Increasing Employment for People with Disabilities

In order to comply with Executive Order 13548, signed by President Obama to set a national goal to hire an additional 100,000 workers with disabilities in federal jobs before 2015, the Department of Labor has unveiled new resources being utilized to help reach this goal. New tools include: the introduction of a new website, eFedLink.org; the implementation of the Workforce Recruitment Program (WRP); and the development of a shared list of people with disabilities.

A subdivision of the DOL, the Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP), has launched an online community to help federal employment specialists work to include people with disabilities in the government workforce. By acting as a shared platform giving access to policies and best practices in meeting the inclusion goal, the community brings together human resource professionals, program managers and coordinators throughout the country to form the ultimate resource for relevant federal policies.

The WRP is a joint venture between the ODEP and the U.S. Department of Defense. Within the program, college grads and postsecondary students with disabilities are networked with employers in both the federal government and private industry. The program grants qualified graduates the ability to work summer internships or earn full-time positions.

For hiring managers who are not sure where to find applicants with disabilities, a list of thousands of people with disabilities has been made available through the MAX Federal Community web portal. The portal also acts as a supplement to eFedLink.org in that HR employees may use the space to share policy information and best practices within the realm of disability hiring.