"Be Counted!" - Encouraging Employees with Disabilities to Self-Identify

Today, smart businesses take steps to foster flexible, inclusive cultures where all employees — including those with disabilities — feel comfortable bringing their "whole selves" to work. By eliminating fear of discrimination, such "disability-friendly" workplaces can help boost productivity and morale, at both the individual and organizational levels.

Key to this inclusion strategy — particularly for federal contractors subject to Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act — is inviting job applicants and employees to voluntarily self-identify if they have a disability. After all, many disabilities are not visible to the eye, so collecting this information is essential to helping federal contractors measure their progress toward meeting their goals under the law.

But some employees with disabilities might need some convincing. They may need to be reminded that self-identifying is a good thing, and that the information they volunteer cannot be used against them or shared with their supervisor or co-workers. More importantly, they need an understanding of the key role that self-identifying plays in ensuring equal employment opportunity for people with disabilities.

To assist on this front, the Labor Department's Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs has released a short online video titled "Disability Inclusion Starts with You." Employers that do business with the federal government — including small business contractors — can download and post this video on their Intranet or company websites, and share it with employees and job applicants who may be reluctant to self-identify. The simple tool encourages employees with disabilities to "be counted." It reinforces the notion that increasing the representation of people with disabilities in the workplace is the goal — and that achieving it starts with them.


Source: Department of Labor

Education Department Awards Grants to Improve Employment Opportunities for Individuals with Disabilities

The U.S. Department of Education's Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services has announced more than $12.6 million in grants to help people with disabilities become self-sufficient, live independently and participate fully in their communities. Among the programs that will receive funding are the American Indian Vocational Rehabilitation Services program and the Career Pathways for Individuals with Disabilities projects, which address the problems of employers’ being able to find employees with necessary skills and people with disabilities being unable to find employment.

For information about other types of government grants visit: Disability.gov’s Guide to Federal Government Grants

$8.4M in continued funding to improve employment opportunities for people with disabilities

The U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Disability Employment Policy today announced a total of $8,422,574 in continued funding for organizations that develop models, provide technical assistance and share best practices to improve employment opportunities for people with disabilities.

"Individuals with disabilities have skills and experiences that employers need," said U.S. Secretary of Labor Thomas E. Perez. "These federal grants will help connect these workers with employers and put them on the path to economic self-sufficiency."

The recipients and the amount of funding they are receiving are:

• The Add Us In initiative will receive a total of $2,774,116. The eight recipients who are participating in this initiative are: 1) the National Organization on Disability in New York; 2) The WorkPlace Inc. in Bridgeport, Connecticut; 3) the TransCen Inc. in Rockville, Maryland; 4) the University of Illinois at Chicago in Chicago; 5) the University of Missouri — Kansas City in Kansas City, Missouri; 6) The University of Oklahoma in Norman, Oklahoma; 7) the Integrated Recovery Network in Los Angeles and 8) the World Institute on Disability in Berkeley, California. Each of the recipients is leading a consortium working to identify and develop strategies to increase the capacity of small businesses, including those in underrepresented and historically excluded communities, to employ youth and young adults with disabilities.
• The West Virginia University Research Corp. in Morgantown, W.Va., is receiving $2,499,901 to operate the Job Accommodation Network. JAN is a free and confidential consulting service that provides individualized worksite accommodation solutions and technical assistance spanning the complete range of disabilities and job functions to ensure compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act and other disability-related legislation. It also provides information about self-employment and small business ownership opportunities for individuals with disabilities.
• The Institute for Educational Leadership in the District of Columbia is receiving $1,099,984 to operate the National Collaborative on Workforce and Disability for Youth. These funds will be used to continue the center's work building capacity within and across youth service delivery systems to improve employment and postsecondary education outcomes for youth with disabilities. The center will have three areas of focus going forward: 1) career exploration, management and planning; 2) youth development and leadership; and 3) professional development.
• The National Disability Institute in the District of Columbia is receiving $1,098,573 to operate the National Center on Leadership for Employment and Advancement of Citizens with Disabilities. These funds will support the LEAD Center's ongoing efforts to conduct policy and research initiatives focused on improving employment outcomes and economic advancement for individuals with disabilities. Additionally, these resources will enable the LEAD Center to continue developing policies and guidance on best practices in retention and return-to work, customizing employment, and conducting policy analysis to ensure that American Job Centers nationwide are able to effectively serve job seekers with disabilities.
• The Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Technology Society of North America in Arlington, Virginia, is receiving $950,000 to operate ODEP's Partnership on Employment and Accessible Technology. PEAT is a multifaceted initiative working to advance the employment, retention and career advancement of people with disabilities through the development, adoption and promotion of accessible technology.

Source: DOL

This information is intended to be educational and should not be considered legal advice on any specific matter.

President Includes Workers with Disabilities in Executive Order Increasing Minimum Wage for Federal Contractors

President Barack Obama has signed an Executive Order (EO) increasing the minimum wage for new federal contracts to $10.10 an hour, beginning January 1, 2015. The EO also changes the current law that allows federal contract workers with disabilities to be paid less than those without disabilities who are doing the same job. Under the Order, all federal contractors will be covered by minimum wage protections. Some examples of the hardworking people who would see their wages go up under this EO include nursing assistants providing care to our Veterans at nursing homes, concessions workers in National Parks, people serving food to our troops, and individuals with disabilities working to maintain the grounds on military bases.
 
Read President Obama's remarks before signing the minium wage Executive Order.

Source: White House

This information is intended to be educational and should not be considered legal advice on any specific matter.

Justice Department Signs Agreement with the City of West Columbia, S.C. to Ensure Civic Access for People with Disabilities

The Justice Department today announced an agreement with the City of West Columbia, S.C., to improve access to all aspects of civic life for persons with disabilities. The agreement was reached under Project Civic Access (PCA), the department’s wide-ranging initiative to ensure that cities, towns and counties throughout the country comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
 
“The ADA is a passport to our nation’s cities for people with disabilities. This agreement ensures that all people have access to West Columbia’s parks and other programs, services and activities,” said Eve L. Hill, Senior Counselor to the Assistant Attorney General of the Civil Rights Division. “Access to our cities is a basic civil right and the ADA is shaping the way our country and its people think inclusively about themselves and people with disabilities.”

As part of the PCA initiative, department staff, including investigators and architects, survey local government facilities, services and programs across the country. The purpose of the surveying is to identify modifications needed in order for a city to comply with the ADA requirements. The agreements address the steps each community must take to improve access.

Under the agreement announced today, West Columbia will take important steps to improve access for people with disabilities, such as:

• Physically modifying facilities surveyed by the department so that parking, routes into buildings, entrances, service areas and counters, restrooms, public telephones and drinking fountains are accessible to people with disabilities;

• Surveying the city’s other facilities and programs and making modifications where necessary to achieve compliance with ADA requirements;

• Complying with the ADA’s architectural accessibility requirements when the city builds or alters its buildings and outdoor facilities;

• Posting, publishing and distributing notices to inform members of the public of the provisions of the ADA and their applicability to the city’s programs, services and activities;

• Officially recognizing Relay South Carolina telephone service as a key means of communicating with individuals who are deaf, are hard-of-hearing, or have speech impairments and training staff in using the relay service for telephone communications;

• Developing a method for providing information for interested persons with disabilities concerning the existence and location of the city’s accessible services, activities and programs;

• Posting an online policy that its web pages will be accessible, creating a process for implementation and ensuring that all new and modified web pages are accessible; and

• Implementing a comprehensive plan to improve the accessibility of sidewalks and curb cuts throughout the city.

Today’s agreement was reached under Title II of the ADA, which prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities by state and local governments. The agreement requires the remediation actions to be completed within 3 years. The department will actively monitor compliance with the agreement throughout this timeframe.

Source: DOJ

This information is intended to be educational and should not be considered legal advice on any specific matter.

Dialogue will shape federal strategies for helping young people with disabilities successfully transition from school to work

Join the conversation for change

Members of the public are invited to participate in an online dialogue to examine the impact of existing federal regulations and legislation on the successful transition from school to work of youths and young adults with disabilities. The U.S. departments of Labor, Education, and Health and Human Services and the Social Security Administration will host the event May 13-27, and they invite policymakers, service providers, the advocacy community and others to join this conversation to improve transition outcomes.

Youths and young adults with disabilities face unique challenges that may complicate their educational achievements as well as their plans for school, training and work. As a result, they may have poorer educational and employment outcomes than their peers without disabilities and fail to achieve the maximum independence possible.

"We must ensure that our federal programs and resources support our nation's youths and young adults with disabilities in reaching their dreams of economic empowerment and independence, and we need to hear from many people," said Kathy Martinez, assistant secretary of labor for disability employment policy. "Speaking up online can help us identify barriers as well as opportunities that may exist at the federal level and also help us develop solutions."

The four host agencies are particularly interested in identifying federal legislative and regulatory barriers regarding employment, education, Social Security, and health and human services. Input received during the two-week, facilitated online dialogue will help these agencies improve policies, practices and interagency strategic planning.

To register for and participate in the dialogue, visit http://FPTepolicyworks.ideascale.com.

Source: DOL

This information is intended to be educational and should not be considered legal advice on any specific matter.

Alliance aims to increase employment of people with disabilities in higher education

Kathy Martinez, assistant secretary of the U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Disability Employment Policy and Paula Alfone, mid-Atlantic director of the Higher Education Recruitment Consortium, today signed an alliance agreement to promote the employment of people with disabilities throughout the higher education community. The two organizations are combining their expertise to increase recruitment, hiring, retention and advancement at colleges, universities, hospitals, research labs, government agencies and related organizations.

This alliance is an outgrowth of last year's Higher Education Sector Summit held by ODEP in conjunction with the College and University Professional Association — Human Resources. Summit panelists and participants explored the reasons that people with disabilities are underrepresented among the faculty and staff of institutions of higher learning.

"It is critical to correct this imbalance because students, both with and without disabilities, benefit from having teachers and mentors who reflect society's wide diversity and talent," said Martinez. "This alliance will help us develop strategies for increasing employment opportunities for people with disabilities in the education community."

"HERC views its alliance with ODEP as critical to its mission of helping our 600 member organizations recruit and retain the most talented and diverse workforce — including people with disabilities," said Nancy Aebersold, HERC's founder and executive director. "We are thrilled to join forces with ODEP, which has tremendous expertise and resources to help us do so!"

ODEP's mission is to provide national leadership by developing and influencing disability employment-related policies and practices affecting an increase in the employment of people with disabilities. In addition to the Higher Education Recruitment Consortium, the agency has alliances with the Society for Human Resource Management, the U.S. Business Leadership Network, the HSC Foundation, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the Assistive Technology Industry Association, the National Industry Liaison Group, the National Organization of Nurses with Disabilities and the National Working Positive Coalition. For more information about ODEP, visit http://www.dol.gov/odep/.

Source: DOL

This information is intended to be educational and should not be considered legal advice on any specific matter.

Justice Department Reaches Settlement Agreement with City of Jacksonville, Fla., to Ensure Civic Access for People with Disabilities

The Justice Department today announced an agreement with the city of Jacksonville, Fla., to improve access for people with disabilities to civic life in Jacksonville. The agreement was reached under Project Civic Access (PCA), the Justice Department’s initiative to ensure that cities, towns and counties throughout the country comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

“Access to your city is a basic civil right, and the doors to government programs, services and activities must be open for people with disabilities,” said Eve L. Hill, Senior Counselor to the Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division. “I commend the city of Jacksonville for its commitment that all people have full access to what the city has to offer.”

 

PCA ensures that persons with disabilities have an equal opportunity to participate in civic life. As part of the PCA initiative, Justice Department staff, including investigators and architects, survey government facilities, services and programs in communities across the country. The survey identifies modifications needed for compliance with the ADA. The agreements set out steps each community must take to improve access. PCA agreements require physical modifications to facilities to make them accessible to people with disabilities. Elements that need modifications may include parking, routes into buildings, entrances, assembly areas, restrooms, service counters and drinking fountains. Other provisions address effective communication, grievance procedures, polling places, emergency management, sidewalks, domestic violence programs and web-based services.

 

Jacksonville is one of the largest cities in Florida and, by area, one of the largest in the United States. It operates one of the largest city park systems in the United States. During the compliance review, the Department reviewed 64 of the city’s facilities. The agreement requires the city to correct deficiencies identified at the 64 facilities and requires Jacksonville to review and correct identified deficiencies at hundreds of additional facilities. The agreement will remain in effect for five years. The department will monitor the city’s compliance with the agreement.

 

Source: Department of Justice

This information is intended to be educational and should not be considered legal advice on any specific matter.

Technology as a Tool of Inclusion

Technology is a powerful thing. When applied to how we work and play, it has the ability to optimize, accelerate and transform. Innovations that come to the market universally designed allow all of us to benefit immediately. But when those same tools − such as software, computers, online applications and mobile devices − are not accessible, they exclude key segments of the population, negatively impacting some people’s employability and opportunities for career advancement.
 
As a long time user of assistive technology, I’ve watched this conundrum play out time and time again. I’ve experienced the frustration of technology that is not accessible; but, on the flip side, I’ve seen how accessible technology can empower all of us to excel and fully participate – at work and in life.

A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of speaking about the state of disability employment in America and accessible technology’s potential to enhance workplace inclusion at the International Technology and Persons with Disabilities Conference, hosted by the California State University of Northridge (known as CSUN). I shared how my agency, the Office of Disability Employment Policy, is establishing a Accessible Technology Action Center to address the regrettable shortage of universally designed technology in the workplace.

I also spoke about the exciting new ways my agency is harnessing technology to transform the nature of federal policy development itself. For instance, ODEP has created an online, collaborative workspace called ePolicyWorks, which empowers national experts to work with us to shape policy and address specific barriers to employment faced by people with disabilities, including inaccessible technology.

We’ve also been exploring the power of Web-based crowdsourcing tools and online dialogues to save costs and expand the range of input we receive on various issues. In the process, we’ve been able to test the functionality of these tools, and then work with their creators to improve the accessibility and usability of the tools’ features. This work is already paying off, with ODEP planning to roll out a new template through ePolicyWorks that our partners can use to host accessible and inclusive online dialogues.
 
In addition, ODEP is working closely with the General Services Administration to tackle accessibility issues related to social media content, including creating a toolkit related to this issue. We are actively seeking suggestions for making “tweets” and other social media posts accessible. To share your ideas and learn more, visit HowTo.gov/Social-Media.

All of our initiatives have something in common: proactive engagement with the technology community. Instead of waiting around to see whether technology manufacturers build accessible collaboration and workplace technology, we are providing them with tools they need to do so up front. We are also testing the accessibility of their existing tools, and then working with their developers to troubleshoot their accessibility challenges. These companies seem ready and willing to make the needed improvements, and the results will speak for themselves: new and improved accessible technology applications that can be used as tools for inclusion so that all users can participate. It’s a process I hope others will replicate.

Source: DOL
Kathy Martinez is the assistant secretary of labor for disability employment policy

This information is intended to be educational and should not be considered legal advice on any specific matter.

Workers with a Disability Less Likely to be Employed, More Likely to Hold Jobs with Lower Earnings, Census Bureau Reports

Individuals with disabilities were less likely to be employed than individuals without disabilities, and those who were employed typically held jobs with lower earnings and also earned less than their colleagues with no disability, according to the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey. Based on the new Disability Employment Tabulation, the statistics show that between 2008 and 2010, individuals without disabilities were about three times more likely to be employed than individuals with disabilities. Overall, individuals with disabilities accounted for 9.4 million, or 6.0 percent, of the 155.9 million civilian labor force.

More than half of all workers with a disability were concentrated in four general occupation groups: service workers (except protective services) with 18.2 percent, followed by administrative support (15.1 percent), sales workers (10.4 percent) and management, business and finance (8.9 percent).

Among specific occupations, janitors and building cleaners had the highest number of employees with a disability at 315,000, or 11.8 percent of all workers in that field, followed by drivers/sales workers and truck drivers with 263,000 people, cashiers with 256,000 and retail salespeople with 223,000.

Among occupations with 100,000 or more people, dishwashers had the highest disability rate at 14.3 percent, followed by refuse and recyclable material collectors (12.7 percent), personal care aides (11.9 percent), and janitors and building cleaners (11.8 percent). The rates for refuse and recyclable material collectors, personal care aides, and janitors and building cleaners were not statistically different from one another.

More than half of workers with disabilities (52 percent) earned less than $25,000 in the previous year, compared with just 38 percent of workers with no disabilities. This translates into an earnings gap where individuals with disabilities earn about 75 percent of what workers without disabilities earn.

"Even within the largest occupations, employed workers with disabilities, on average, earned less than similarly employed workers without disabilities," said Jennifer Cheeseman Day, the assistant chief for employment characteristics in the Census Bureau's Social, Economic and Housing Statistics Division. "Several factors may account for this earnings gap, such as differences in age, work experience, number of hours worked, or other factors. For example, 46 percent of workers with a disability worked full time, year-round compared with 62 percent of workers with no disability."

The Disability Employment Tabulation 2008-2010 — available on American FactFinder (the Census Bureau's online statistics search tool) — is sponsored by the Department of Labor's Office of Disability Employment Policy and Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs.

"Reliable, accurate data on disability employment is an essential tool for furthering education, research and policy initiatives that improve employment opportunities and outcomes for people with disabilities," said acting Secretary of Labor Seth D. Harris.

The Disability Employment Tabulation, which has similar content to that found in the recently released Equal Employment Opportunity Tabulation, now presents in-depth labor force characteristics of individuals with disabilities, with more details on employment status, occupation, education and earnings.

In addition, the latest tabulation provides information about the labor force across several variables, including, age, sex, race, Hispanic origin, occupation groups, citizenship and earnings by employment status.

Overall, janitors and building cleaners were among the most common occupations for individuals with a disability for non-Hispanic whites (184,000 people), non-Hispanic blacks (60,000) and Hispanics (54,000).

Individuals with disabilities accounted for 6.3 percent of the male civilian labor force and 5.7 percent of the female civilian labor force.

The three most common occupations for men with disabilities were drivers/sales workers and truck drivers (246,000); janitors and building cleaners (217,000); and laborers and freight, stock, and material movers (171,000). For women, they were cashiers (195,000); secretaries and administrative assistants (189,000); and nursing, psychiatric and home health aides (172,000). The number of male laborers and freight, stock, and material movers was not significantly different from the number of female nursing, psychiatric and home health aides.

The American Community Survey allows us to obtain statistics for detailed geographic entities with this tabulation, allowing individuals, businesses and local governments the opportunity to study employment and labor force diversity by disability status within their communities.

The American Community Survey provides a wide range of important statistics about people and housing for every community across the nation. The results are used by everyone from town and city planners to retailers and homebuilders. The survey is the only source of local estimates for most of the 40 topics it covers, such as education, occupation, language, ancestry and housing costs for even the smallest communities. Ever since Thomas Jefferson directed the first census in 1790, the census has collected detailed characteristics about our nation's people. Questions about jobs and the economy were added 20 years later under James Madison, who said such information would allow Congress to "adapt the public measures to the particular circumstances of the community," and over the decades, allow America "an opportunity of marking the progress of the society."

Source: U.S. Census Bureau

This information is intended to be educational and should not be considered legal advice on any specific matter.

Recruiting Individuals with Disabilities and Protected Veterans

Federal Contractors are required to take affirmative action to employ and advance in employment individuals with disabilities and protected veterans. Effective outreach, recruitment and retention are essential to this effort. As OFCCP has stated repeatedly, it views the successful placement of these targeted groups as the most telling indicator of whether a Federal Contractor has complied with the requirement and made sufficient good faith efforts. Here are some thoughts to consider as you evaluate the effectiveness of your current recruitment efforts and plan for improving outreach and recruitment in the future.

To read the full article, click here

Source: LocalJobNetwork.com

This information is intended to be educational and should not be considered legal advice on any specific matter.

 

EEOC Announces a Notice of Information Collection Regarding the Revision of the Demographic Information on Applicants for Federal Employment Form

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has announced that it intends to revise an EEOC form (Demographic Information on Applicants, OMB No. 3046-0046) to include disability status data. The form is for use by federal agencies in gathering data on the race, ethnicity, and sex of job applicants, and is used by EEOC and other agencies to gauge progress and trends over time with respect to equal employment opportunity goals. The revision would add disability status of applicants to the collection, thereby allowing the agencies and EEOC to track progress toward meeting the recruitment and hiring strategies developed pursuant to Executive Order 13548 — Increasing Federal Employment of Individuals with Disabilities.

Written comments on this notice must be submitted on or before April 16, 2013. ODEP encourages everyone to take this opportunity to provide comments on these proposed revisions.

To read the Federal Register notice click here

Source: ODEP

This information is intended to be educational and should not be considered legal advice on any specific matter.

"Leveling the Playing Field: Attracting, Engaging and Advancing People with Disabilities" Report

The Conference Board's new report, "Leveling the Playing Field: Attracting, Engaging and Advancing People with Disabilities," illustrates that active recruiting and retention of employees with disabilities, including veterans, can both significantly expand the pool of talent and create new business opportunities. Among the conclusions reported is that managers who have supervised an employee with a disability are overwhelmingly likely to recommend hiring workers with disabilities. In addition, over ninety percent of consumers are more favorable toward companies that hire people with disabilities.

To read the news release, click here.

Source: ODEP

This information is intended to be educational and should not be considered legal advice on any specific matter.

Ground Hog Day at the OFCCP

While Dates for OFCCP’s Revisions to Key Regulations Continue to Shift – Their Enforcement Agenda Does Not

It’s beginning to look a lot like Ground Hog Day, everywhere we go… as the OFCCP’s contractor community enters 2013 with what are perceived by many to be the same “potential game changers” hanging in the wind!

For those tracking OFCCP compliance trends, it might seem that we are reliving the movie “Ground Hog Day.” We started and ended 2012 under the same cloud that has followed us into 2013. Uncertainty surrounding a series of proposed revisions to key regulations has resulted in weariness on the part of the contractor community.

Since OFCCP’s regulatory agenda continues to be widely debated and discussed, we are not going to take time now to re-open the “cloud of potential angst.” However, for those interested in more information related to the pertinent issues at the center of the storm, the following links will take you right to the source for additional information on each – DOL/OFCCP:

• Affirmative Action and Nondiscrimination Obligations of Contractors and Subcontractors Regarding Protected Veterans (Final Rule Anticipated: April, 2013)
• Affirmative Action and Nondiscrimination Obligations of Contractors and Subcontractors Regarding Individuals with Disabilities (Final Rule Anticipated: April, 2013)
• Nondiscrimination in Compensation—Compensation Data Collection (NPRM Anticipated: June, 2013)
• Sex Discrimination (NPRM Anticipated: August, 2013)
• Construction Contractors’ Affirmative Action Requirements (NPRM Anticipated: October, 2013)

While Synchronized Resources Inc., in partnership with Manchester Consultants and our other business alliances, will continue to track and report back on these and other proposed regulations, we encourage that you not be sided tracked by the “slight of focus” that was created in 2012 and continues to be employed in 2013. Don’t be lured into spending more time debating what “might be and when” rather than remaining focused on what “we know to be required today.” The result is often missed opportunities for progress sanctioned by a climate of uncertainty that for a couple of years now has been used to justify organizational procrastination on these important fronts.

Given OFCCP’s increasing use of aggressive enforcement strategies, this is no time for misdirection regarding the need for effective AAP development and implementation strategies. All the time spent anticipating, debating, and quite frankly, overdramatizing the impact of the proposed regulations, has consumed energy that could be better invested in devising proactive development and implementation strategies that will provide a framework on which to build when the clouds clear.

Source: Synchronized resources inc.

This information is intended to be educational and should not be considered legal advice on any specific matter.

Youth With Disabilities Encouraged To Pursue Career Goals

To help millions of people recognize what they can do to make a difference in the lives — and future careers — of young people with disabilities, the U.S. Department of Labor's Campaign for Disability Employment has released a new video public service announcement titled "Because." The PSA features real people with disabilities — not actors — who are pursuing and realizing their goals and passions as a result of the support they received from everyday people in their lives. Because nearly 1 out of 5 Americans has a disability, the PSA is intended to replace myths and misperceptions about disability employment with new views of what people with disabilities can do.

To read more, click here.
 
Source: U.S. Department of Labor

This information is intended to be educational and should not be considered legal advice on any specific matter.

October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month

Source:  Department of Labor (DOL), Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP)


October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month. Held annually, National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM) is led by the U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP). 

The purpose is to educate all employees about disability employment issues and celebrate the many and varied contributions of America's workers with disabilities. This year's theme is "A Strong Workforce is an Inclusive Workforce: What Can YOU Do?"Download this year's NDEAM poster from ODEP.

For more information on resources for Individuals with Disabilities, please visit our website

This information is intended to be educational and should not be considered legal advice on any specific matter.

Department of Labor seeks submissions for disability employment app challenge

Source:  ODEP News Release

The Department of Labor's (DOL) Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) today announced the launch of its first disability-related application challenge, which is designed to generate innovative tools that will improve employment opportunities and outcomes for people with disabilities.

The goal of the app challenge is to promote recruitment resources for employers, develop job training and skill-building tools for job seekers, facilitate employment-related transportation options and expand information communication technology accessibility.

Submissions should provide access to important data and resources; attract users with different skill sets and language preferences; be accessible (that is, compatible and interoperable with assistive technology commonly used by individuals with disabilities, such as screen reading and speech recognition software); and consider partnerships that will ensure sustainability of the app. In addition, they should be targeted toward a variety of audiences such as students, teachers, employers, career counselors and workforce professionals, as well as individuals with disabilities working or seeking work at all levels in a variety of salaried and hourly jobs.

Awards with cash prizes — totaling $10,000 — will be given to the top three submissions, including the grand prize Innovation Award, the second prize People's Choice Award, and the third prize Above and Beyond Accessibility Award. The winners will be featured prominently on ODEP's website, http://www.dol.gov/odep/, as well as at http://disability.gov and through other public outreach vehicles.

Contestants must register for the contest on the Challenge.gov website by creating an account at http://challenge.gov/users/login. Each registrant will receive a confirmation email and may then enter a submission via the "Post a Submission" tab at http://disability.challenge.gov. Submissions must be entered between May 23 at 12 a.m. EDT and Aug. 23 at 11:59 p.m. EDT. Late entries will not be eligible for prizes.

Read the full news release

This information is intended to be educational and should not be considered legal advice on any specific matter.

The Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) - Workforce Recruitment Program

Sources: ODEP / ask.earn.org

The Workforce Recruitment Program for College Students with Disabilities (WRP) is a free resource through which private businesses and Federal agencies nationwide can identify qualified temporary and permanent employees from a variety of fields. Applicants are highly motivated postsecondary students and recent graduates eager to prove their abilities in the workforce. (Go to: WRP Request Form)

What Does the Program Offer Employers?

• Job candidates pre-screened through face-to-face interviews
• Information about each applicant's qualifications
• Access to candidates across the nation, by state or job category
• Flexibility in hiring for summer internships or permanent positions
• Freedom to conduct independent interviews after qualified candidates are identified
• Ability to source candidates who are veterans
• 3 Ways to Include Students with Disabilities in Your Summer Internship Program: PDF Version

How Does the Program Work?

Annually, trained federal recruiters conduct personal interviews with interested students and recent graduates on over 200 college and university campuses. From these interviews, a database is compiled containing applications and profiles on more than 2,200 college students and recent graduates seeking temporary or permanent positions.

Employers can take advantage of this program through AskEARN.org. Employers may submit position descriptions online and should expect to receive matched candidates for consideration within five business days.


Employers are encouraged to conduct independent interviews with students who are identified as potential job candidates, and are under no obligation to hire. For further consultation or assistance, contact EARN at earn@AskEARN.org or call 1-855-AskEARN (1-855-275-3276.)

For information on Veteran resources, please visit http://www.thomashouston.com/resources/veteranresources.html 

So a man with a horse walks into a bar . . .

From Lexology - March 29 2012

Fox Rothschild LLP

Christina A. Stoneburner


This is not the start of a joke.  We have not taken a vacation from our usual Employment Discrimination Report to break into the comedy business.  Instead, this is the start of a potential claim under the Americans with Disabilities Act.

MSN recently reported that a disabled man is suing GameStop Corp. for denying him and his miniature horse access to one of its stores.  The man, who uses a wheelchair, uses the miniature horse as a service animal to help pull his wheelchair.

In case you missed this in the revised ADA regulations issued in March 2011, the definition of service animal now explicitly includes miniature horses.  It also more narrowly defines service animal so that people cannot simply bring their pets into businesses and claim the animal is for emotional comfort.  Instead, service animals can only be dogs or miniature horses. 

Although not as common as dogs, employees should still be trained that this cute little guy is a working service animal.

Linkage Agreement Networking Opportunity for South Florida Federal Contractors.

Wilson Resources, Inc. is conducting training for Florida Division of Vocational Rehabilitation (DVR) counselors assisting over 8,000 job seekers with disabilities to become employed.  During the training, there will be a "Corporate Dialogue," which provides an opportunity for DVR personnel and federal contractors to establish linkage agreements, as noted in the proposed December 11, 2011 Section 503 rules. This Corporate Dialogue will be held May 16th, 9:30-11:30 AM,  United Way of Miami-Dade, Miami, Florida.

If you would like more information on or to participate in the Wednesday, May 16th, 9:30-11:30 AM Corporate Dialogue, please contact Leslie Wilson, President/CEO, Wilson Resources, Inc., by May 11 - email: lesliew@wilres.com; phone: 941-729-9673.