Average for overall group • Verbal = 5376 • Numerical = 5009

23. Changes to be implemented – CO campaign • Review accommodations for candidates with hearing impairment for CO • Review accommodations for candidates with a physical disability • Flexibility around accommodations for conditions such as dyslexia essential

24. Overview of the EO Campaign • Stage 1 Online unsupervised tests • (Part A) Assessment Questionnaire • (Part B) Aptitude Tests (Verbal Reasoning, Numerical Reasoning) • Stage 2 Online Supervised Tests • Verbal Reasoning • Numerical Reasoning • Stage 3 Interview & etray exercise The etray is a computer based job simulation exercise. During the exercise a realistic scenario is created in which candidates receive e mails, documents and phone calls which they must respond to. Candidates have 20 minutes to read the background materials and then have 60 minutes to complete the exercise.

25. Overview of the Executive Officer Campaign

26. Executive Officer – Candidate performance on stage 1 aptitude tests • Candidate performance overall (n=11412) • Performance of candidates with disabilities(n=266 – 2.3%)

27. Executive Officer – Profile of candidates with disabilities on Stage 1 Tests • Candidates with a specific learning difficulty (e.g Dyslexia) do better than the overall population on the numerical test with the average score being 49.47 but less well on the verbal test with the average score being 45.89 • Candidates with a visual impairment performed better than the main candidate group with average score for the verbal = 56.83 and for the numerical = 52.65 • Candidates with a hearing impairment performed less well on both tests (verbal average score = 44.94 and numerical average score = 47.27) • Average for overall group • Verbal = 50.28 • Numerical = 47.31

28. Changes to be implemented – EO campaign • Review accommodations for candidates with dyslexia on the verbal test for the EO tests • Review accommodations for candidates with a hearing impairment

29. Learning – Candidates with a hearing impairment • Review accommodations for candidates with hearing impairment for both CO and EO • Relationship between language and thought and the ability to learn a language when hearing impaired – particularly congenital • Awareness of the extent of lip reading – very common amongst the deaf community

30. Learning – Candidates with a learning disability • Review accommodations for candidates with dyslexia on verbal only • Psychologists use a wide range of tests to measure dyslexia – reports highlight that learning disabilities are very much dependent on the individual – all candidates must be assessed on an individual case-by-case basis • Scanning pen

31. Learning – Candidates with a visual impairment • Improvements to be made to application forms for visually impaired candidates • Previous move away from Braille has changed and visually impaired people are now being taught through Braille instead of screen readers – which will mean a requirement of Braille versions of the tests • New visual aides – e.g. monitor arm • New technologies – improvements in CCTV and Zoom text (with screen reader packages) • Percentage of vision helps to understand what a person can see and how their disability impacts on their ability to do the test • In Ireland, you can be registered blind if you have 10% vision • Increased time allowance for some candidates who previously would have got less time due to Large print and “some vision”

32. Learning – Candidates with a Physical impairment • Continue to review each case on an individual basis but learn more on how different disabilities impact on test performance • Would likely include more time to do the tests for candidates with a physical impairment • Review performance of candidates with a physical impairment on other tests and campaigns

33. Overall Learning • Test publishers – some better than others • Need to attract more candidates to civil/public service who have a disability – only small percentage currently apply • Assignments • Requirements for the role and disability e.g. garda and defence forces • Improvements made for candidates with disabilities can be improvements for all candidates! e.g. story board • We are continuously learning about assessing candidates with disabilities

34. Information of interest • A lot of repeat applications from candidates with disabilities – we have developed good relationships with people with disabilities and representative groups • A lot of time and attention is required to manage people with disabilities in the selection process – careful planning and working with people and organisations (e.g. NCBI) • We have developed numerical reasoning tests specifically for candidates with visual impairments so that they can access them easily – e.g. they have no charts or tables • Need to balance the facilitation of candidates with disabilities and ensuring that the rest of the group is not disadvantaged.

35. Thank You Any Questions?