Ability at work 
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> Ability at work > Issues for people with disability in staff selections > 13. How do I make the decision? > Next: What feedback should I give?
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How do I make the decision?
Determining relative merit is not a simple, mechanistic process that tots up the scores of each individual applicant against each of the selection criteria based on what they report. It often requires considered judgement and subtlety in approach.
For example, the working history and achievements of a person with disability may have been affected negatively by illness which may or may not now be under control.
The task faced in a selection process is to assess the relative merit of the person, that is, their capacity to perform the duties of the position, as it now exists. Assessing the past performance of any applicant is often a matter of fine judgement. Selection panels and delegates will need to act with care to ensure that they have achieved the right balance where that performance may have been affected by an applicant’s disability. It is appropriate to take into account the past performance of each applicant, but the achievements of a person should be considered having regard to their full circumstances, including the impact of any such disability. However, their current and projected capacity should be assessed having regard to what they can do now and into the future assuming proper reasonable adjustment.
This may mean, for example, accepting as a form of reasonable adjustment that some employees are at relatively high risk of illness over time, and associated unpredictable absences. That is true for a whole range of employees, only some of whom have a disability. On the other hand, it is not true for every person with disability. As shown elsewhere in this toolkit, there is little evidence to suggest that, on average, people with disability are less productive than other members of the workforce.
Overhead Slide 10
Have I got the right person?
Have I looked carefully at the claims of all the applicants and considered those claims in context?
Have I given the right weight to non-work experience?
Am I sure that I could justify my decision to anyone who asks me about it?
