A Career Path for Air Traffic Controllers with Disabilities
The FAA recently reached a milestone with its Aviation Development Program.
By Katerina Komninos, FAA
The FAA’s Aviation Development Program (ADP) flight plan is on track with the achievement of a significant milestone. In August 2021, one of the first three ADP candidates graduated from the FAA Academy and became an official air traffic control (ATC) trainee.
Twelve candidates are in the pipeline for the ADP, pending completion of the clearance process. Candidates must first pass the Air Traffic Skills Assessment (ATSA), followed by the security and medical clearance process.
Background
In early 2020, FAA staff offices collaborated to achieve two pressing goals — filling mission critical jobs and improving diversity within the air traffic control workforce.
The result is the agency’s Aviation Development Program, an innovative approach to opening doors for people who may otherwise lack access to career opportunities. The initiative offers Persons with Targeted Disabilities (PWTD) the opportunity to gain experience as air traffic controller trainees. Targeted disabilities may include partial and complete paralysis, missing extremities, dwarfism, and other conditions.
How it Began
The ADP was conceived when Terry Craft, Washington Dulles Air Traffic Manager, met Casey, a quadriplegic student attending a Collegiate Training Initiative (CTI) school. Though Casey was a student of aviation, he assumed people with his disability could not become an air traffic control specialist.
“The ‘aha’ moment cemented in my memory was seeing Casey climbing a tower staircase backward without his wheelchair,” said Craft. “I realized that we needed to create a path for people with physical disabilities. [Controllers] require cognitive ability, not necessarily physical mobility to do the job.”
Craft shared his idea with Vice President of Technical Operations Jeff Planty, who then co-created the new workforce development program.
“It took a lot of work and a lot of amazing people to get the program off the ground,” said Planty. “We are all glad to see its success and the opportunities it provides.”
In order to qualify for ADP, candidates must fulfill certain criteria, and ADP participants must meet the same qualifications as any other air traffic controller student. Those who demonstrate the aptitude and ability may receive an appointment to the FAA’s Air Traffic Control Academy and, upon graduation, an air traffic control specialist position.
If individuals meet the ADP requirements, they may begin their application process by building their candidate profiles. After reviewing the profile, the FAA will offer qualified applicants the opportunity to take the Air Traffic Skills Assessment, or ATSA. The agency will then appoint candidates who pass the ATSA — and subsequently receive FAA security/medical clearances — to temporary positions in aviation occupations.
After 12 to 18 months, ADP participants who demonstrate interest and aptitude may receive air traffic controller training at the FAA Academy in Oklahoma City, Okla. Graduates are then offered entry-level ATC positions at one of three Flight Service Stations in Alaska or one of 10 FAA en route centers. Participating centers are in Boston, Cleveland, Denver, Fort Worth, Jacksonville, Kansas City, Memphis, Minneapolis, Salt Lake City and Seattle.
“This program is important because it opens up opportunities in a career field that people with disabilities have had difficulty getting into for some time,” said Task Force Co-Chair Mike Looney, who leads recruitment for the program, “and it also gives the FAA the opportunity to be more inclusive in our mission critical occupations.”
