FAA’s Diversity Push Receives Massive Backlash, Mockery

(UnitedVoice.com) – The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is responsible for the well-being of plane travelers. That’s millions of people every single month. For that reason, one of its diversity policies is receiving pushback from the American people.

Like other federal agencies, the FAA is pushing diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies. According to its website, it has a program to target prospective employees with disabilities. The website states that people who have “targeted or ‘severe’ disabilities are the most under-represented segment of the Federal workforce.”

The agency defines a “targeted” disability as someone who is missing a limb, paralyzed, epileptic, hearing impaired, visually impaired, or has other issues, including a “severe intellectual disability [or] psychiatric disability.”

Rep. Jeff Van Drew (R-NJ) spoke to Fox News Digital about the initiative and said that he just wants the FAA to hire people who are qualified for the job and “who will best protect our airspace, ensuring that we are all safe.” He went on to say the federal agency should not be “politically correct.”

“Libs of TikTok” claimed the policy is going to get people killed. Elon Musk said he had a “conversation with some smart people” who couldn’t believe that was a policy. Former vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin asked the FAA to be “more specific.”

Uh, #FAA can you be more specific? #DEI @PeteButtigieg #InclusionTakenTooFar ? #AirlineSafety #TransportationSafety pic.twitter.com/cOeSu1NOUd

— Sarah Palin (@SarahPalinUSA) January 15, 2024

While the FAA doesn’t explicitly state what position people with severe disabilities would fill, the website does state that the agency will provide “reasonable accommodation.” Under federal law, a reasonable accommodation is a modification or adjustment that is “feasible” or “plausible” and “seems reasonable on its face.”

For example, a hearing impaired person can use a teletypewriter or relay service. The law also states employers aren’t required to eliminate a fundamental duty of a position to accommodate someone with a disability. In other words, Americans don’t have to worry that a blind person may have inspected their plane.