The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has taken a ‘woke’ diversity and inclusion push to a new level.
The agency’s website shows a direct appeal to recruiting workers who have “severe intellectual” disabilities in its hiring plan which asserts that “diversity is integral to achieving FAA’s mission of ensuring safe and efficient travel across our nation and beyond.”
“Our inclusive culture is defined by our values and we continuously seek employees from all backgrounds with distinctive ideas, perspectives, insights and talents. As our NextGen technology and systems continue to evolve to meet the aviation challenges of tomorrow, so must our workforce,” says the site for the FAA, the agency that is overseen by Secretary Pete Buttigieg’s Department of Transportation.
The initiative notes the inclusion of those with disabilities.
#NEW FAA’s Diversity and Inclusion division is now FOCUSED on hiring individuals with “severe intellectual” and “psychiatric” disabilities.
“Targeted disabilities are those disabilities that the Federal government, as a matter of policy, has identified for special emphasis in… pic.twitter.com/mmgyxnCI7O
— kagbro88 (@kagbro88) January 15, 2024
“Individuals with targeted or ‘severe’ disabilities are the most under-represented segment of the Federal workforce. The People with Disabilities Program (PWD) ensures that people with disabilities have equal Federal employment opportunities. The FAA actively recruits, hires, promotes, retains, develops and advances people with disabilities,” the site states.
“Targeted disabilities are those disabilities that the Federal government, as a matter of policy, has identified for special emphasis in recruitment and hiring. They include hearing, vision, missing extremities, partial paralysis, complete paralysis, epilepsy, severe intellectual disability, psychiatric disability and dwarfism,” the site continues.
While there is a reference to the hiring of disabled military veterans, the plan also notes hiring of “individuals with severe disabilities such as missing extremities, partial paralysis, complete paralysis, severe intellectual disability and psychiatric disability.”
Many have been vocally critical of the emphasis on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives by the agency and airline companies. Elon Musk posted a message on his X platform last week calling out Boeing which had all its flights grounded by the FAA after a door panel blew out on Alaska Airlines Flight 1282.
“Do you want to fly in an airplane where they prioritized DEI hiring over your safety?” the Tesla/Space X CEO wrote. “That is actually happening.”
Do you want to fly in an airplane where they prioritized DEI hiring over your safety? That is actually happening. https://t.co/FcTyzZD0uW
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 10, 2024
Musk also said he “could not believe this was happening” in response to an article about the hiring push.
“Compassion is one thing, common sense another,” actor James Woods wrote on X, also responding to the report. “At 35,000 feet, I’ll opt for common sense.”
“Unfortunately, identity politics is “creating opportunities for so-called oppressed groups by lowering standards for entry into those fields and thereby endangering the safety of those which it’s designed to serve. Some endeavors simply do not lend themselves to identity politics,” Dr. Stanley Goldfarb, a retired professor and the chair of Do No Harm, told Fox News Digital
The FAA responded to questions about the hiring plan from Fox News Digital.
“The FAA employs tens of thousands of people for a wide range of positions, from administrative roles to oversight and execution of critical safety functions. Like many large employers, the agency proactively seeks qualified candidates from as many sources as possible, all of whom must meet rigorous qualifications that of course will vary by position,” the agency said.
