Role Analysis is a VVT service that goes beyond the technical evaluation of the accessibility of a disabled employee’s computer applications (see Access Analysis). Role Analysis assesses the full spectrum of requirements for an individual to successfully perform their job and then maps these requirements to the disabled employees skill set. This may involve redefining some job tasks. A key element in Role Analysis is to recognize that what matters is that redefined tasks can often be more compatible with the disabled employee’s skill set and still accomplish the desired job goals. The need for the disabled employee to continue to operate as a full member of the departmental team is never overlooked or sacrificed.
Role Analysis starts with a careful review of the tasks that currently define the employee’s Job Description. Based on this job description and in consultation with all available HR, Training, Technical and Supervisory staff, the Role Analysis begins. The analysis is an accessibility study of every aspect of a given vocational role, encompassing all duties and responsibilities. All high, low, and no-tech components of every workflow in the job will be assessed for accessibility. Considerations may include all incoming and outgoing paper workflow requirements, telephony, common area informational displays, and physical plant accessibility. A full Role Analysis may also take advantage of one or several Access Analyses to determine the accessibility/usability of the employee’s current suite of software applications.
When the analysis of current tasks is complete, a training plan is developed for those tasks that are defined to be amenable to technological accommodation such as the use of a screen reader. Tasks that are not felt to be subject to retraining are then further reevaluated in concert with the employee, supervisory staff and HR staff to explore a redefinition of job tasks to alternate tasks that will accomplish the desired job goals. As an example, if the employee currently uses graphical software to monitor incoming calls and this software cannot be made accessible, the employee can often monitor these calls the old fashioned way, listening to calls and generating equivalent non-graphical reports. As another example, if an employee supervises a dozen direct reports, this level could be reduced, short term, to a half dozen direct reports and the level then increased gradually as the employee gains confidence in the new tools they are using to interact with their direct reports and peers.
No employer wants to lose a productive employee. It is cost effective for the employer to pursue retraining and, if necessary, task redefinition rather than the recruiting, screening, training and job orientation associated with the hire of a new employee. Role Analysis, usually in concert with Access Analysis, provides comprehensive approach to developing a plan that brings disabled employees back to previous levels of individual production and team efficiency, or can successfully bring a new hire on-board, seamlessly integrating them into existing teams.
