About ODEP

Initiatives and Accomplishments

Alliance Initiative Activity

ODEP continues to partner with organizations through its Alliance initiative to implement activities that educate their members about policies and best practices related to disability employment. For example, as part of this, ODEP collaborates with the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) to launch a “Disability Inclusion Pledge.” Also, the Professional Baseball Athletic Trainers Society (PBATS) launches a public service announcement (PSA) campaign focused on workplace mental health developed in collaboration with ODEP and Major League Baseball. Additional activities include webinars, speaking engagements at partners’ events and information-sharing through newsletters and blogs.

Artificial Intelligence

ODEP, in collaboration with its Partnership on Employment and Accessible Technology (PEAT), hosts an online Think Tank on the use of artificial intelligence (AI) tools in hiring, during which federal agency representatives, technology innovators and civil rights organizations explore strategies for ensuring automated employment decision tools treat workers with disabilities and other underserved communities equitably.

Based on input gathered during its AI in Hiring Think Tank and other engagement activities, ODEP facilitates the incorporation of accessibility principles in several policy frameworks, including the White House Blueprint for an AI Bill of Rights, National Institute of Standards and Technology’s (NIST) AI Risk Management Framework and Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s (EEOC) guidance on the American’s with Disabilities Act (ADA) and AI: Applicants and Employees.

Beginner’s Checklist for Inclusive Artificial Intelligence

As a complement to its Disability-Led Innovation Report, ODEP’s Partnership on Employment and Accessible Technology (PEAT) publishes the Beginner’s Checklist for Inclusive Artificial Intelligence (AI) to help organizations use AI tools inclusively and equitably.

Broadband Equity Think Tank

ODEP’s Partnership on Employment and Accessible Technology (PEAT) and the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) host a Think Tank on Defining Disability Inclusion and Accessibility Technical Assistance and Resources for State Programs. The event explores strategies for building inclusive State Digital Equity Plans that serve the needs of people with disabilities and other populations named in the Digital Equity Act of 2021.

Campaign for Disability Employment

The ODEP-funded Campaign for Disability Employment (CDE) continues distribution of its “Mental Health at Work: What Can I Do?” public service announcement (PSA) campaign, which explores the role we all play in fostering a mental health-friendly workplace. By the end of September, the PSA achieves more than 3 million views and more than $11 million in donated airtime. It also conducts a variety of activities to complement ODEP’s Rehabilitation Act 50th anniversary observance and publishes and distributes “What Can State Agencies Do? – A Step-by-Step Implementation Guide for State Agencies,” a toolkit to help state agencies raise awareness about disability-inclusive workplace policies and practices, both externally and internally.

Center on Advancing Policy on Employment for Youth

In collaboration with its Center for Advancing Policy on Employment for Youth (CAPE-Youth), ODEP continues a range of activities to help states ensure their youth policies and workforce development service delivery systems meet the needs of youth and young adults with disabilities. As part of this, CAPE-Youth publishes, Guideposts for Success: States Engaging Employers Through Policy, which outlines concrete ideas for action by employer organizations, state and regional business councils and state and local government agencies based on the Guideposts for Success Framework for the Future. ODEP awards a cooperative agreement to continue and enhance the Center’s work for another five years.

Competitive Integrated Employment

ODEP continues a range of activities to advance competitive integrated employment (CIE) for people with disabilities, including through its Leadership for the Employment and Economic Advancement of People with Disabilities Center (LEAD Center), Advancing State Policy Integration for Recovery and Employment (ASPIRE) and National Expansion of Employment Opportunities Network (NEON) initiatives. It also develops a new web resource on blending, braiding and sequencing (BBS) as strategies for leveraging resources and coordinating services across various public systems to help advance CIE. In addition, on the 50th anniversary of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Department shares that ODEP will be joining the Wage and Hour Division, Policy office and Solicitors office to engage stakeholders in a comprehensive review of the use and future viability of the Section 14(c) program.

COVID-19 and Employment Trends for People with Disabilities

ODEP releases COVID-19 and Employment Trends for People with Disabilities, a data analysis revealing that the employment-population ratio for people with disabilities fully recovered in August 2021, likely due to greater workplace flexibilities spurred by the pandemic, but remains significantly lower than that of people without disabilities.

Disability Employment Statistics

ODEP continues to report monthly statistics on the labor force participation, employment and unemployment of people with disabilities based on the monthly Current Population Survey (CPS) published by the department’s Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). ODEP and BLS also compile Persons with a Disability – Labor Force Characteristics 2022, a summary of data from the year before, and ODEP continues analyses of data on people with disabilities from underrepresented populations. As part of this, it publishes a report, Women with Disabilities and the Labor Market.

Employer Assistance and Resource Network on Disability Inclusion

ODEP awards a cooperative agreement to Cornell University's Yang-Tan Institute on Employment and Disability to operate the Employer Assistance and Resource Network on Disability Inclusion (EARN), an employer-focused, disability policy development and technical assistance center. The agreement adds new dimensions to the Center’s work while also continuing a strong focus on employer engagement, including through the Inclusion@Work Leadership Network and a series of webinars and other events with subject matter experts on a wide range of topics. EARN releases a suite of Workplace Flexibility tools to help employers implement and sustain disability-inclusive flexibility policies, and issues policy briefs on the intersection of workplace flexibility with caregiving, equity and transportation.

Employment First Community of Practice

ODEP, through their contractor EconSys, continues to offer monthly community of practice webinars, federal resources and grant opportunity announcements to over 3,000 listserv members. Highlights of webinars in 2023 include: State Efforts to Phase Out Subminimum Wages: Lessons Learned from Three States from July and Stories of Successful Transformation to Competitive Integrated Employment from August.

Equitable Transition Models Demonstration Grants

ODEP announces the availability of more than $67.1 million in funding over five years for Equitable Transition Models (ETM) Demonstration Grants, to be awarded in cooperative agreements with four recipients. The grants are intended to identify innovative strategies to help youth and young adults with disabilities, particularly those from underserved groups, successfully transition to the workforce.

Exploring the Future of Public Transportation Research National Online Dialogue

In collaboration with the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Transit Administration, ODEP hosts the Exploring the Future of Public Transportation Research ePolicyWorks National Online Dialogue, which aims to gather public input on how to make public transit safer, cleaner and greener, as well as more resilient, inclusive and equitable.

Family and Medical Leave Act 30th Anniversary

ODEP contributes to the department’s year-long observance of the 30th anniversary of the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), contributing to a roundtable discussion about caregiver leave and penning a blog post on the Act as an important part of the legal infrastructure protecting workers with disabilities in the U.S.

Federal Employment

Working with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and Office of Personnel Management (OPM), ODEP continues to promote disability inclusion in the federal workforce and assist agencies in meeting their goals under Executive Order 14035, Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility (DEIA) in the Federal Workforce. This includes hosting quarterly meetings of the Federal Exchange on Employment and Disability (FEED). It also includes producing a training video, “Mental Health and the Federal Workforce: What Can I Do?” and an accompanying workplace guide about ways federal employees at all levels can help promote a mental health-friendly workplace.

Good Jobs Initiative

On October 26, the Leadership for the Employment and Economic Advancement of People with Disabilities Center (LEAD Center) hosts The Good Jobs Initiative (GJI): Creating Employment Opportunities for People with Disabilities webinar and releases an accompanying fact sheet that lays out the good jobs principles, explains competitive integrated employment and how universal design is important for both. ODEP also provided technical support to make sure people with disabilities benefit from the nearly $239.6 billion in Invest in America Funds.

Individual Placement and Support

ODEP’s Advancing State Policy Integration for Recovery and Employment (ASPIRE) initiative publishes Cost Effectiveness of Individual Placement and Support (IPS), which explores the cost-benefit ratio of IPS, an evidence-based model of supported employment that improves competitive integrated employment (CIE) for people with mental health conditions. Also, it publishes IPS for People with Co-Occurring Substance Use Disorders: A Brief for States, Territories and Organizations, which examines challenges and solutions for using IPS to help jobseekers with mental health conditions and co-occurring substance use disorders.

Interactive Data Maps

ODEP’s Research and Evaluation team publishes two interactive data maps to help policymakers, employers and others better understand the disability employment landscape in their states and across the U.S. The first, the Employment Population Ratio Map, illustrates how the employment rate, or employment-population ratio, varies by state and race/ethnicity among working-age adults with disabilities. The second, the Median Annual Earnings Map, shows how median earnings differ by state and sex among currently working adults with disabilities. An additional interactive data map created by ODEP’s Workforce System Policy Team and hosted on ODEP’s Leadership for the Employment and Economic Advancement of People with Disabilities Center (LEAD Center) website at State Specific Policies and Data provides state specific resources and information for disability employment and supports including select funding rates. ODEP’s LEAD Center also updates their Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) Data Visualization tool which provides data on service to individuals with disabilities through the Workforce Development system under WIOA.

Job Accommodation Network 40th Anniversary

ODEP’s Job Accommodation Network (JAN) marks 40 years of providing free, confidential and expert guidance on workplace accommodations for people with disabilities, rolling out an updated homepage. Throughout the year, it also continues its monthly webcast series and develops a suite of new resources with guidance on accommodations for specific conditions and topics.

Leadership for the Employment and Economic Advancement of Individuals with Disabilities

ODEP’s Workforce Systems Policy Team continues to partner with the department’s Employment and Training Administration (ETA) to promote universal design in the delivery of services through the nationwide network of American Job Centers in accordance with Section 188 of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA). The ODEP-funded Leadership for the Employment and Economic Advancement of People with Disabilities Center (LEAD Center) also continues a variety of efforts to advance equitable, inclusive workforce service delivery for people with disabilities through WIOA policy research, recommendations and technical assistance. Among its published resources is Workforce System and Bank Partnerships: A “How-To” Guide, which helps workforce development boards partner with banks to improve WIOA program participants’ employment and economic outcomes including through new career pathways in the financial industry. The LEAD Center also implements a webinar and an informative Frequently Asked Questions document promoting people with disabilities in good jobs as part of the Good Jobs Initiative, and offers multiple webinars highlighting activities and resources of American Job Centers relating to diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility.

Long COVID

As part of the Biden Administration’s “whole-of-government” approach to Long COVID, ODEP conducts an array of activities to educate employers and workers about strategies and supports to help affected workers stay at or return to work once ready. These include the development and dissemination of outreach materials in addition to continuing to field inquiries through the ODEP-funded Job Accommodation Network (JAN). ODEP serves as an active member of the Long COVID Coordination Council and its working groups, including serving as co-lead of the Long COVID Service Eligibility and Disability Rights Protections Workgroup.

Long COVID National Online Dialogue Report

ODEP releases a comprehensive summary report as well as a snapshot from its ePolicyWorks national online dialogue, "Understanding and Addressing the Workplace Challenges Related to Long COVID," which seeks to gain insight into the workplace challenges related to Long COVID and new ways to address them.

Low Cost, High Impact Study

The Job Accommodation Network (JAN) publishes Accommodation and Compliance: Low Cost, High Impact. This report analyzes survey data collected from employers from 2019 to 2022 to reveal that nearly half of accommodations made for workers with disabilities incur no cost, and of those that do, the median one-time expenditure is $300, a decrease in comparison to previous reports.

Mental Health

ODEP assists in developing the department’s Mental Health at Work campaign, which launches in honor of Mental Health Awareness Month. This includes contributing to the campaign’s video public service announcement (PSA) as well as a centralized website with resources for employers, workers and others. The Campaign for Disability Employment (CDE), airs its most recent PSA on televisions across the nation. ODEP also continues to educate employers about best practices for workplace well-being through its Employer Assistance and Resource Network on Disability Inclusion (EARN). In 2023, EARN releases an updated evidence-based Mental Health Toolkit to help employers support their workers' mental health and well-being.

Mental Health Matters Task Force and National Online Dialogues

ODEP, through its State Exchange on Employment and Disability (SEED) convenes The Mental Health Matters: National Task Force on Workforce Mental Health Policy. The task force highlights and discusses policy options for addressing workforce challenges and barriers to employment for people with mental health conditions. Ultimately, the task force’s work informs a series of resources, including a comprehensive policy framework to assist state and local policymakers effectively address the mental health needs of workers during and following the pandemic. To further inform the discussions, ODEP also hosts a series of ePolicyWorks online dialogues to gather ideas and other public input on how health policies can support workers’ mental health.

NDEAM 2023

ODEP oversees the National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM) 2023 in October, anchored by the theme “Advancing Access and Equity.” As part of this, ODEP revamps the NDEAM website and creates additional resources, among them a customizable poster and Spanish-language webpage and animated video. The President also issues a proclamation recognizing the month and the important role workers with disabilities play in America’s economic success.

National Expansion of Employment Opportunities Network Core States

ODEP announces the selection of two cohorts of “core states” under its National Expansion of Employment Opportunities Network (NEON) initiative, which works to advance competitive integrated employment (CIE). The addition of these core states expands NEON’s reach and impact by focusing on state-level policy and systems change. ODEP also continues to provide technical assistance to five National Provider Organizations—ACCSES, ANCOR, the Association of People Supporting Employment First (APSE), The Arc and SourceAmerica—to assist their members in advancing CIE, in accordance with the National Plan to Increase CIE.

Native American Communities Engagement

ODEP, with several intra- and interagency partners, hosts a three-part virtual dialogue series that addresses multiple topics that impact employment for Native American Communities. To help frame the dialogue series, ODEP and federal partners meet with stakeholders from Native Communities to gain more knowledge on the current inequities facing the population, topics that will be the most beneficial for the dialogue series and how to present the information. The three virtual dialogues in 2023 include:

• Helping Native Youth Succeed through Family and Community Engagement (March 15, 2023)
• Advancing Financial Mobility within Native Communities (May 3, 2023)
• Indigenizing Health Career Pathways Across Generations (August 29, 2023)

On October 4, 2023, ODEP hosts an all-day hybrid interagency convening on Advancing Interagency Problem Solving and Capacity-Building in Native Communities. The Convening aims to identify collaboration opportunities, policy gaps and intersections to enhance equitable access to economic development, education and workforce development programs in Native communities from a whole-of-government approach.

Our Future Matters National Online Dialogue

ODEP and several federal agency partners host the Our Future Matters: Informing the Federal Interagency Strategy ePolicyWorks National Online Dialogue, which aims to gather public input on how to enhance policies and practices to facilitate effective transition to adulthood for youth with disabilities.

Partnership on Employment and Accessible Technology

ODEP’s Partnership on Employment and Accessible Technology (PEAT) continues to collaborate with employer and technology industry partners to promote accessible workplace technology through a wide range of activities, including podcasts, articles and events, with a focus on equitable artificial intelligence and digital accessibility in the context of the post-pandemic workplace landscape and considerations for historically underserved communities.

Partnership on Inclusive Apprenticeship

Through its Partnership on Inclusive Apprenticeship (PIA), ODEP continues to promote inclusive apprenticeship programs in all industries. PIA focuses especially on fostering career pathways through inclusive apprenticeships in information technology, cybersecurity, clean energy and financial and professional services. Key activities include its ongoing Apprenticeship for All Podcast Series, webinars and Success Stories showcasing the experiences of apprentices with disabilities from diverse backgrounds. Notably, ODEP hosts Think Tanks on Digital Accessibility and Access to Apprenticeships for Black Americans with Disabilities.

Rehabilitation Act Anniversary

ODEP celebrates an observance of the 50th anniversary of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, with the theme, “Advancing Access and Equity: Then, Now and Next.” Activities include a series of blog posts examining the Act’s impact on employment and career readiness, an animated video and contribution to and participation in a White House event. ODEP also collaborates with the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) and U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) to issue a commemorative resource guide, Employment Protections Under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973: 50 Years of Protecting Americans with Disabilities in the Workplace.

Research Support Services for Employment of Young Adults on the Autism Spectrum

ODEP publishes Characteristics, Service Use and Employment Outcomes of Young Adults on the Autism Spectrum Who Engaged with Vocational Rehabilitation Services from 2017 to 2020. This report compiles findings from theResearch Support Services for Employment of Young Adults on the Autism Spectrum (REYAAS) project, which explores opportunities for improving employment outcomes for young adults on the autism spectrum by examining their engagement with state vocational rehabilitation (VR) agencies.

Section 14(c) Stakeholder Engagement Sessions

On the 50th anniversary of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Department shares that ODEP will be joining the Wage and Hour Division, Policy office and Solicitors office to engage stakeholders in a comprehensive review of the use and future viability of the Section 14(c) program.

State Exchange on Employment and Disability

The ODEP-led State Exchange on Employment and Disability (SEED) initiative continues to provide states direct policy assistance and promote inclusive workforce development policy at the state and local level through formal partnerships with 17 intermediary organizations and their communications channels and events. SEED also continues to convene the Mental Health Matters: National Task Force on Workforce Mental Health Policy, which produces a policy framework to help states learn policy options to improve employment outcomes for people with mental health conditions and address mental health workforce shortages. SEED and ODEP’s Employer Assistance and Resource Network on Disability Inclusion (EARN) release a comprehensive toolkit on state government employment for disabled workers to help state and local entities be model employers for people with disabilities, with examples from state governments across the country. 

State Intermediary Organizations

Through NEON, ODEP continues to work with six State Intermediary Organizations (SIOs): Association of People Supporting Employment First (APSE), Council of State Administrators of Vocational Rehabilitation (CSAVR), National Association of Medicaid Directors (NAMD), National Association of State Directors of Developmental Disabilities Services (NASDDS), National Association of State Directors of Special Education (NASDSE) and National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors (NASMHPD). These six partners are developing a Framework to Increase Competitive Integrated Employment for State Level Government Agencies.

Transforming HR Through Innovative Disability-Inclusive Policies and Practices Think Tank

ODEP’s Employer Assistance and Resource Network on Disability Inclusion (EARN) convenes a Think Tank on Transforming Human Resources Through Innovative Disability-Inclusive Policies and Practices. The event features break-out sessions aligned with phases of the employee lifecycle–recruitment, hiring, retention and advancement. Representatives from private industry, the federal sector, disability and diversity consultants, the 13 EARN Inclusion@Work Network Leadership Council members and professional organizations, policy professionals and disability service organizations participate in the event. The Think Tank also features presentations by Specialisterne, the HR Policy Association and Accenture. Representatives from the National Organization on Disability, Valuable 500 and the U.S. Access Board provide reactions to break-out sessions. The 66 participants examine disability-related barriers of current human resource processes and propose solutions for overcoming these barriers. The resulting event report presents a robust set of challenges and solutions for each stage of the employment lifecycle. The report also contains key takeaways and public- and private-sector workplace policy recommendations.

Workforce Recruitment Program

ODEP continues the annual recruitment and hiring cycle for the Workforce Recruitment Program (WRP) in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Defense. The 2024 database includes 3,300 students and recent graduates that federal hiring managers can connect with to fill internships or long-term employment and support their Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility goals under Executive Order 14035.

Initiatives and Accomplishments

Accessible Technology

ODEP publishes Disability and the Digital Divide, a report exploring how a gap in access to both computing devices and the internet disproportionately impacts people with disabilities, in turn creating barriers to their ability to effectively prepare for, obtain and succeed in employment. Through its Partnership on Employment and Accessible Technology (PEAT), ODEP also continues to collaborate with a wide range of employer and industry partners to promote accessible, inclusive workplaces. Resulting activities include numerous podcasts, articles and other resources focused on topics ranging from extended reality (XR) as an employment support for people with mental health conditions to the role of accessible technology in advancing workforce equity for people with disabilities from underserved communities. In addition, ODEP develops and promotes an accessible virtual events policy for the Department of Labor to enhance and support the Department’s efforts to engage with Americans in an inclusive way. ODEP’s Employer Assistance and Resource Network on Disability Inclusion (EARN) releases a series of checklists on hosting accessible events and meetings, career fairs and trainings.

Accommodations

Through the Job Accommodation Network (JAN), ODEP continues to provide free, confidential and expert guidance on accommodations, with a focus on emerging issues arising from the COVID-19 pandemic, such as telework and accommodations for workers with Long COVID. As part of this, JAN co-authors Supporting Employees with Long COVID: A Guide for Employers, as well as a number of related technical assistance resources, with the Employer Assistance and Resource Network on Disability Inclusion (EARN). It continues its popular monthly webcast series on a broad range of disability employment, Americans with Disabilities Act and job accommodation topics. JAN also publishes, Employers' Practical Guide: Reasonable Accommodation During the Hiring Process, a new guide focused on pre-employment accommodations. JAN also publishes, Employers' Practical Guide: Reasonable Accommodation During the Hiring Process, a new guide focused on pre-employment accommodations.

Alliances

Through its Alliance program, ODEP continues active partnerships with the American Association for Access, Equity and Diversity; the American Staffing Association (ASA); the Association of University Centers on Disabilities; Disability:IN; the National Industry Liaison Group; the Professional Baseball Athletic Trainers Society and the Society for Human Resource Management. Collaborative activities include blog posts, conference presentations and product development, as well as regular meetings to discuss strategies for achieving shared goals for disability inclusion. The ODEP Employer Team collaborated with ASA Alliance representatives to develop a disability inclusion “Info Center.” The Info Center offers ASA members and their clients the tools and resources for creating disability-inclusive workplaces.

Apprenticeship

ODEP’s Partnership on Inclusive Apprenticeship (PIA) continues to help foster and enhance inclusive apprenticeship programs that meet the needs of employers and career seekers with disabilities for high-growth fields and industries. Key activities include podcasts from its Apprenticeship for All Series and educational products, including spotlights on the clean energy and solar sectors and disabled veterans. PIA also hosts a Think Tank on Expanding Inclusive and Accessible Apprenticeships for Black Americans with Disabilities in High-Growth, High-Demand Fields. In addition, the Council of State Governments (CSG), under the auspices of ODEP’s State Exchange on Employment and Disability (SEED) initiative, publishes a policy curriculum focused on state-level strategies for facilitating apprenticeships and other work-based learning programs. ODEP’s Center for Advancing Policy on Employment for Youth (CAPE-Youth) also promotes apprenticeship as a youth workforce development policy strategy for states, while its ePolicyWorks initiative also hosts an online dialogue on “Advancing the National Apprenticeship System.” ODEP also partners with the Employment and Training Administration’s Office of Apprenticeship to launch the Apprenticeship Ambassadors Initiative.

Artificial Intelligence

As a subset of its work on accessible technology, ODEP focuses on efforts to ensure equity in the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in the employment context. As part of this, in collaboration with its Partnership on Employment & Accessible Technology (PEAT), ODEP partners with the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and National Institute of Standards and Technology to add accessibility principles to important policy frameworks, including the EEOC's new Americans with Disabilities Act Guidance on use of Software, Algorithms and AI to Assess Job Applicants and Employees, White House Blueprint for an AI Bill of Rights and NIST AI Risk Management Framework. It also publishes the Disability-Led Innovation report to help companies use AI-enabled hiring tools in inclusive and equitable ways.

ASPIRE

ODEP selects seven states—Florida, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Montana, New York and Virginia—to participate in the second round of the Advancing State Policy Integration for Recovery and Employment (ASPIRE) initiative. Under the initiative, these states receive tailored and targeted technical assistance to expand evidence-based practices, such as Individual Placement and Support (IPS), to advance competitive integrated employment (CIE) for individuals with mental health conditions, including substance use disorders, with a focus on underserved communities. The initiative also develops resources on Measuring Race and Ethnicity in IPS Programs and State-Level Barriers and Facilitators to IPS Implementation.

Autism/Neurodiversity

ODEP and its technical assistance centers promote best practices for inclusive hiring and on-the-job supports for neurodivergent workers. Examples include a blog post and podcasts on disclosure and one individual’s apprenticeship experience. ODEP’s project on Research Support Services for Employment of Young Adults on the Autism Spectrum (REYAAS) releases two resources from its literature analysis. These resources are Programs, Models and Strategies to Support Employment Outcomes of Young Adults on the Autism Spectrum and Evidence on the Effectiveness of Programs, Models and Strategies to Support Employment Outcomes of Young Adults on the Autism Spectrum. It also hosts listening sessions and releases a report from these sessions titled Barriers and Facilitators to Employment and Careers for Young Adults on the Autism Spectrum. The Employer Assistance and Resource Network on Disability Inclusion (EARN) updates its Neurodiversity in the Workplace toolkit and runs a month-long social media campaign focused on best practices for recruiting and retaining neurodivergent employees.

Campaign for Disability Employment

The ODEP-funded Campaign for Disability Employment (CDE) launches its latest public service announcement (PSA) campaign, which focuses on the important topic of workplace mental health. The campaign’s centerpiece PSA, titled "Mental Health at Work: What Can I Do?”, explores the roles we all play in fostering a mental health-friendly workplace. By the end of 2022, the PSA airs widely on television, radio and digital channels, achieving more than 1.1 million views and more than $3 million in donated airtime. The CDE also engages in several social media campaigns and expands its suite of accessible video assets by producing American Sign Language-interpreted versions of all its PSAs.

Competitive Integrated Employment

As part of its ongoing efforts to expand competitive integrated employment (CIE), ODEP and its National Center on Leadership for the Employment and Economic Advancement of People with Disabilities (LEAD) Center (ODEP’s WIOA Policy Development Center) host a widely attended federal interagency webinar series on innovative resource-sharing approaches, establishing partnerships and developing resource sharing agreements that state and local practitioners across workforce systems can use to maximize opportunities for people with significant disabilities. In addition, a joint communication signed and released by nine federal agencies encourages state and local governments to blend, braid and sequence funding to increase CIE outcomes for youth and adults with disabilities. CIE also remains central to several of ODEP’s initiatives, including Advancing State Policy Integration for Recovery and Employment (ASPIRE) and National Expansion of Employment Opportunities Network (NEON) initiatives. For example, NEON with input from five National Provider Organizations, ACCSSES, ANCOR, the Arc, Association of People Supporting Employment First (APSE) and SourceAmerica, release the National Plan to Increase CIE.

Data Analysis

ODEP continues to report monthly statistics on the labor force participation, employment and unemployment of people with disabilities based on the monthly Current Population Survey (CPS) published by the department’s Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). ODEP and BLS also release Persons with a Disability: Labor Force Characteristics—2021, a summary of data from the year before. To assist in understanding the experiences of people with disabilities from historically underserved communities, ODEP also publishes employment data spotlights on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders with disabilities, Black workers with disabilities and Hispanic workers with disabilities.

Direct Care Work

ODEP and its LEAD Center convene national experts to discuss potential policy solutions for supporting Direct Support Professionals (DSPs) and summarize insights gleaned in Valuing Women’s Direct Care Work, a report outlining recommendations across four focus areas: DSP Career Pathways and Training; Professionalization of DSPs as a Distinct Occupation; Enhancing Wages and Benefits; and DSPs as a Career Path for People with Disabilities. Additional activities include publishing a blog post sharing the experiences of one DSP who, through her job, enables others to live and work in their communities and hosting a webinar about direct care work as a career path for people with disabilities. ODEP announces several commitments in the federal government’s National Strategy to Support Family Caregivers, including new efforts related to Direct Care Work.

Disability Pride Month/ADA Anniversary

ODEP leads a virtual event held by DOL in observance of Disability Pride Month and the 32nd anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The event explores the multi-dimensional nature of DOL’s work to deliver on the promise of the ADA, with presenters from the Office of the Secretary, ODEP, the Women’s Bureau, Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA), Wage and Hour Division and Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs.

Employer Engagement

ODEP continues a strong focus on employer engagement in coordination with its Employer Assistance and Resource Network on Disability Inclusion (EARN). Key initiatives include the Inclusion@Work Network Leadership Council, which comprises representatives from industry and professional organizations that provide input to guide research and product development, with a focus on best practices. In 2022, EARN added new members to the Council including the National Association of Colleges and Employers and the American Association Through a series of webinars, EARN also educates on timely topics and trends in disability employment, engaging subject matter experts on topics such as workplace mental health to disability inclusion in advanced manufacturing to strategies for attracting and retaining neurodivergent employees. In addition, EARN publishes a number of reports and case studies exploring companies’ responses to the pandemic from a disability perspective. EARN also releases guidance to employers on disability-inclusive performance management.

Employment First Community of Practice

ODEP’s Employment First Community of Practice continues monthly webinars to assist members in advancing competitive integrated employment (CIE). Topics covered include the National Plan to Increase CIE; Secondary Benefits of CIE; Customized Employment Funding: Strategies and Solutions; Employment Networks; Funding for CIE Support Services for People with Mental Health Conditions; State Settlements and CIE: Rhode Island's Story; Statewide Collaborative Efforts to Increase CIE: Lessons from Colorado; The Role of Non-Work Activities in Developing Critical Skills for CIE and Work Learning Activities as a Pathway to CIE.

Federal Employment

ODEP continues to collaborate with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and Office of Personnel Management (OPM) to promote disability inclusion in the federal workforce. As part of this, ODEP’s EARN manages and hosts quarterly meetings of the Federal Exchange on Employment and Disability (FEED), which comprises human resources, equal employment opportunity, diversity and inclusion, reasonable accommodation and other professionals from across agencies. FEED, through multiple discussion groups and polling, develops the strategies for ensuring the federal government is a model employer for people with disabilities. In addition, ODEP plays a key role in OPM’s Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility (DEIA) Summit 2022: A Whole-of-Government Approach, a virtual event showcasing best practices for meeting goals under Executive Order 14035, DEIA in the Federal Workforce.

Financial Literacy

Through collaboration with its LEAD Center and the department’s Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA), ODEP continues efforts to promote financial literacy for disabled people, including those from underserved communities. As part of this, it updates the Secure Your Financial Future toolkit and publishes a blog post sharing one individual’s experiences with financial planning in the context of his disability due to an injury. In addition, the LEAD Center hosts webinars exploring the financial challenges faced by Black youth and young people with disabilities and outlining the success of their three Community Reinvestment Act pilots in Kalamazoo, MI, Broward County, FL and Albany, NY by explaining strategies for engaging with banks to promote economic advancement and independence for people with disabilities.

Intersectionality

In support of President Biden’s Executive Order 13985, Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities Through the Federal Government, ODEP continues to assess its policies and programs to ensure they’re equitable in reach and impact. It also explores the intersection of disability and other identity factors through an ongoing series of blog posts, webinars and other activities. Examples include blog posts honoring black leaders with disabilities during Black History Month and Women’s History Month, as well as guest pieces by Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin about his city’s commitment to advancing equity and inclusion for all people with a history of marginalization and Virginia House of Delegates member Kathy Tran about the relationship between efforts to expand opportunities for underrepresented communities. The Center for Advancing Policy on Employment for Youth (CAPE-Youth) also promotes the exploration intersection between disability and youth with other identity factors. To address this, the center releases Addressing the Needs of Youth with Disabilities and Other Intersecting Identities: State Strategies for Program Implementation, a brief that focuses specifically on how states can implement programs and services to meet the needs of youth and young adults with disabilities with intersecting identities.

Long COVID

ODEP conducts a wide range of activities to educate about supports that can help workers with Long COVID stay at or return to work once ready. This includes hosting a national online dialogue through which members of the public share their experiences. ODEP leadership and subject matter experts from its technical assistance centers also participate in numerous media interviews. Reflecting the Biden Administration’s “whole-of-government” approach to the issue, ODEP also contributes to and assists in disseminating the interagency Services and Supports for Longer-Term Impacts of COVID-19 and developing the National Research Action Plan on Long COVID.

Mental Health

ODEP continues to educate employers about best practices for supporting worker mental health, with a focus on ensuring inclusive approaches that consider the experiences of historically underserved communities. As part of this, it hosts both a virtual event and Twitter chat in honor of Mental Health Awareness Month in May. Meanwhile, ODEP’s employer-focused technical assistance centers host numerous webinars, webcasts and podcasts on the topic, while its Campaign for Disability Employment (CDE) launches a related public service announcement (PSA) campaign. ODEP also continues to represent DOL on the Interdepartmental Serious Mental Illness Coordinating Committee and promote state-level policy solutions for supporting youth and adults with mental health conditions across all initiatives.

National Online Dialogues

ODEP partners with a range of interagency partners to host a national online dialogue through which members of the public can contribute their experiences with and ideas for solving challenges to advancing workforce disability inclusion. ODEP hosts Understanding and Addressing Workplace Challenges Related to Long COVID in collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the U.S. Surgeon General—attracting 617 registrants, who collectively share hundreds of ideas and comments.

NDEAM

ODEP oversees the 78th National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM) in October, centered around the theme, “Disability: Part of the Equity Equation”, including the development of the annual poster, key messages and animated video. In addition, ODEP hosts an “Employer Chat on Workplace Mental Health and Well-Being” featuring the Secretary of Labor and representatives from EY, Google, the Employee Assistance Professionals Association (EAPA) and the Coelho Center for Disability Law, Policy and Innovation. The President also issues a proclamation recognizing the month and the important role workers with disabilities play in America’s economic success.

NEON

Under its National Expansion of Employment Opportunities Network (NEON) initiative, ODEP continues to provide technical assistance to five National Provider Organizations, ACCSES, ANCOR, the Association of People Supporting Employment First (APSE), The Arc and SourceAmerica to assist their members to advance competitive integrated employment (CIE), in accordance with the collaboratively developed  National Plan to Increase CIE.

RETAIN

Under the Retaining Employment and Talent After Injury/Illness Network (RETAIN) initiative, five states—Kansas, Kentucky, Minnesota, Ohio and Vermont—continue to operate demonstration projects focused on coordinating health and employment services in order to help workers continue or resume working after illness or injury to avoid the onset of work-related disability. As part of this, these states contribute to ODEP’s work on Long COVID by identifying specific challenges faced by and best practices for supporting affected workers. Also, a variety of success stories from each state highlight people served under the program and key takeaways learned as a result.

SEED Mental Health Initiative

Under its State Exchange on Employment and Disability (SEED) initiative, ODEP launches an initiative to help state and local policymakers promote workforce inclusion of people with mental health conditions. Under this initiative, intermediary partners, subject matter experts and other key stakeholders convene in May, with discussions centered around four topics: nondiscrimination, parity and benefits; workplace care and supports; underserved rural, racial and ethnic communities; and behavioral workforce shortages and crisis service systems. Following this, ODEP launches the Mental Health Matters: National Taskforce on Workforce Mental Health Policy and parallel mayoral Mental Health and Employment Working Group. Together, these groups inform the development of resources to help policymakers support workers’ mental health and strengthen the behavioral health care workforce. ODEP’s Advancing State Policy Integration for Recovery and Employment (ASPIRE) initiative also partners with SEED on its mental health state policy work.

State Policy

Through the State Exchange on Employment and Disability (SEED) initiative, ODEP continues to offer states direct policy assistance and collaborate with intermediary organizations representing state and local policymakers, with a focus on those representing marginalized communities. New partners brought on board during 2022 include the National League of Cities, the National Caucus of Native American State Legislators, National Black Caucus of State Legislators, National Organization of Black Elected Legislative Women and Women’s Legislative Network, bringing SEED’s total number of formal partnerships to 17. Working with these partners, SEED helps inform 103 bills and executive orders in 36 states, and publishes dozens of reports and policy briefs and articles and presentations on disability employment-related topics.

Workforce System

As part of its ongoing efforts to advance equitable, inclusive workforce service delivery for people with disabilities, ODEP awards a four-year cooperative agreement to the National Disability Institute to operate its LEAD Center. Their key partner in this effort is Social Policy Research Associates. Key priorities of the center include advancing economic self-sufficiency for people with disabilities, creating career pathways to competitive integrated employment (CIE) and increasing data reporting on disability through Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA)-funded programs. Key collaborative activities include policy research and recommendations, technical assistance and various demonstration projects, including partnerships with banks to develop financial education and financial industry career pathways through three pilot projects. All activities focused on promoting disability-inclusive workforce development policies and programs. Through a variety of initiatives, ODEP’s Workforce Systems team also continues to advance CIE; key activities include a federal interagency webinar and related joint communication on innovative resource sharing to increase CIE for people with disabilities.

WRP

ODEP continues to manage the annual recruitment and hiring cycle for the Workforce Recruitment Program (WRP) in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Defense. The result is a 2022 database that federal hiring managers can access to connect with 2,300 students and recent graduates with disabilities seeking internships or long-term federal employment. In addition, several success stories highlight the experiences of individuals who participated in the WRP.

Youth Policy

The ODEP-funded Center for Advancing Policy on Employment for Youth (CAPE-Youth) works with states to ensure their youth and workforce development service delivery systems meet the needs of youth and young adults with disabilities (Y&YADs) as they transition from school to college or careers. Key focus areas include intersectionality, leveraging specialty care services to maximize employment outcomes, inclusive apprenticeship and transition activities and services for justice-involved youth. As part of this, it releases policy tools, including Expanding Apprenticeships as a Career Pathway for Youth and Young Adults with Disabilities that describes how by creating and fostering accessible and inclusive apprenticeships, states can increase opportunities for Y&YADs and encourage economic growth and Transition Activities and Services for Justice-Involved Youth and Young Adults with Disabilities a brief of different policy considerations discussed at a roundtable hosted by CAPE-Youth in collaboration with the White House Office of Public Engagement on justice-involved youth to better understand policy implications and their lived experiences.

Initiatives and Accomplishments

Accommodations/JAN

ODEP’s Job Accommodation Network (JAN) continues to provide assistance to employers and workers on effective job accommodations for people with disabilities, with an emphasis on emerging issues arising from the COVID-19 pandemic, among them telework, vaccinations and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and supports for workers experiencing symptoms of Long COVID. In support of the latter, the Secretary of Labor records a radio PSA educating workers with Long COVID about their rights and sharing JAN as a resource to assist. JAN also unveils its new “MyJAN” portal, which allows website visitors to save and organize JAN resources of interest to them in one location.

Alliances

ODEP establishes an alliance with the American Association for Access, Equity and Diversity.  It also renews its alliances with the Association of University Centers on Disabilities and Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM). As part of its alliance with the latter, ODEP assists SHRM in launching an “Inclusion Pledge” that encourages its members to promote diverse, equitable and disability-inclusive workplaces. Other active alliance members include the American Staffing Association, National Industry Liaison Group, Professional Baseball Athletic Training Society and Disability:IN.

Analysis of Employment Trends During COVID-19

ODEP issued the Employment of People with Disabilities: Analysis of Trends During COVID-19 Pandemic Brief to examine the employment of people with disabilities during the COVID-19 pandemic. This brief presents analysis of trends in key labor force statistics from the Current Population Survey (CPS) for persons with and without disabilities since the beginning of the pandemic through December 2020. Using findings from other independent research, this brief also explores two key aspects of occupations and industries associated with employment outcomes: teleworkability and whether the job requires workers to be in close proximity with others.

Anniversary Observance

ODEP celebrates its 20th anniversary with a variety of activities, including interviews with former leaders and a blog post series exploring the impact of its work and commitment to driving change and creating opportunity going forward.

Apprenticeship

The ODEP-funded Partnership on Inclusive Apprenticeship (PIA) launches to advance policies and practices to drive career pathways in high growth, high demand (HGHD) job fields. PIA seeks to engage employers and apprenticeship intermediaries in designing inclusive programs that meet employer talent needs and enable people with disabilities to gain credentials and skills to succeed in HGHD industries. To achieve this goal, PIA launches its “Apprenticeship for All” podcast series, Resource Library and Clean Energy Spotlight. PIA also releases three guides for employers: Designing Inclusive Apprenticeships Guide, Perspectives on Apprenticeship and The Value of Inclusive Apprenticeships. ODEP also publishes a series of briefs synthesizing outcomes learned from its former Apprenticeship Inclusion Models initiative, which laid the foundation for PIA. The critical role inclusive apprenticeship plays in states’ economic recovery from COVID-19 is also highlighted through a National Conference of State Legislatures report, Apprenticeships: A Pipeline for an Inclusive Recovery, developed in collaboration with ODEP’s State Exchange on Employment and Disability.

ASPIRE

Through the Advancing State Policy Integration for Recovery and Employment (ASPIRE) initiative, ODEP assists seven states to integrate policy, program and funding infrastructures to expand evidence-based employment services for people with mental health conditions using the Individual Placement and Support (IPS) model of Supported Employment. The ASPIRE Initiative has a particular focus on increasing access for Americans with mental health disabilities from Afro-diasporic backgrounds, and it also includes those individuals with co-occurring substance use disorder.  States currently participating in ASPIRE include Florida, Indiana, Iowa, Minnesota, Oklahoma, Virginia and Wisconsin.

Assistant Secretary Confirmation

The U.S. Senate confirms Taryn Williams as the fourth Assistant Secretary of Labor for Disability Employment Policy.

CDE

The ODEP-funded Campaign for Disability Employment (CDE) embarks on its next PSA campaign, producing assets to be released in early 2022. The focus of the campaign is workplace mental health, a topic of increased importance as workers experience increased stress and anxiety amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. To develop the PSA and accompanying materials, ODEP engages a number of leading mental health subject matter experts. The CDE’s previous PSA, “Working Works,” also remains in distribution, ending the year with more than 58,000 airings on television stations nationwide. 

Competitive Integrated Employment

ODEP continues to advance competitive integrated employment (CIE) through a wide variety of initiatives, including its LEAD Center, National Expansion of Employment Opportunities Network (NEON) and Advancing State Policy Integration for Recovery and Employment (ASPIRE). It also implements a national Employment First Community of Practice which reaches over 7,000 people monthly, providing presentations from recognized experts on all aspects of provider and systems transformation to CIE, and maintains a comprehensive website on these topics. ODEP also disseminates information on new funding and flexibilities for increasing access to CIE provided under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act; American Rescue Plan Act; Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act; and Further Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2020, as well as through the work of multiple federal agencies.

Coronavirus/COVID-19

ODEP, in coordination with other DOL agencies, continues to help employers and workers navigate the challenges brought on by continuing waves of the COVID-19 pandemic. Key areas of focus include accessible telework, states’ youth policies, strategies for supporting workers’ mental health and accommodations and workplace rights for workers experiencing Long COVID.
ODEP also assists states in ensuring inclusive pandemic-response policies through the COVID-19 Policy Collaborative formed under the auspices of the State Exchange on Employment and Disability initiative.

COVID-19 Policy Collaborative for an Inclusive Recovery

The COVID-19 Policy Collaborative for an Inclusive Recovery, formed by ODEP under the auspices of its State Exchange on Employment and Disability (SEED), works to identify ways to support state and local policymakers in ensuring an inclusive and equitable response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Focusing on four broad topic areas (safety and health, mental health, vaccinations and workforce readiness), the Collaborative convenes key stakeholders and subject matter experts for a series of three virtual meetings and, based on information gleaned, develops a suite of resources, among them Frameworks for a Disability Inclusive Recovery and Policy Checklist for a Disability-Inclusive Recovery.

Customized Employment Videos

ODEP, in collaboration with the Veterans’ Employment and Training Service and U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, produces two videos highlighting the value of customized employment for veterans. Customized Employment Works for Veterans: A Win-Win Strategy describes customized employment from the veteran, service provider and employer points of view, while Customized Employment Works for Veterans: A Job that I Love focuses on the importance of discovery in the customized employment process.

Data Collection and Analysis

In partnership with the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), ODEP continues to report monthly disability employment statistics derived from the Current Population Survey (CPS), the Federal Government’s source for comprehensive estimates on labor force participation, employment and unemployment. ODEP and BLS also release Persons with a Disability – Labor Force Characteristics 2020, a summary of data from the year before, and update an analysis of trends in disability employment during the COVID-19 pandemic to reflect data through December 2020. To honor the 100th anniversary of DOL’s Woman’s Bureau, ODEP also publishes a brief examining the state of women with disabilities in the labor market.

Employer Engagement/EARN

ODEP’s Employer Assistance and Resource Network on Disability Inclusion (EARN) produces a range of resources and webinars to assist employers in building diverse, equitable and inclusive workplaces, with a focus on meeting the needs of both remote and onsite employees with disabilities during the ongoing pandemic and supporting workers’ mental health. EARN unveils https://askearn.org/, a new website structured around the four phases of the employment lifecycle—recruit, hire, retain and advance. Among the new site’s resources are self-paced online training courses, easy-to-use checklists, in-depth policy guides, videos on inclusive business practices adopted by companies like JPMorgan Chase and PepsiCo and archived webinars on a variety of issues including creating disability inclusive workplaces and ensuring safe and healthy workplaces during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Employment First Community of Practice

ODEP continues to assist states in advancing competitive integrated employment (CIE) opportunities for people with disabilities through the Employment First Community of Practice. Monthly webinar topics include state guidelines for employment services personnel certification; the impact of COVID-19 on employment of people with disabilities; pre-employment transition services challenges and success; value, outcome and performance-based payment methodologies to advance CIE; and customized employment for veterans. ODEP develops and releases its guide on Value-Based Payment Methodologies to Advance Competitive Integrated Employment: A Mix of Inspiring Examples from Across the Country along with a three-part webinar series highlighting key components from the guide with examples from states and state systems.

Federal Employment

In coordination with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and Office of Personnel Management (OPM), ODEP continues to play a key role in advancing the employment of people with disabilities in the federal workforce, with a special emphasis on helping agencies meet their goals under Executive Order 14035, Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility in the Federal Workforce. A main avenue for this is the Federal Exchange on Employment and Disability (FEED) managed by the ODEP-funded Employer Assistance and Resource Network on Disability Inclusion (EARN) and comprising more than 1,700 professionals in human resources, equal employment opportunity, diversity and inclusion, reasonable accommodation and other fields from across the Federal Government. In collaboration with the EEOC, EARN includes a Directory of Federal Affirmative Action Plans on its AskEARN.org website. This repository of AAPs provides easy access to federal agency strategies for disability inclusion.

Financial Toolkit

In collaboration with the Employee Benefits Security Administration, ODEP and its LEAD Center unveil the Secure Your Financial Future toolkit. Framed around five major phases of the employment lifecycle, this online resource addresses common concerns and provides resources for people with disabilities, including those from underserved communities, as they pursue employment and the financial stability and freedom it provides. The toolkit is updated every quarter to feature the most relevant existing resources as well as newly created resources. It has a particular focus on developing resources for historically marginalized communities with disabilities, as well as marketing the toolkit to these communities.

Inclusive Telework

To support workers and employers navigating prolonged telework in response to ongoing waves of the COVID-19 pandemic, ODEP focuses on helping employers adopt and implement inclusive telework policies and practices. As part of this, ODEP’s Partnership on Employment and Accessible Technology (PEAT) adds to its Telework and Accessibility Toolkit guidance on hosting accessible virtual meetings; its Job Accommodation Network (JAN) publishes guidance on telework as a reasonable accommodation during the COVID-19 pandemic; and its Employer Assistance and Resource Network on Disability Inclusion (EARN) publishes Leveraging Remote Work to Increase Inclusion and Adopting an Integrated Telework Policy for Employees With and Without Disabilities. PEAT, JAN and EARN also educate about the topic via webinars, webcasts and media interviews.

Long COVID

In collaboration with the White House, ODEP coordinates the department’s efforts to support workers experiencing lingering symptoms of COVID-19, a condition referred to as Long COVID. Key messaging focuses on helping workers with Long COVID understand that they may be entitled to job accommodations to help them stay at or return to work, as well as educating employers about effective accommodations for affected workers. As part of this, ODEP produces a radio PSA featuring the Secretary of Labor that airs across the nation, and ODEP’s Assistant Secretary participates in a number of media interviews.

Mental Health

With workers reporting higher rates of stress and anxiety as a result of COVID-19, ODEP continues to promote best practices for supportive, mental health-friendly workplaces. As part of this, the Employer Assistance and Resource Network on Disability Inclusion (EARN) adds to its Mental Health Toolkit and profiles several companies’ efforts to support workers’ mental health needs during the pandemic. The toolkit is updated to include information and resources on Substance Use Disorder. EARN also conducts a webinar highlighting the importance of creating mentally healthy workplaces. A Checklist for Mentally Healthy Workplaces and a brief on mental health in the workplace are issued providing further guidance on supporting employee mental health. In addition, ODEP’s Advancing State Policy Integration for Recovery and Employment (ASPIRE) initiative, assists states to advance competitive integrated employment for people with serious mental health conditions, while its Center for Advancing Policy on Employment for Youth (CAPE-Youth)explores best practices for supporting youth with mental health conditions as they prepare to enter the workforce in the post-pandemic era. ODEP also represents the department on the Interdepartmental Serious Mental Illness Coordinating Committee led by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).

National Online Dialogues

Through its ePolicyWorks initiative, ODEP partners with a range of federal, state and non-governmental partners to host a series of national online dialogues on issues impacting disability employment. Among the topics addressed are inclusive apprenticeship; advancing worker equity; inclusive design of autonomous vehicles; advancing financial equity; and women workers and the pandemic recovery. Input gathered during each of these dialogues is compiled to help inform ODEP and other agencies’ policy work going forward.

NDEAM

ODEP oversees the 76th National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM) in October, centered around the theme, “America’s Recovery: Powered by Inclusion.” Key activities include hosting a virtual event featuring the Secretary of Labor, Assistant Secretary of Labor for Disability Employment Policy and other notable speakers as well as the development of the annual NDEAM poster and a social media toolkit for use by individuals and organizations around the country. The President also issues a proclamation recognizing the month.

NEON

ODEP’s National Expansion of Employment Opportunities Network (NEON) initiative develops and releases its NEON National Plan to Increase Competitive Integrated Employment (CIE), which outlines strategies for helping five national provider organizations (ACCSES, American Network of Community Options and Resources, Association of People Supporting Employment First, SourceAmerica and The Arc of the U.S.) strengthen their networks’ capacity to increase CIE.

Neurodiversity

ODEP and ODEP’s technical assistance centers develop key resources to assist employers in understanding the benefits of neurodiversity in the workplace and effective accommodations for neurodivergent individuals, including during the hiring and onboarding process. As part of this, the Employer Assistance and Resource Network on Disability Inclusion develops a new Neurodiversity Inclusion: Checklist for Organizational Success and enhances its Neurodiversity in the Workplace toolkit. 

OFCCP Southeast Region Collaboration

ODEP and the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) Southeast region facilitate a seven-part webinar series titled Inclusive Resources and Technical Assistance that begins in the spring of 2021 and will end in the summer of 2022. Each 60-minute session spotlights an ODEP technical assistance center (TAC) or resource. ODEP kicks off the series with an overview of the agency and a Workforce Recruitment Program presentation. Each TAC provides tools and professional development opportunities to address disability-focused employment access barriers identified by the OFCCP Southeast region federal contractors, 63 regional Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs) and related stakeholders.

Paid Family and Medical Leave

ODEP issued the Access to Paid Leave for Family and Medical Reasons Among Workers with Disabilities Brief that examines access to paid leave for certain family and medical reasons and highlights differences in access based on disability status. The authors use publicly available data from the American Time Use Survey, linked to the Current Population Survey (CPS), to examine factors related to access such as race/ethnicity, earnings, education, unionization, industry and occupation.

Racial and Social Equity

ODEP plays a key role in DOL’s efforts to increase racial and social equity in its policies, programs and procurement activities in response to Executive Order 13985, Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities Through the Federal Government. Key activities include a national online dialogue to gather ideas from the public and a listening session engaging the business community on barriers to equity in the awarding of federal contracts and subcontracts by DOL and other agencies. ODEP also establishes an Alliance with the American Association for Access, Equity and Diversity (AAAED). AAAED is the longest-standing national civil rights organization of professionals who engage in the important work of leading, directing and managing affirmative action, equal opportunity, diversity and other human resource programs. ODEP also addresses the intersection between race and disability though blog posts, webinars and other activities.   

RETAIN

ODEP and the Employment and Training Administration (ETA), in partnership with the Social Security Administration (SSA), provided approximately $103 million in additional grant funding to five states participating in the Retaining Employment and Talent after Injury/Illness Network (RETAIN) Demonstration Program. This funding allows the five states to expand health and employment early interventions to restore gainful employment of ill or injured workers, including those affected by COVID-19 and those from underserved communities, which states developed in the first phase of RETAIN. This should enable states to help thousands of ill or injured workers stay at or quickly return to work. Doing so will help not only these workers and their families, but also businesses and communities, and RETAIN projects will provide lessons that can be adopted across the US and improve federal policy.   

REYAAS Project

ODEP began the Research Support Services for Employment of Young Adults (REYAAS) Project to build evidence regarding approaches to improve gainful employment for young adults (ages 16 through 28) with developmental disabilities, particularly those on the autism spectrum.  This effort aligns with federal priorities under the Autism Collaboration, Accountability, Research, Education and Support (CARES) Act of 2019 to expand access, opportunity and quality of life for youth and adults on the autism spectrum.  This project will also support broader efforts to enhance federal policy and practices to support neurodiversity at work and strengthen access to competitive integrated employment for youth and adults with disabilities.  Key activities include reviewing the current literature on existing strategies to support employment for this population; assessing and analyzing exiting data to examine the current state of affairs and improve programs and services; holding listening sessions with a range of diverse stakeholders; and developing evaluation designs and recommendations for future efforts to build evidence.

SSI Youth Solutions Initiative

Under ODEP’s SSI Youth Solutions Initiative, 12 teams of subject matter experts (SMEs) identify innovative and evidence-based policy actions for increasing labor force participation among youth ages 14 to 24 receiving Supplemental Security Income (SSI). Resulting policy and program solution papers are published in May, and SMEs convene in June to share and discuss their ideas, which broadly fall into four categories: improving case management and service coordination; using evidence-based curricula that promote awareness about disability employment and the benefits of youth empowerment; encouraging and expanding access to education and training; and changing federal policy to expand financial assistance and access to supportive services.

State Policy/SEED

Through its State Exchange on Employment and Disability (SEED) initiative, ODEP provides assistance to state and local policymakers to adopt disability-inclusive policies and best practices. In 2021, SEED’s direct policy assistance to 47 states results in more than 110 new laws and executive orders that align with the Work Matters policy framework and ODEP’s policy priorities. SEED also launches its new microsite to serve as a central source for resources developed under the initiative to help state and local policymakers adopt disability-inclusive policies and best practices. In addition to an overview of the types of policy assistance SEED provides, the microsite includes policy examples, articles, blogs, podcasts and webinars produced by SEED’s partners and a dedicated page with resources to assist policymakers in facilitating an inclusive recovery.

Technology/PEAT

Through its Partnership on Employment and Accessible Technology (PEAT), ODEP fosters collaborations with and between technology companies to promote accessible, inclusive workplaces, with a focus on emerging technologies. New resources include the Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Disability Inclusion Toolkit, Equitable AI Playbook and Inclusive Extended Reality (XR) in the Workplace guide. ODEP also partners with other federal agencies on inclusive technology efforts and research into new focus areas, such as the digital divide for people with disabilities. PEAT also enhances its Telework and Accessibility Toolkit to assist employers in meeting employees’ needs during the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic, and continues its Future of Work podcast series.

Transportation

In collaboration with other federal agencies, ODEP conducts a number of activities to promote accessible transportation as an employment support for people with disabilities, with a focus on the promise of autonomous vehicles (AV). As part of this, ODEP helps the U.S. Department of Transportation publish a request for information to assist in developing a library of resources on inclusive AV design and mount Phase 2 of its Inclusive Design Challenge. ODEP also participates on DOT’s Coordinating Council on Access and Mobility (CCAM), which seeks to coordinate federal transportation programs serving people with disabilities.

Workforce System /LEAD Center

ODEP, in coordination with its LEAD Center, conducts a wide range of activities to increase access to the nation’s public workforce development system for people with disabilities in the context of Section 188 of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA). Webinar topics range from facilitating re-entry of people with disabilities after incarceration to the Individual Placement and Support model of Supported Employment to financial wellbeing for individuals with disabilities during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond, to name just a few. ODEP’s Workforce Systems Policy team and LEAD Center also collaborate with the Employee Benefits Security Administration to develop the Secure Your Financial Future toolkit and host a number of events, including a webinar and national online dialogue on issues of financial literacy. LEAD also works with ETA’s Division of Indian and Native American Programs (DINAP) to collect data on the prevalence of disability within the  grantees’ program participants and present promising practices to serve program participants with disabilities through a series of webinars. To advance racial equity, LEAD conducts pilots in three local workforce development areas to leverage Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) efforts through bank investment in disability employment for low-income individuals who are primarily people of color. The pilot sites are: New York’s Capital Region (Albany, New York), Michigan Works! Southwest (Kalamazoo, Michigan) and CareerSource Broward (Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.

WRP

ODEP continues to manage the annual recruitment and hiring cycle for the Workforce Recruitment Program (WRP) in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Defense. The result is a 2021 database that federal hiring managers can access to connect with more than 2,500 students and recent graduates with disabilities seeking internships or long-term federal employment. The program is also highlighted in Executive Order 14035 as a key tool for increasing diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility in the federal workforce.   

Youth Policy/CAPE-Youth

Through a variety of activities, the ODEP-funded Center for Advancing Policy on Employment for Youth (CAPE-Youth) assists states to build capacity within their workforce and youth service delivery systems to better serve youth with disabilities as they prepare to transition to employment in the post-pandemic era. As part of this, it hosts webinars and publishes a number of briefs on related topics. It also conducts research, with a focus on pre-employment transition services, strategies for effectively serving youth with a first episode of psychosis, and how to better support youth through a trauma-informed, culturally responsive model. CAPE-Youth also continues to compile and share innovative state-level practices to support students and young adults during COVID-19. It creates a 50 state COVID-19 policy scan. The scan highlights states’ numerous programs for individuals with disabilities through initiatives focused on employment, education, transportation and other aspects of full community inclusion.

Zero Project Awards

Two ODEP-funded initiatives—the Partnership on Employment & Accessible Technology and State Exchange on Employment & Disability—receive 2021 Zero Project Awards, which annually recognize innovative practices and policies that advance the rights of and quality of living for people with disabilities.

Initiatives and Accomplishments

ADA30 Observance

ODEP spearheads DOL’s yearlong celebration of the 30th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act and its impact on employment with a wide range of events and activities reflecting the theme of “Increasing Access and Opportunity.

Alliances

ODEP establishes an alliance agreement with the American Staffing Association (ASA) to advance employment of people with disabilities in the staffing, recruiting and workforce solutions industry.  It also renews its alliances with Disability:IN, the National Industry Liaison Group and the Professional Baseball Athletic Trainers Society.  Other active alliance partners during the year include the Association of University Centers on Disabilities and the Society for Human Resource Management.

Apprenticeship

Through ODEP’s Apprenticeship Inclusion Models (AIM), four organizations receive training and technical assistance to test strategies for increasing access to apprenticeship for youth and adults with disabilities in information technology, healthcare and other in-demand sectors.  A key component of this demonstration project is the AIM Community of Practice and webinar series.

ASPIRE

ODEP launches the Advancing State Policy Integration for Recovery and Employment (ASPIRE) initiative to help states align policy, programs and funding across multiple state agencies to increase competitive integrated employment for people with mental health conditions through evidence-based practices.

CDE

The “Working Works” public service announcement (PSA), the fourth in a series produced by the ODEP-funded Campaign for Disability Employment (CDE), ends its second year in distribution with more than 50 thousand airings on television stations nationwide.  The CDE also conducts a number of activities in support of the 30th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, including billboards and distribution of a radio version of its “Who I Am” PSA.

COVID-19 Response

ODEP and its policy development and technical assistance centers contribute to DOL’s and Government-wide efforts to help employers and workers navigate the challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.  Activities focus on the intersection between safety and health guidelines and the Americans with Disabilities Act, accessible telework and strategies for supporting workers’ mental health.  ODEP produces analytical reports on the impact of COVID-19 on disability employment which observe national trends since the pandemic onset and identify the most impacted industries and occupations and modes of employment that appear to offer greatest employment security for people with disabilities.

Data Collection and Analysis

ODEP continues to partner with DOL’s Bureau of Labor Statistics to collect and report data on the employment status of people with disabilities and, early in the year, publish a labor force characteristics summary for people with disabilities for 2019.  In honor of the 30th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, ODEP and BLS collaborate to publish a slide feature highlighting BLS resources that can help people with disabilities plan their career paths and a blog post about the importance of data in developing evidence-based disability employment policy.

EDI Awards

ODEP and DOL's Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) award the inaugural Excellence in Disability Inclusion (EDI) awards to CVS Health and PepsiCo for exemplary leadership in making their workforce inclusive of people with disabilities.

Employment First

Through the Employment First Community of Practice, ODEP continues to assist states in prioritizing competitive integrated employment opportunities for people with disabilities.  A key part of this effort is a monthly webinar series.  Employment First principles inform several new initiatives including Visionary Opportunities to Increase Competitive Employment (VOICE), National Expansion of Employment Opportunities Network (NEON) and Advancing State Policy Integration for Recovery and Employment (ASPIRE)

Federal Employment

ODEP continues to serve on the Equal Opportunity (EO) Workgroup, along with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and Office of Personnel Management (OPM).   In collaboration with its Employer Assistance and Resource Network on Disability Inclusion (EARN), ODEP convenes quarterly meetings of the Federal Exchange on Employment and Disability (FEED), focused on helping federal agencies fulfill the Government’s pledge to be a model employer of people with disabilities, with a special emphasis on telework and other issues arising from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Mental Health

In coordination with its Employer Assistance and Resource Network on Disability Inclusion (EARN) and Job Accommodation Network (JAN), ODEP educates employers about strategies for supporting workers with mental health conditions, including those experiencing increased anxiety due to the COVID-19 pandemic.  Activities include articles and webinars, as well as profiles about employers’ responses to COVID-19 from a workplace wellness perspective.  ODEP Alliance partner, the Professional Baseball Athletic Trainers Society, uses the “4 A’s” of a Mental Health-Friendly Workplace” to frame a video on mental health awareness featuring athletic trainers from several Major League Baseball clubs.  ODEP’s ASPIRE initiative focuses on advancing policy integration for people with mental health conditions.

NDEAM

The 75th National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM) in October helps close out DOL’s yearlong observance of the Americans with Disabilities Act’s 30th anniversary.  In honor of both, ODEP hosts “Building a Future That Works,” a virtual event exploring the crucial role of accessible technology in increasing access and opportunity for people with disabilities in the workplace, which garners over 4,600 views NDEAM posters in English and Spanish are downloaded from the NDEAM web page or ordered in hard copy over 8,000 times and the NDEAM web pages are visited nearly 42,000 times.

NEON

Through the National Expansion of Employment Opportunities Network (NEON) initiative, ODEP provides technical assistance to five national provider organizations—ACCSES, American Network of Community Options and Resources, Association of People Supporting Employment First, SourceAmerica and The Arc of the United States—to strengthen their networks’ capacity to increase competitive integrated employment for people with disabilities.

Online Dialogues

Through its ePolicyWorks initiative, ODEP works with internal and external partners to host several national online dialogues on issues impacting disability employment, including job development and transportation accessibility. ODEP uses the platform to help DOL’s Office of the Assistant Secretary for Policy and other DOL agencies rapidly gather input from stakeholders on issues of urgent concern, including expanded family and medical leave in response to COVID-19 and strategies for reopening workplaces in the face of the pandemic.

RETAIN

The eight states participating in the Retaining Employment and Talent After Injury/Illness Network (RETAIN) grant project begin to complete Phase 1 of their pilot projects to test effective strategies for helping workers stay at or return to work following injury or illness. ODEP continues to provide technical assistance and support for participant outreach and recruitment as well as program design and implementation, including strategies for adapting to changes brought on by COVID-19.

Section 503 Focused Reviews

ODEP assists DOL’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) in implementing the first-ever focused reviews on Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act.  During these reviews, OFCCP examines a contractor’s policies and procedures as they relate solely to Section 503, which prohibits federal contractors and subcontractors from discriminating against qualified people with disabilities and requires some to take affirmative action to recruit, hire, retain and advance them.

SEED

Partners in ODEP’s State Exchange on Employment and Disability (SEED) amplify the Americans with Disabilities Act’s 30th anniversary through activities designed to educate state policy makers about the law and its impact on employment and community life.  These include a virtual conference hosted by the National Conference of State Legislatures and a U.S. Conference of Mayors report titled Advancing Inclusion and Diversity in the Workplace.  In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Council of State Governments publishes a brief on disability-inclusive telework for states.  Through its work with state intermediary partners, in 2020 alone SEED assisted in the enactment of more than 100 employment-related bills across 39 states.

SSI Youth Solutions Initiative

ODEP selects 12 subject matter experts to receive stipends and intensive technical assistance to develop white papers exploring innovative and evidence-based actions, including statutory, regulatory, policy and service model changes, that can increase labor force participation, and educational and employment success among young adults ages 14 to 24 who apply for or receive Supplemental Security Income (SSI).

Survey of Employer Policies on the Employment of People with Disabilities

ODEP and DOL’s Chief Evaluation Office publish the results of the Survey of Employer Policies on the Employment of People with Disabilities, which examined employers' efforts to employ, and attitudes toward, people with disabilities and compared them to a similar survey ODEP sponsored in 2008.

Technology

The ODEP-funded Partnership on Employment and Accessible Technology (PEAT) focuses on ensuring emerging technologies—such as autonomous vehicles, artificial intelligence and extended reality—are accessible to and inclusive of people with disabilities. PEAT publishes an Emerging Technology Playbook with step-by-step guidance gleaned from its industry partners and hosts the ongoing Future of Work podcast series. PEAT also publishes new resources on telework and accessibility and digital accessibility in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

VOICE

Under the Visionary Opportunities to Increase Competitive Integrated Employment (VOICE) initiative, ODEP selects and supports 12 states and the District of Columbia to develop policies to increase competitive integrated employment opportunities for people with mental health disabilities.

Workforce System

The newly ODEP-funded policy center, the Leadership for the Employment and Economic Advancement of People with Disabilities  Center (LEAD Center), develops eLearning training modules and materials for American Job Center staff.  These focus on the nondiscrimination and equal opportunity provisions of Section 188 of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA).  Trainings also include information related to service delivery and job development during COVID-19 and how to support workers facing economic challenges as a result of the pandemic. ODEP works with the Employment and Training Administration's (ETA) to produce a virtual web tool to help workforce systems nationally understand their disability data requirements under the WIOA.  ODEP analyzes WIOA state plans focusing on the specific disability provisions in Titles I and IV to inform state leaders and people with disabilities about employment service delivery across states.

WRP

The Workforce Recruitment Program (WRP), which ODEP manages in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Defense, facilitates the hiring of students and recent graduates with disabilities as interns or employees with federal agencies. The 2020 WRP database includes nearly 1,900 students from 325 colleges and universities around the country.

Youth Policy

The newly formed, ODEP-funded Center for Advancing Policy on Employment for Youth (CAPE-Youth)—managed through a cooperative agreement with the Council of State Governments—launches effort to help states build capacity within their workforce and youth service delivery systems to better serve youth with disabilities.  In response to COVID-19, it develops an index of state strategies for continuing to provide education and transition services to youth and young adults with disabilities during the pandemic.

Zero Project Awards

In February, ODEP’s  Pathways to Careers for Students with Disabilities initiative is among the recipients of the 2020 Zero Project Awards, which annually recognize innovative practices and policies that advance the rights of and quality of living for people with disabilities.  In December, two more ODEP-funded initiatives—the Partnership on Employment & Accessible Technology and State Exchange on Employment & Disability—are announced to be among the program’s 2021 awardees.

Initiatives and Accomplishments

Accessible Technology

ODEP continues to convene employers, individuals and industry to promote the development and use of accessible workplace technology. Key activities include the publication of research findings on the accessible technology skills gap by the Partnership on Employment and Accessible Technology (PEAT) and strategies to address it through curricula development. PEAT also convenes a Think Tank to explore ongoing and emerging issues and produces several episodes of its "Future of Work" podcast series, addressing topics ranging from apprenticeship programs to "smart cities" to artificial intelligence.

Apprenticeship Inclusion Models (AIM)

Under its Apprenticeship Inclusion Models (AIM) initiative, ODEP selects four organizations to test innovative approaches to expanding career pathways for adults and youth with disabilities into high-demand, well-paying careers such as technology and healthcare through apprenticeships and other work-based learning programs. The focus is developing replicable models for recruitment and retention through partnerships with employers, unions and colleges and universities.

Autonomous Vehicles

ODEP hosts the fourth and final in a series of information exchanges exploring the power of autonomous vehicles and inclusive design to increase employment opportunities for people with disabilities. A summary of key themes from these information exchanges, as well as a previous national online dialogue on the topic, serve to guide ODEP's and other federal agencies' work on the topic going forward.

Campaign for Disability Employment

ODEP's Campaign for Disability Employment (CDE) marks its 10th anniversary communicating positive media messages about the employment of people with disabilities. Key activities include blog posts and a photo-sharing campaign during National Disability Employment Awareness Month focused on the 2019 theme, "The Right Talent, Right Now." The CDE continues promoting its four public service announcements (PSAs), with its latest production, "Working Works," airing more than 200,000 times in media markets across the U.S., thrusting it into the top 10 percent of all PSAs airing nationally.

Employer Assistance and Resource Network on Disability Inclusion

Through its Inclusion@Work network of intermediary partners, ODEP's Employer Assistance and Resource Network on Disability Inclusion (EARN) conducts a variety of activities, including a monthly webinar series, to educate employers on disability inclusive workplace policies and practices. It also develops a Mental Health Toolkit and employer policy framework, as well as policy briefs on topics such as artificial intelligence, neurodiversity and voluntary affirmative action programs designed to benefit individuals with disabilities. Upon completion of a cooperative agreement ending in 2019, ODEP awards a new cooperative agreement to Cornell University's Yang-Tan Institute on Employment and Disability to operate EARN for the next four years.

Employment First

ODEP continues to assist states in prioritizing competitive integrated employment opportunities for people with disabilities, based on the Employment First philosophy. As part of this, it publishes State Strategic Planning for Employment First, a manual to assist state leadership teams to create statewide cross-systems Employment First strategic plans. It also conducts a range of technical assistance activities for service providers and solicits applications for states to receive intensive support and mentoring to improve competitive integrated employment for people with mental health conditions through the Visionary Opportunities to Increase Competitive Employment (VOICE) initiative.

Excellence in Disability Inclusion Awards

ODEP, in coordination with DOL's Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP), solicits nominations for the first-ever Excellence in Disability Inclusion (EDI) awards program to recognize federal contractors that go above and beyond to foster employment opportunities for individuals with disabilities.

Federal Exchange on Employment and Disability/Equal Opportunity Workgroup

ODEP continues to convene the Federal Exchange on Employment and Disability (FEED), an interagency working group made up of employees from across the Federal Government whose job duties involve inclusion of people with disabilities. The group meets on a quarterly basis to foster dialogue and gather insight on how to best assist federal agencies in meeting their goals under Section 501 of the Rehabilitation Act and make the Federal Government a model employer of people with disabilities. FEED is one aspect of ODEP's participation in the Equal Opportunity (EO) Workgroup, along with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and Office of Personnel Management (OPM). As part of the EO Workgroup, ODEP works with its agency partners to develop a guide on the use of service and emotional support animals in the federal workplace.

Job Accommodation Network

Through its Job Accommodation Network (JAN), ODEP provides customized assistance to thousands of businesses and individuals on workplace accommodations, and educates employers and employer groups through webcasts, conference presentations and new materials and web tools. New resources include a training module on service animals in the workplace and additions to its "Solutions Showcase" video series. JAN also updates its annual survey on the costs of accommodations, revealing that 58 percent cost nothing to make, while the median, one-time expenditure for those that do cost is $500.

Mental Health

In coordination with its Employer Assistance and Resource Network on Disability Inclusion (EARN), ODEP launches the Mental Health Toolkit, which is centered on a four-part employer policy framework called the "4 A's of a Mental Health Friendly Workplace." This framework is based on a literature review and qualitative interviews with representatives from several employers conducted by research partner Georgetown University's McDonough School of Business. Also, as part of its National Disability Employment Awareness Month 2019 observance, ODEP hosts an event exploring disability inclusion through the lens of workplace policies and practices that support workers' mental health.

ODEP maintains an Employment First Community of Practice (CoP). The CoP provides state agency representatives, employment service providers for people with disabilities and advocates access to monthly webinars about provider transformation and strategies to increase competitive integrated employment for people with mental health disabilities. The CoP has 2,800 subscribers representing all fifty states.

National Disability Employment Awareness Month

ODEP leads National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM) 2019, which focuses on the theme "The Right Talent, Right Now" and also serves to kick off DOL's Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) 30th Anniversary observance to carry through 2020. As part of this, ODEP hosts a panel discussion focused on mental health in the workplace featuring experts and advocates from Mental Health America, the International Employee Assistance Professionals Association and other organizations. President Trump also issues a proclamation recognizing the month.

National Online Dialogues

ODEP works with federal agency and non-governmental partners to host several national online dialogues to gather input from citizens on a variety of topics related to disability and employment, such as transportation (including autonomous vehicles), careers in the arts for people with disabilities and supporting nursing mothers in the workplace. Information gleaned from stakeholder comments received during each dialogue is summarized to assist ODEP in exploring federal and state policy efforts going forward.

RETAIN

ODEP, in collaboration with the Social Security Administration and the Employment and Training Administration, continues managing Retaining Employment and Talent After Injury/Illness Network (RETAIN), a grant program to identify effective stay-at-work/return-to-work (SAW/RTW) strategies for workers who experience injury or illness. Over the course of the year, RETAIN's eight state grantees (California, Connecticut, Kansas, Kentucky, Minnesota, Ohio, Vermont and Washington) plan and launch the first phase of their demonstration projects focused on early coordination and communication between employers, healthcare and employment-services professionals and individuals. ODEP provides technical assistance to help with all aspects of the project, from program design to participant recruitment to employer outreach.

Section 503 Focused Reviews

ODEP assists DOL's Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) in planning for focused reviews on Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act, per a directive issued the previous year. During these reviews, OFCCP examines a contractor's policies and procedures as they relate solely to Section 503, which prohibits federal contractors and subcontractors from discriminating against qualified people with disabilities and requires some to take affirmative action to recruit, hire, retain and advance them.

State Policy

Through the State Exchange on Employment & Disability (SEED), ODEP continues to provide assistance through a variety of channels to help ensure state policies facilitate increased workforce inclusion of people with disabilities. Among the key activities for 2019 is the National Future of Workforce Task Force, which met and compiled recommendations for state policy options and best practices to ensure workforce trends take into account people with disabilities, with a focus on three emerging issues: advances in automation in technology; the rise of the gig economy; and the changing nature of apprenticeship. Also, in honor of the 29th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, Acting U.S. Secretary of Labor Patrick Pizzella sends letters to America's governors encouraging them to collect data on the numbers of state employees with disabilities.

Through the Visionary Opportunities to Increase Competitive Employment (VOICE), ODEP continues to provide support to states' implementation systems to align their policy, funding and practice in support of integrated employment for individuals with mental health disabilities. Eligibility for the VOICE initiative includes states that secure leadership buy-in from at least five state agencies responsible for Mental Health, Vocational Rehabilitation, Workforce, Education and Medicaid. The state Mental Health agency leads the state team, which directs ODEP subject matter expert assistance to achieve the state policy implementation goal.

Veterans

To help veterans with disabilities obtain competitive integrated employment, ODEP develops the Guided Group Discovery Facilitator's Guide - Veterans Edition. This Guide trains facilitators to lead Guided Group Discovery with veterans. The Guided Group Discovery process assists veterans to identify employment that would be a good fit both for them and an employer. The process produces a positively written description of each veteran that provides insight into the employment settings and circumstances in which he or she is most likely to be successful.

In partnership with the Veterans Health Administration Compensated Work Therapy Program, ODEP initiates Veterans Return to Integrated Competitive Employment (RICE). Veterans RICE provides training to employment specialists on Discovery and Customized Employment via webinar, conference presentation and one-one-one coaching.

Workforce Recruitment Program

As part of its ongoing management of the Workforce Recruitment Program (WRP) in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Defense, ODEP facilitates the hiring of students and recent graduates with disabilities as interns or employees with federal agencies. Also, ODEP deploys a new online system for managing the program's annual recruitment cycle, with separate interfaces for students, school coordinators, recruiters and employers. This system includes increased capability for reporting program outcomes.

Workforce System

ODEP conducts a range of activities to promote increased accessibility for people with disabilities in the public workforce system, including partnering with DOL's Employment and Training Administration to issue a Training and Employment Notice (TEN), "Updated Promising Practices in Achieving Nondiscrimination and Equal Opportunity: A Section 188 Disability Reference Guide." This TEN disseminates an updated version of a guide illustrating promising practices to assist American Job Centers (AJCs) in meeting their nondiscrimination and equal opportunity requirements in Section 188 of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) and its implementing regulations. Through its LEAD Center, ODEP also publishes briefs to highlight successful practices implemented by state workforce systems. Examples of topics include improving financial capability for individuals with disabilities and promoting physical and programmatic cross-system accessibility under WIOA.

The Achieving a Better Life (ABLE) Act

ODEP provides training on the ABLE Act, including collaborative webinars with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA), Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) and the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board (MSRB). Through ODEP's LEAD Center, numerous resources are disseminated to promote the implementation of ABLE accounts and their benefit for eligible individuals with disabilities.

Workforce Systems WIOA Policy Development Center

ODEP awards a new contract to Social Policy Research Associates (SPR) in partnership with the national Disability Institute (NDI) to operate a policy development center (PDC) focused on WIOA implementation from a disability perspective. The PDC has a focus on people with mental health challenges and veterans with disabilities who are receiving services under WIOA through American Job Centers. The PDC is also focused on building capacity and knowledge translation through testing, validating and implementing evidence-based practices and emerging strategies. A new area of focus will be data and research under the Participant Individual Record Layout elements (PIRL) through a partnership with the DOL's Employment and Training Administration.

Youth Policy Development Center

ODEP awards a four-year cooperative agreement with the Council of State Governments (CSG) to develop and manage a policy development center focused on youth with disabilities. The center will build on the work of the National Collaborative on Workforce and Disability for Youth. The center will conduct research, engage with the workforce system and its partners, identify effective policies and practices that support youth with disabilities and provide resources and training to help support the transition of youth with disabilities to employment.

Initiatives and Accomplishments

Apprenticeship

ODEP launches the Apprenticeship Inclusion Models (AIM) initiative, a project designed to expand career pathways for adults and youth with disabilities through inclusive apprenticeship programs. AIM will engage several pilot sites to test and evaluate apprenticeship programs in high-demand, high-growth industries such as information technology and healthcare. In addition, ODEP hosts a listening session in Chicago to gather stakeholders' input and perspective on regional successes and challenges related to disability inclusion in apprenticeship programs, as well as other education and awareness activities around inclusive work-based learning programs.

Campaign for Disability Employment

The ODEP-funded Campaign for Disability Employment (CDE) continues its work communicating positive media messages about the employment of people with disabilities. The campaign launches its "Working Works" PSA, which features four individuals sharing various reasons they work and the important roles different people played - including employers and healthcare professionals - in helping them continue to do so after injury or illness. Among these individuals is Cal Ripken, Jr., who holds Major League Baseball's record for most consecutive games ever played. The CDE also launches a new and improved website and guest blog feature and hosts the #ICanCDE photo-sharing campaign.

Employer Assistance and Resource Network on Disability Inclusion

ODEP's Employer Assistance and Resource Network on Disability Inclusion (EARN) continues to help employers tap the benefits of disability diversity by educating public- and private-sector intermediary organizations on ways to build inclusive workplace cultures. Central to its activities is the Inclusion@Work Framework, an internationally award winning multimedia policy tool that outlines seven core components of a disability-inclusive workplace, along with a menu of strategies for achieving them. Utilizing the Framework, EARN works with Chambers of Commerce, Retail Associations and many other employer-membership organizations to analyze, develop and share best practices and policies for disability inclusion to employers nationwide. Ongoing employer education also occurs via webinars, a monthly newsletter, social media, conference workshops and contributed articles in employer-focused media.

Employment First State Leadership Mentoring Program

Through the Employment First State Leadership Mentoring Program (EFSLMP), ODEP continues to help states promote competitive integrated employment opportunities (CIE) for people with disabilities. Technical assistance activities conducted include the EFSLMP Community of Practice monthly webinar series as well as the "Provider Transformation 2.0" Webinar Series for community rehabilitation providers who have already begun to transform their service delivery model to prioritize CIE. ODEP also develops the "Guide for Creating Successful Memorandums of Understanding" based on best practices developed in states through the EFSLMP, hosts Federal briefings on the program and unveils the "Provider Transformation 2.0 Manual" for service providers.

ePolicyWorks

Through its ePolicyWorks initiative, ODEP works with federal, state and nonprofit partners to host regular national online dialogues to gather input from citizens across the country on important topics impacting disability employment. Topics include Careers in the Arts, Apprenticeships and Career Readiness, Financial Literacy, Veterans and Military Spouses Licensure and Self-Employment, among others. Several of these are held as part of a series related to state policy, in collaboration with the ODEP-funded State Exchange on Employment and Disability (SEED) initiative. During several national online dialogues, Twitter chats are also held to complement and increase participation.

Excellence in Disability Inclusion Awards

In coordination with the DOL's Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP), ODEP helps conceptualize a proposed Excellence in Disability Inclusion award program to recognize federal contractors that go above and beyond to foster employment opportunities for individuals with disabilities. As part of this, plans for the proposed program and the draft award nomination are published in the Federal Register so that interested stakeholders may provide input.

Federal Exchange on Employment and Disability/Equal Opportunity Workgroup

ODEP continues to convene the Federal Exchange on Employment and Disability (FEED) on a quarterly basis to foster dialogue and gather insight on how to best assist federal agencies in meeting their disability inclusion goals under Section 501 of the Rehabilitation Act. FEED is one aspect of ODEP's participation in the Equal Opportunity Workgroup, along with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and Office of Personnel Management (OPM). As part of the EO Workgroup, ODEP also works to update its federal agency policy framework for increasing the employment of people with disabilities in the Federal government.

Job Accommodation Network

ODEP's Job Accommodation Network (JAN) continues to serve as the leading source of expertise on workplace accommodations as required by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). In addition to one-on-one guidance to employers and individuals with disabilities, JAN attends conferences across the nation, hosts numerous webcasts and Twitter chats and adds to its robust suite of multimedia training materials. New resources include the Solutions Showcase video series and new sections of the Workplace Accommodation Toolkit,. It also launches a new website and updates its annual survey on the costs of accommodations, Low Cost, High Impact.

National Center on Leadership for the Employment and Advancement of People with Disabilities (LEAD Center)

ODEP's LEAD Center conducts a wide range of technical assistance activities to help all the systems serving people with disabilities improve their employment and economic outcomes. Major areas of emphasis include financial literary and Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) implementation, including American Job Centers' (AJC) responsibilities in implementing the nondiscrimination of Section 188 of the Act. Information shared includes numerous webinars, guides and information briefs, as well as the new Employment and Economic Advancement Resource Map identifying resources that can support individuals with disabilities as they take steps toward financial stability. In collaboration with the Department of Education's Workforce Innovation Technical Assistance Center and its Southeast ADA Center, the LEAD Center also establishes the Career Pathways Community of Practice to bring together Vocational Rehabilitation agencies, AJCs and higher education institutions to make career pathway programs successful for individuals with disabilities.

Mental Health

ODEP continues efforts to ensure disability-related policies and practices consider the needs of people with non-visible disabilities, including mental health conditions. As part of this, it works with Georgetown University's Global Social Enterprise Institute (GSEI) - one of the partners in the ODEP-funded Employer Assistance and Resource Network on Disability Inclusion (EARN) - to conduct a review of literature on workplace mental health as well as qualitative interviews with a range of companies about their mental health initiatives. This research leads to the creation of EARN's Mental Health Toolkit. ODEP also continues to serve on the Interdepartmental Serious Mental Illness Coordinating Committee managed by the Department of Health and Human Services' Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).

National Collaborative on Workforce and Disability for Youth

ODEP also conducts activities focused on helping youth successfully transition from school to family sustaining careers through its National Collaborative on Workforce and Disability for Youth (NCWD/Youth). For example, NCWD/Youth develops Careers Exploration in Action: An Innovative Strategies Practice Brief and profiles featuring transition progress programs in Delaware and Washington, D.C. It also updates Promoting Quality Individualized Learning Plans Throughout the Lifespan and hosts webinars for educators and youth service providers on a range of topics. In addition, NCWD/Youth's Youth Action Council on Transition (YouthACT) hosts two Twitter chats, publishes two policy briefs written by youth for policymakers and adds to its Hitting the Open Road video series produced for youth by youth.

National Disability Employment Awareness Month

"America's Workforce: Empowering All" is the theme for National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM) 2018, led by ODEP, but featuring an array of events and activities sponsored by employers, educators and disability advocacy organizations across the country. As part of the observance, ODEP hosts an event at DOL's national headquarters featuring Secretary of Labor Alexander Acosta, National Council on Disability (NCD) Chairman Neil Romano and Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) Director Craig Leen as well as a panel featuring participants in the Campaign for Disability Employment (CDE) "Working Works" PSA. The President also issues proclamation recognizing the month.

Partnership on Employment & Accessible Technology

Through the Partnership on Employment & Accessible Technology (PEAT), ODEP continues to provide a forum for employers, individuals and industry to share ideas and insight on the issue of accessible workplace technology. Efforts include podcasts, roundtables and live and virtual workshops featuring leading experts in the field. PEAT also shines a light on the intersection between apprenticeship and accessible technology, partnering with DOL-funded intermediary Apprenti to increase inclusion in the growing number of apprenticeship programs in the information technology (IT) sector.

RETAIN

ODEP, in collaboration with the Social Security Administration and the Employment and Training Administration, launches the Retaining Employment and Talent After Injury/Illness Network (RETAIN), a program focused on stay-at-work/return-to-work (SAW/RTW) strategies. Through the initiative, ODEP awards grants to eight state teams that are implementing and evaluating early intervention strategies designed to improve SAW/RTW outcomes. The teams receive technical assistance as they begin to establish demonstration projects focused on early coordination and communication between employers, healthcare and employment-services professionals and individuals facing an illness or injury that could prevent them from working.

State Exchange on Employment & Disability

A collaborative of leading state policy organizations, ODEP's State Exchange on Employment & Disability (SEED) initiative continues to promote state policy options for increasing workforce inclusion of people with disabilities. The list of partners grows to include the Council of State Governments (CSG), the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL), Women in Government (WIG), the National Governors Association (NGA), the Board of Hispanic Caucus Chairs (BHCC), the National Caucus of Native American State Legislators (NCNASL), the Women’s Legislative Network (WLN) and the Western Governors Association (WGA). Through these partners, SEED has engaged policymakers in 46 states and provided direct policy assistance to 29 states, as well as helped infuse the topic of disability employment into dozens of state-specific and cross-state events and initiatives. Among SEED's notable outcomes are the Stay-at-Work/Return-to-Work State Policy Toolkit developed by CSG and the Companion Toolkit: State Strategies to Assist Employees with Mental Health and Substance Use Issues Stay At Work/Return To Work developed by WIG.

Transportation

ODEP spearheads several efforts to promote the key employment support of accessible transportation, including a Twitter chat and webinar on autonomous vehicles (AV) in conjunction with the Department of Transportation's National Center for Mobility Management. The topic is also one of many addressed in the Employment First State Leadership Mentoring Program (EFSLMP) Provider Transformation 2.0 webinar series for community rehabilitation providers.

Workforce Recruitment Program

ODEP continues to manage the Workforce Recruitment Program (WRP) in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Defense. Roughly 2,000 students and recent graduates, representing a wide array of fields of study at more than 300 colleges and universities, are accepted into the program, in turn connecting them with federal employers seeking interns or permanent employees. ODEP also recruits and trains volunteer federal interviewers to assist in screening applicants and conducts a webinar and other educational activities to encourage federal agencies to benefit from the program.

Initiatives and Accomplishments

Apprenticeship

ODEP continues to promote apprenticeship as an important strategy for job seekers and for businesses seeking skilled workers. To complement its #ApprenticeshipWorks Video Series, ODEP releases its #ApprenticeshipWorks Guides for individuals, educators/service providers and businesses and publishes a blog about apprenticeships and disability, titled “Apprenticeship and the American Dream.”

Campaign for Disability Employment

The ODEP-funded Campaign for Disability Employment (CDE) continues its work to shape attitudes about the employment of people with disabilities and foster dialogue around the important issue. The CDE's "Who I Am" public service announcement (PSA) remains in circulation with great success, and the campaign hosts a series of Twitter chats about key issues, including mentoring, inclusive work environments for people with mental health disabilities, and accommodations. The CDE also brings on two new Members, the Employer Assistance and Resource Network on Disability Inclusion and the National Organization on Disability, and begins planning the production of a new PSA.

Data and Resources to Inspire a Vision of Employment (DRIVE)

ODEP and its partners at the LEAD Center enhance and rebrand one of its leading web tools as DRIVE–Data and Resources to Inspire a Vision of Employment. The comprehensive website houses more than 80 disability-employment related statistics, state disability employment policies by various categories, capacity-building information and more. It also features the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) State Plan Matrices tool–which analyzes WIOA state plans based on 12 elements with an employment focus–as well as the Most Integrated Employment Settings State Self-Assessment to help promote cross-system coordination and to track progress within and between systems.

Employer Assistance and Resource Network on Disability Inclusion

The ODEP-funded Employer Assistance and Resource Network on Disability Inclusion (EARN) continues to educate public- and private-sector organizations on ways to build inclusive workplace cultures. Its ongoing education and outreach efforts include a webinar series, a bi-weekly newsletter and “Inclusion@Work,” an updated employer framework and web tool to help employers advance disability inclusion across the employment lifecycle. EARN also launches a Section 501 InfoCenter, which helps Federal agencies understand the updates to regulations implementing Section 501 announced by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in January 2017.

Employment First

The national movement of Employment First—which encourages systems change to align policy, practice and funding to advance competitive, integrated employment for people with disabilities–continues to expand. Highlights include the release of a Pilot Provider Transformation Manual by ODEP's Employment First State Leadership Mentoring Program (EFSLMP), the purpose of which is to help guide and support provider organizations interested in transforming their service delivery models to have an Employment First emphasis on competitive integrated employment. ODEP also showcases a series of videos highlighting EFSLMP success stories from three states.

ePolicyWorks

Through ePolicyWorks, ODEP partners to mount and manage 10 national online dialogues on a range of timely policy issues, resulting in ideas and feedback from key stakeholders to inform and influence its policy efforts. Among the issues addressed are the talent pipeline, ABLE Act, stay-at-work/return-to-work, workplace rights and responsibilities for disabled veterans, states as model employers, careers in the arts for people with disabilities and autonomous vehicles. As a complement to several dialogues, ePolicyWorks also hosts Twitter chats to engage citizens in real time. The year also marks the launch of the ePolicyWorks blog, “Conversations on Policy,” a platform for federal agencies, policymakers, public and private entities and citizens to share strategies to engage citizens and stakeholders in the policy development process.

Federal Government Collaboration

ODEP continues to participate in the “Equal Opportunity Workgroup,” an interagency working group (comprised of representatives from ODEP, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and Office of Personnel Management) focused on increasing disability inclusion in the federal workforce. As part of this, it convenes the Federal Exchange on Employment and Disability (FEED) on a quarterly basis to discuss timely issues and gather feedback on how to best assist Federal agencies in achieving their disability inclusion goals, including those required under the new Section 501 regulations issued in January 2017.

HIV/AIDS

ODEP continues to represent DOL on both the Federal HIV/AIDS Web Council and National HIV/AIDS Strategy Federal Interagency Workgroup, helping to provide an employment focus to domestic HIV/AIDS efforts. It also works with the U.S. Departments of Housing and Urban Development and Health and Human Services' Health Resources and Services Administration on a three-year initiative to design, pilot and assess innovative strategies for coordinating employment services, housing support and HIV care and treatment for low-income, uninsured and underinsured people living with HIV/AIDS. In honor of World AIDS Day 2017, ODEP publishes a blog about the importance of employment to people living with HIV/AIDS and these and other initiatives to promote it.

Job Accommodation Network

ODEP's Job Accommodation Network (JAN) continues to serve as the leading source of expert guidance on workplace accommodations, offering one-on-one guidance to employers and employees with disabilities, as well as conducting a robust schedule of webcasts, Twitter chats, blogs and live presentations at conferences across the nation. JAN also issues its annual Low Cost, High Impact report on the cost of accommodations

LEAD Center

The ODEP-funded LEAD Center, a national training and technical assistance center managed by the National Disability Institute, continues to conduct a variety of research and technical assistance activities aimed at promoting systems-level change to increase employment and economic advancement for people with disabilities. In efforts to help educate about disability-related provisions of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act, it works with the Partnership on Employment & Accessible Technology to develop “American Job Centers and Digital Access: A Guide to Accessible Information and Communication Technology.” The LEAD Center also creates a range of employment-related resources on the ABLE Act and on the Guided Group Discovery process, which lays the foundation for competitive integrated employment as a Universal Design that can benefit all job seekers.

Mental Health

From blog posts to webinars, ODEP and its partners engage in a number of activities designed to promote inclusive workplace practices for people with mental health disabilities. ODEP also joins the Interdepartmental Serious Mental Illness Coordinating Committee and hosts a Twitter chat on the topic of mental health through its Campaign for Disability Employment and webinar on the topic in the context of the higher education work environment as part of its alliance with the Higher Education Recruitment Consortium.

National Collaborative on Workforce and Disability for Youth (NCWD/Youth)

ODEP's youth technical assistance center, National Collaborative on Workforce and Disability for Youth (NCWD/Youth), continues to assist state and local workforce development systems to better serve all youth, including youth with disabilities and other disconnected youth. Highlights include the dissemination of resources on the Youth Action Council on Transition (YouthACT), which aims to increase positive youth-adult partnerships where young people and adults work together, share power and support and learn from each other to build stronger communities. NCWD/Youth also issues an info brief describing strategies and considerations for designing and delivering professional development for youth service professionals at the state and local levels.

National Disability Employment Awareness Month

ODEP leads the 2017 observance of National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM). Centered around the theme “Inclusion Drives Innovation,” the campaign features a wide range of individual NDEAM-related activities and events hosted by employers and disability-related organizations across the country and is recognized with a Presidential Proclamation.

Partnership on Employment & Accessible Technology

ODEP's Partnership on Employment & Accessible Technology (PEAT) continues its efforts to foster dialogue and action around accessible technology in the workplace. These include the PEAT Talks virtual speaker series and e-newsletter, a podcast series entitled “The Future of Work,” and several PEAT-hosted roundtables and online dialogues that generate ideas for advancing the adoption of accessible workplace technology. PEAT also launches several web tools in 2017, including Buy IT–Your Guide for Purchasing Accessible Technology and Policy Matters, a resource exploring federal regulatory developments around accessible technology.

Policies in Practice Profiles

ODEP continues profiling people with a range of disabilities at work in a variety of occupations. In 2017, it adds seven new profiles to its collection: Lindsay Adams-Spinner, Diego Mariscal, Amir Rahimi, Erin Thompson, Nirath Seri, John Winfrey and Roxanna Arce-Tyndale.

State Exchange on Employment & Disability

ODEP's State Exchange on Employment & Disability (SEED) collaborates with state intermediary partners, including the Council of State Governments, National Conference of State Legislatures, National Governors Association and Women in Government, to explore and consider policy options highlighted in Work Matters: A Framework for States on Workforce Development for People with Disabilities. As part of this, the SEED team engages more than 40 states, providing direct technical assistance to 16 and participates in more than 50 state policy-focused events. Among notable outcomes is the formation of the Kentucky Work Matters Task Force, convened through an Executive Order issued by the governor to address barriers to workforce inclusion of people with disabilities in the state.

Stay-at-Work/Return-to-Work

ODEP continues research and evaluation to understand strategies for keeping people in the labor force following onset of disability due to injury or illness. As part of this, ODEP collaborates with SSA and other Federal agencies to lay plans for grants to test innovative models at the state level, as directed in the President's proposed FY17 budget, issuing a Request for Information to gather insight on how the demonstration program should be designed to most effectively promote labor force attachment, coordinate employment and health services and support injured and ill workers in returning to or remaining at work.

Transportation

ODEP engages in a number of activities designed to promote accessible, reliable transportation as a key employment support for Americans with disabilities. These include an ePolicyWorks National Online Dialogue, Twitter chat and blog post on autonomous vehicles, among other efforts to gather insights on transportation technologies that can best serve to increase workplace participation for the disability community.

Workforce Recruitment Program

In collaboration with the U.S. Department of Defense's Office of Diversity Management and Equal Opportunity, ODEP continues to manage the Workforce Recruitment Program (WRP), which connects federal agencies both in and outside of Washington, D.C., as well as private employers, with highly qualified college students and recent graduates with disabilities seeking summer internships or long-term employment. The WRP's 2017 database includes nearly 2,000 students from 300 colleges and universities across the nation. In addition, the Employer Assistance and Resource Network on Disability Inclusion publishes two new profiles of WRP participants working in the private sector.

Initiatives and Accomplishments

Advisory Committee on Increasing Competitive Integrated Employment for Individuals with Disabilities

ODEP manages the Advisory Committee on Increasing Competitive Integrated Employment for Individuals with Disabilities through its second and final year, culminating in the release of its final report. The committee was formed under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act to explore and make recommendations to the Secretary of Labor on the use and oversight of Section 14(c) certificates allowed under the Fair Labor Standards Act, along with ways to increase competitive integrated employment opportunities for individuals with significant disabilities.

Apprenticeship

ODEP works with DOL's Employment and Training Administration to issue updated rules to ensure equal employment opportunity in Registered Apprenticeship programs. Reflecting new approaches for increasing workplace inclusion and protecting against discrimination, the updates aim to help sponsors of apprenticeship programs reach a larger and more diverse pool of workers, including women, minorities and people with disabilities. In addition, ODEP produces #ApprenticeshipWorks, a two-part video series highlighting the value of inclusion in apprenticeship programs for both employers and individuals from diverse backgrounds.

Association of University Centers on Disabilities Alliance

ODEP signs a formal alliance with the Association of University Centers on Disabilities (AUCD), a membership organization that brings together university-based interdisciplinary programs and community resources nationwide to achieve meaningful change for people with disabilities in all aspects of society, including the workplace. Activities conducted under the alliance include education to AUCD members and a disability policy webcast interview, among others.

Campaign for Disability Employment

The ODEP-funded Campaign for Disability Employment (CDE) continues its work to change attitudes about the employment of people with disabilities and foster dialogue around the important issue. The CDE’s "Who I Am" public service announcement (PSA) remains in circulation, and as a combined campaign, “Who I Am” and the CDE’s “Because” PSA ascend to the top 1% of 2015 PSAs as measured by Nielsen. The CDE also launches a series of Twitter chats in 2016, including a July event on ways businesses can support youth with disabilities, and an October chat featuring special guest Curtis Pride, Major League Baseball’s Ambassador for Inclusion.

Data Collection

ODEP continues to collaborate with the department’s Bureau of Labor Statistics to collect monthly data on people with disabilities in the workforce, providing consistent, credible data for use by policy makers and researchers. As part of this, an annual report, Persons with a Disability: Labor Force Characteristics — 2015, is developed and disseminated.

Disability Employment Initiative

DOL awards $14.9 million in grants to six states to improve employment opportunities for adults and youth with disabilities through inclusive service delivery in the nation’s publicly funded workforce development system. These grants represent the seventh round of funding under the Disability Employment Initiative jointly funded and administered by ODEP and DOL's Employment and Training Administration since 2010, expanding it to 49 projects in 28 states.

Employer Assistance and Resource Network on Disability Inclusion

The ODEP-funded Employer Assistance and Resource Network on Disability Inclusion (EARN), a collaborative of partners managed by the Viscardi Center, continues to engage and provide technical assistance and customized training to employers seeking to build a disability-inclusive workplace. Highlights include a brand enhancement and refreshed website, a bi-weekly newsletter, several policy briefs and a series of webinars featuring employer perspectives on topics such as partnerships with service providers, disabled veterans and more. In addition, EARN conducts message testing around disability inclusion with different employer segments and manages the Circle, a group of employers, including many federal contractors, recognized for their commitment to disability inclusion.

Employment First

The national movement of Employment First—which encourages systems change to align policy, practice and funding to advance competitive, integrated employment for people with disabilities—continues to expand, with the governor of Pennsylvania signing an Executive Order establishing it as state policy. This commitment is an outcome of Pennsylvania’s participation in ODEP’s Employment First State Leadership Mentoring Program, which provides technical assistance to multi-disciplinary state teams to implement the approach. Additional activities related to Employment First include webinars and resources produced by ODEP’s Employment First Community of Practice and LEAD Center.

Federal Employment

ODEP contributes to the development of a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on Section 501 of the Rehabilitation Act released by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) in February. Also, in coordination with EEOC and the Office of Personnel Management, ODEP continues to convene a working group, the Federal Exchange on Employment and Disability, to examine issues related to disability employment in the federal workforce. As part of this effort, subgroups meet throughout the year to dive deep into specific policy areas, including Schedule A, self-identification and retention and advancement. In addition, during National Disability Employment Awareness Month in October, leaders from across the government convene at the White House to celebrate accomplishments in disability hiring in the Federal workforce resulting from Executive Order 13548 and discuss strategies for continued progress.

“Getting Down to Business” Pilot

Under the auspices of the Add Us In-Business Intermediary Project, ODEP spearheads "Getting Down to Business: A Pilot to Strengthen Small Businesses Through Disability Inclusion." Three small business associations are selected to participate in the pilot—the Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber of Commerce, the Entrepreneurs’ Organization of Washington, D.C. and the South Dakota Retailers Association. Over a nine-month period, the groups engage in sustainable efforts to help their member businesses create more disability-inclusive workplaces.

Harkin International Disability Employment Summit

The Secretary of Labor addresses representatives and grassroots implementers from around the world at the inaugural Harkin International Disability Employment Summit, which endeavors to identify and create strategies to increase the employment opportunities for people with disabilities around the world. At the event, the Secretary talks about DOL’s efforts to increase both the number and quality of employment opportunities for people with disabilities through improved workforce service provision and work with employers to implement disability-inclusive policies and practices.

Higher Education Recruitment Consortium Alliance

As part of their ongoing alliance, ODEP and the Higher Education Recruitment Consortium (HERC) collaborate to produce the HERC Disability Inclusion Toolkit, which outlines a range of effective strategies higher education institutions can use to effectively employ qualified people with disabilities and foster a disability-inclusive work culture. To support the launch of the toolkit, ODEP’s Employer Assistance and Resource Network on Disability Inclusion and HERC also co-host a webinar on the topic of disability inclusion in the higher education workplace.

Job Accommodation Network

ODEP’s Job Accommodation Network (JAN) continues to serve as the leading source of expert guidance on workplace accommodations, offering one-on-one guidance to employers and employees with disabilities, as well as conducting a robust schedule of webcasts, Twitter chats and live presentations at conferences across the nation. It also adds to its library of materials with a Workplace Accommodation Toolkit and video, JAN is here for YOU, as well as its annual Low Cost, High Impact report on the cost of accommodations.

LEAD Center

The ODEP-funded LEAD Center, a national training and technical assistance center managed by the National Disability Institute, continues to conduct a variety of research and technical assistance activities aimed at promoting systems-level change to increase employment and economic advancement for people with disabilities. A significant focus is on helping educate about disability-related provisions of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act, including Section 188’s equal opportunity provisions and reviewing unified or combined state plans from a disability perspective. In addition, a LEAD Center-developed toolkit for Centers for Independent Living and American Job Centers is the focus of an official Training and Employment Notice issued jointly by ODEP and DOL’s Employment and Training Administration. The LEAD Center also continues to produce the LEAD On! newsletter and Policy Update — Employment, Health Care and Disability, issued quarterly and monthly, respectively.

Medical- and Disability-Related Leave Advisor

ODEP, in collaboration with the department’s Wage and Hour Division, develops the Medical- and Disability-Related Leave elaws Advisor, an online tool that helps clarify leave employees may be entitled to take for purposes of managing medical conditions and disabilities under the Family and Medical Leave Act, Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and other disability-related laws.

Mental Health in the Workplace

ODEP conducts a variety of activities to educate employers and others on strategies for fostering a mental health-friendly work culture. As part of this, it hosts a special event featuring a screening of the powerful documentary “Mind/Game: The Unquiet Journey of Chamique Holdsclaw,” followed by a discussion with Holdsclaw, a former basketball star who now dedicates her time to advocating for others with mental health conditions, as well as the film’s creator. Additional efforts include a new webpage and collaboration with ODEP-funded technical assistance centers to host webinars and develop publications.

National Collaborative on Workforce and Disability for Youth (NCWD/Youth)

ODEP’s youth technical assistance center, National Collaborative on Workforce and Disability for Youth (NCWD/Youth), continues to assist state and local workforce development systems to better serve all youth, including youth with disabilities and other disconnected youth. Activities include development and dissemination of publications on a wide range of topics, from financial capability for youth to health care transition to family support, as well as webinars, online dialogues and Twitter chats. In addition, a new NCWD/Youth guide, “Personal Competencies for College and Career Success,” outlines strategies postsecondary professionals can use to assist students, including those with disabilities, effectively plan for the transition from school to college and the world of work.

National Disability Employment Awareness Month

ODEP leads the 2016 observance of National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM). Centered around the theme #InclusionWorks, the campaign garners significant engagement on social media and features a wide range of individual NDEAM-related activities and events hosted by employers and disability-related organizations across the country.

National Online Dialogues

Through its ePolicyWorks initiative, ODEP and its technical assistance centers mount and manage eight national online dialogues on a range of timely policy issues, among them strategies for creating inclusive career pathways, accessible workplace technology, stay-at-work/return-to-work initiatives, youth transition, state policy and the employment of people with disabilities in the performing arts.

Paralympics Roundtable

ODEP participates in a roundtable about disability and employment convened by the U.S. Paralympics and International Paralympic Committee. At the event, ODEP representatives provide an overview of the current state of disability employment in the U.S. and policy initiatives to improve it, noting the important role the Paralympics play in supporting them by challenging misconceptions. In addition, ODEP works with the Secretary of Labor to issue a good luck video message to the nation’s Paralympians as they head to the 2016 games in Rio de Janeiro.

Partnership on Employment & Accessible Technology

ODEP’s Partnership on Employment & Accessible Technology (PEAT) continues its efforts to foster dialogue and action around accessible technology in the workplace. These include the PEAT Talks virtual speaker series and e-newsletter, as well as a series of PEAT-hosted roundtables and online dialogues that generated ideas for advancing the adoption of accessible workplace technology. PEAT’s most notable accomplishment in 2016 is the launch of TalentWorks, a free online tool for employers and human resources professionals that helps them ensure their online job applications and other eRecruiting technologies are accessible to job seekers with disabilities.

Pathway to Careers Demonstration Project

Through the Pathways to Careers: Community Colleges for Youth and Young Adults with Disabilities Demonstration Project, Onondaga Community College and Pellissippi State Community College continue to implement models for enhancing capacity to effectively serve students with disabilities, drawing upon principles outlined in ODEP’s youth policy framework, the Guideposts for Success.

Professional Baseball Athletic Trainers Society Alliance

As part of its alliance with ODEP, the Professional Baseball Athletic Trainers Society disseminates a public service announcement featuring sports legend Bo Jackson. In the PSA, Jackson speaks about growing up with a speech impediment and the importance of judging people on their abilities, whether on the field or in the workplace. To help launch the PSA, former Major League Baseball (MLB) player and current MLB ambassador for inclusion Curtis Pride pens a post for the DOL blog.

State Exchange on Employment & Disability

As part of their participation in the ODEP-sponsored State Exchange on Employment and Disability initiative, the Council of State Governments and National Conference of State Legislatures jointly convene a National Task Force on Workforce Development for People with Disabilities, which over the year works to identify barriers and policy solutions for facilitating stronger, more inclusive state workforces. The resulting report, Work Matters: A Framework for States on Workforce Development for People with Disabilities, outlines a range of state-level disability employment policy initiatives.

Stay-at-Work/Return-to-Work Policy Collaborative

The ODEP-funded Stay-at-Work/Return-to-Work (SAW/RTW) Policy Collaborative continues research and engagement to promote positive SAW/RTW outcomes for workers who experience unexpected illness or disability. In addition to maintaining an active online community of practice, activities include the development and dissemination of several policy and issue briefs and hosting policy forums and webinars featuring subject matter experts, employers and individuals whose experiences can inform effective SAW/RTW policies and practices.

Training and Employment Notice

ODEP works with DOL’s Employment and Training Administration to issue an official Training and Employment Notice (TEN) to provide information about services available from Centers for Independent Living (CILs) and American Job Centers (AJCs) and strengthen opportunities for collaboration between the two in order to better serve job seekers with disabilities. To assist, the TEN shares information about “Promoting Employment and Economic Advancement: A Toolkit for CILs and AJCs,” a resource developed by the ODEP-funded LEAD Center.

Workforce Recruitment Program

In collaboration with the U.S. Department of Defense’s Office of Diversity Management & Equal Opportunity, ODEP continues to manage the Workforce Recruitment Program (WRP), which connects federal agencies both in and outside of Washington, D.C., as well as private employers, with highly qualified college students and recent graduates with disabilities seeking summer internships or long-term employment. The WRP’s 2016 database includes nearly 2,000 students from colleges and universities across the nation.

YouthACT

The Youth Action Council on Transition (YouthACT) initiative, led by the ODEP-funded National Collaborative on Workforce and Disability for Youth, continues to strengthen leadership skills of youth with disabilities across the nation through engagement and peer-to-peer collaboration. Among the activities conducted is a national online dialogue to source ideas from youth and young adults with disabilities about what supports and services would help them become successful adults. A final report summarizes input to help inform how policymakers and youth service professionals respond to the needs of young stakeholders with disabilities.

Initiatives and Accomplishments

Administration for Community Living Memorandum of Agreement

Building on a partnership that started in 2012, ODEP and the Administration for Community Living (ACL) signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA) on September 11, 2015. Under the agreement ODEP and ACL will collaborate to support states' efforts to improve Employment First opportunities for people with disabilities.

Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Anniversary

DOL conducts a range of activities in observance of the 25th anniversary of the ADA, including an event featuring Secretary of Labor Tom Perez, former Senator Tom Harkin and Delaware Governor Jack Markell, as well as a series of blog posts illustrating the law's impact on agencies across DOL. ODEP also develops an online disability employment history timeline and solicits stories from people with disabilities about the impact the ADA has had on their life and career.

Career Development Guide for States

Statewide implementation of quality comprehensive career development programs and activities is a promising strategy that states can use to achieve the dual goals of college and career readiness. To support states in implementing this strategy, ODEP and the National Collaborative on Workforce and Disability for Youth issue Designing Statewide Career Development Strategies and Programs. The guide provides functional and pragmatic guidance and resources on implementing quality comprehensive systems of career development and includes promising practices states have used such as the use of individualized learning plans.

Community Colleges Demonstration Project

Through the Pathways to Careers: Community Colleges for Youth and Young Adults with Disabilities Demonstration Project, Onondaga Community College and Pellissippi State Community College developed and began to implement models designed to enhance their institutional capacity to provide effective inclusive service delivery for students with disabilities. Comprehensive career development and individualized planning based upon the Guideposts to Success are an integral part of the models.

Disability Employment Statistics

ODEP continues to collaborate with the Bureau of Labor Statistics to collect monthly data on people with disabilities in the workforce. As part of this, a report titled Persons with a Disability: Labor Force Characteristics — 2014 is developed and disseminated.

Disability Employment Initiative Grants

DOL awards nearly $15 million in grants to six states — Alaska, Georgia, Hawaii, Iowa, New York and Washington — to improve employment opportunities for adults and youth with disabilities. These grants represent the sixth round of funding under the Disability Employment Initiative jointly funded and administered by ODEP and DOL's Employment and Training Administration.

Disability and Employment Symposium

ODEP collaborates with the Interagency Committee on Disability Research to host Disability and Employment Symposium: Research Informing Practice. The event examines interactions among employment research, practice and policy.

Employer Assistance and Resource Network on Disability Inclusion

The Employer Assistance and Resource Network on Disability Inclusion (EARN), an ODEP-funded technical assistance center, engages in numerous activities throughout the year, all designed to help private and public sector employers foster a workplace culture inclusive of people with disabilities. Highlights include a new bi-weekly e-newsletter and Do Ask, Do Tell, a report developed in collaboration with The Conference Board on challenges to and strategies for encouraging disability disclosure and a customizable resource package for state policymakers to assist in implementing states as model employer policies.

Employer Engagement Strategy

ODEP releases the Employer Engagement Strategy Final Report, which provides an overview of a new marketing framework for its employer-centered work. Created in collaboration with the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania, the report details strategies and potential tactics employers can implement to improve corporate culture and facilitate the growth and expansion of their disability and inclusion activities.

Employment First

Secretary of Labor Tom Perez, South Dakota Governor Dennis Daugaard and Delaware Governor Jack Markell sign a letter to the Governors of States and U.S. territories promoting Employment First — a national movement encouraging the alignment of policy, practice and funding to advance competitive, integrated employment as the preferred outcome of publicly financed services for people with significant disabilities. In further support of Employment First, ODEP's LEAD Center develops the National Employment First Policy & Data Platform to help policymakers, researchers and others learn about various states' related activities. Additionally, as part of its Employment First State Leadership Mentoring Program, ODEP launches the "Employment 1st State Ambassadors Network" to highlight exemplary leadership in this area among local and state officials.

Families and Work Institute Alliance

ODEP signs an alliance agreement with the Families and Work Institute (FWI) as a way to promote flexible employment policies that facilitate the increased employment of workers with disabilities. FWI is a non-profit that conducts research to solve challenges faced by today's families with innovative solutions — such as workforce flexibility around not only time and place, but also job task, a proven strategy for increasing the employment of people with disabilities.

Families National Online Dialogue and Resource

ODEP hosts an ePolicyWorks national online dialogue to gather ideas from families of youth and young adults in postsecondary education on how postsecondary institutions can better engage families in supporting student success in education and employment. As a result of this dialogue, ODEP issues a new brief, Supporting Families of Students with Disabilities in Postsecondary Education, which promotes that meaningful engagement of families be included in the arsenal of strategies used by post-secondary institutions to increase retention and persistence.

Federal Disability Workforce Consortium

ODEP continues to lead the Federal Disability Workforce Consortium, a collaborative workgroup to improve the recruitment, hiring, retention and advancement of people with disabilities in the federal government. Major activities include the sponsorship of several webinars as well as a Disability Employment Federal Strategic Planning and Engagement Session, which convened 50 leading thinkers on diversity-related employment issues from across the federal sector.

Federal Youth Transition Plan

The Federal Partners in Transition (FPT) — a workgroup of federal agencies, including ODEP — releases 2020 Federal Youth Transition Plan: A Federal Interagency Strategy. The report outlines how FPT will enhance interagency coordination through the identification of compatible outcome goals and policy priorities, ultimately leading to improved outcomes for youth with disabilities by 2020.

Healthcare Transition Guide for Youth

In partnership with the Youth Transitions Collaborative and Got Transition, ODEP releases a new guide that aims to strengthen the connection between healthcare transition and career planning. The Transition QuickGuide: Take Charge of Planning and Managing Your Own Health and Career Goals provides information for youth about health insurance coverage, self-care, health care transition, decision-making and career planning.

HIV/AIDS Service and Housing Providers

ODEP and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development release all three modules of Getting to Work: An Online Training Curriculum for HIV/AIDS Service Providers and Housing Providers. The interactive multi-media curriculum helps HIV/AIDS service providers, including housing providers, understand how increasing access to employment and training services for people living with HIV/AIDS benefits individuals, families and communities.

Inclusive Internships Guide for Employers

ODEP releases a new resource for employers seeking to diversify their workforce with the skills and talents of people with disabilities, especially young adults with disabilities. Inclusive Internship Programs: A How-to Guide for Employers addresses the benefits of internships to both individuals and employers and the various steps employers should consider when establishing internship programs to ensure they are open to all qualified candidates.

Inclusive Service Joint Letter and Resource

ODEP and the Corporation for National and Community Service jointly issue a "Dear Colleague" letter, titled Inclusive Service as a Pathway to Employment 25 Years after the Americans with Disabilities Act, to commemorate the 25th Anniversary of the ADA and its legacy of equal opportunity and inclusion. This letter also features a new ODEP resource, Fostering Inclusive Volunteering and Service Learning, which guides youth service professionals through the process of facilitating youth engagement in service.

Job Accommodation Network

The ODEP-funded Job Accommodation Network maintains its role as the leading source of free, expert and confidential guidance on workplace accommodations and disability employment issues. In addition to offering one-on-one guidance to employers and employees with disabilities, JAN consultants deliver speeches, host educational webinars and produce publications on accommodation issues, as well as the Low Cost, High Impact report, an annual study on the cost of accommodations.

LEAD Center

The LEAD Center, a national training and technical assistance center funded by ODEP, produces a number of resources throughout the year. In addition to developing the interactive National Employment First Policy & Data Platform, it hosts numerous webinars, including among them a four-part series on the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act from a disability perspective. Other highlights include a regularly issued policy update on employment, health care and disability and the "LEAD On!" quarterly newsletter.

National Collaborative on Workforce and Disability for Youth (NCWD/Youth)

NCWD/Youth, a national training and technical assistance center funded by ODEP, specializes in disability, education, employment and workforce development policy to support the successful transition of all youth, including youth with disabilities. In addition to delivering resources and webinars on various topics, NCWD/Youth amasses particular expertise in a career development vehicle known as Individualized Learning Plans (ILPs), its Knowledge, Skills and Abilities Training Module for youth service professionals and its Guideposts for Success evidence-based framework.

National Disability Employment Awareness Month 2015

ODEP leads the 70th National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM) observance, with employers and advocacy organizations across the nation participating through a range of activities. The 2015 theme — "My Disability is One Part of Who I Am" — reflects that people with disabilities are the sum of many parts, including their work experiences. A highlight of the month is a USA Today op-ed on the employment of people with disabilities penned jointly by Secretary of Labor Tom Perez, Delaware Governor Jack Markell and South Dakota Governor Dennis Daugaard.

Navigating College Guide for Students with Disabilities

ODEP publishes a resource, Making My Way through College, aimed at assisting students with disabilities in navigating postsecondary education. The guide provides information on getting oriented to college life, exploring career interests and making an individualized plan aligned to personal goals and taking advantage of various opportunities and support to ensure college and career success.

Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on Inclusive Apprenticeships

ODEP works with DOL's Employment and Training Administration on its Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) on increasing the representation of people with disabilities and other historically under-represented groups in apprenticeship programs. To assist employers in translating the proposed changes, ODEP's Employer Assistance and Resource Network on Disability Inclusion publishes a policy brief synopsizing the key provisions from a disability perspective.

Partnership on Employment & Accessible Technology

ODEP's Partnership on Employment & Accessible Technology (PEAT) continues to strengthen its website, PEATworks.org, and engage stakeholders through a variety of education, outreach and knowledge-sharing activities. In addition to convening the inaugural meeting of the "PEAT Think Tank," the initiative launches the PEAT Talks virtual speaker series and a bi-monthly e-newsletter. PEAT also publishes a research report on the accessibility of online job applications and other e-recruiting tools.

Professional Baseball Athletic Trainers Society Alliance

As part of its alliance with ODEP, the Professional Baseball Athletic Trainers Society works with Topps to issue a series of baseball cards that celebrate past and present Major League Baseball players with disabilities.

Registered Apprenticeship Programs for People with Disabilities

A new report, Registered Apprenticeship Programs: Improving the Pipeline for People with Disabilities, summarizes research findings and discusses strategies and recommendations for including people with disabilities in apprenticeship programs. A related Training and Employment Notice, Expanding Registered Apprenticeships and Pre-Apprenticeships to Create a Pathway to Good Middle Class Jobs for Youth and Adults with Disabilities, is jointly issued by the Employment and Training Administration and ODEP.

Section 188 Disability Reference Guide

DOL issues Promising Practices in Achieving Universal Access and Equal Opportunity: A Section 188 Disability Reference Guide, which helps ensure nondiscrimination and equal opportunity to persons with disabilities participating in programs and activities operated by Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) grant recipients that are part of the public workforce system, including American Job Centers. The resource is developed collaboratively by ODEP along with DOL's Civil Rights Center, Employment and Training Administration and Solicitor's Office.

Small Business & Disability Employment: Steps to Success

Based on information gleaned from the Add Us In initiative, ODEP creates Small Business & Disability Employment: Steps to Success — a free, online toolkit available off of AskEARN.org that provides practical guidance for small businesses on how to recruit and retain qualified people with disabilities. It also describes approaches business associations can use to educate their members on the issue and raise awareness in their communities.

Society for Human Resource Management Alliance

ODEP renews its alliance agreement with the Society for Human Resource Management at the organization's 2015 Employment Law and Legislative Conference. A focus of the agreement is encouraging personnel managers to improve their companies' compliance with wage and hour laws, and open doors and opportunities to workers with disabilities. Reflecting this, the organizations collaborate on a number of activities, including conferences and other events.

State Exchange on Employment & Disability

ODEP launches the State Exchange on Employment & Disability (SEED), a new initiative designed to help state legislators effectively address policy barriers in areas such as transportation, technology and others that may hinder employers in their state from tapping into the skills and talents of people with disabilities. Central to SEED is partnerships with several state intermediary groups, including the National Conference of State Legislatures and Council of State Governments, to help disseminate disability policy and subject-matter expertise at the state level.

Stay-at-Work/Return-to-Work Policy Collaborative

ODEP funds the Stay-at-Work/Return-to-Work (SAW/RTW) Policy Collaborative, which promotes positive SAW/RTW outcomes for workers who experience a chronic illness, disability or medical condition. In addition to producing a number of reports and publications, the collaborative hosts webinars as well as a national online dialogue, Promoting Retention and Re-employment Following Injury or Illness.

Transition Systems Guide for Youth and Youth Service Professionals

With the publication of Transition Truths: An Overview of Transition Systems, ODEP creates a resource that details the major transition systems serving youth, including youth with disabilities, in their transition to adulthood. Youth can work with youth service professionals to explore the framework and function of each system and identify changes that may be needed within their communities.

White House Summit on Disability Inclusion

ODEP participates in a White House Summit on Disability and Employment held to address strategies for preparing the next generation of workers with disabilities, as well as advance the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act's disability-related provisions. Secretary of Labor Tom Perez delivers the Summit's keynote, and attendees receive a new Resource Guide for Employers on Recruiting, Hiring, Retaining and Promoting People with Disabilities. As an outcome of the Summit, the federal cross-agency "Curb Cuts to the Middle Class Initiative" compiles a set of 25 suggestions for employers on how to increase disability inclusion in their workplaces.

"Who I Am" PSA

The ODEP-funded Campaign for Disability Employment (CDE) distributes the "Who I Am" public service announcement (PSA) featuring cast members who, rather than be defined by disability, are the sum of their many life roles — including their occupations. As a complement to the PSA, the CDE also releases coordinating posters and a discussion guide designed to help employers, affinity groups, educators and others stimulate conversation about the value and talent we all bring to the workforce.

WIOA Advisory Committee

The Advisory Committee on Increasing Competitive Integrated Employment for Individuals with Disabilities meets six times in 2015 and submits a draft Interim Report summarizing its progress and preliminary recommendations. Formed as a key provision of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act, the Committee is charged with exploring the use and oversight of Section 14(c) certificates allowed under the Fair Labor Standards Act, along with ways to increase competitive integrated employment opportunities for individuals with significant disabilities. Throughout the year, it hears public testimony from many organizations and individuals, as well as presentations by experts on various aspects of competitive integrated employment. ODEP Deputy Assistant Secretary Jennifer Sheehy serves as the Committee's Designated Federal Official.

Women and Trauma

The Women and Trauma Federal Partners' Committee, a cross-agency federal workgroup co-chaired by ODEP, hosts a national event, Building a Trauma-Informed Nation: Moving the Conversation into Action. The meeting spotlights effective implementation of trauma-informed approaches in four major areas: education, health care, the justice system and communities and congregations.

Workforce Recruitment Program

ODEP continues to co-manage the Workforce Recruitment Program (WRP) with the U.S. Department of Defense to connect federal as well as private employers with highly qualified and motivated college students and recent graduates with disabilities. The 2015 WRP database includes more than 1,800 students hailing from more than 300 participating schools and is highlighted by DOL and DoD leadership as an effective strategy for meeting federal agencies' goals under Executive Order 13548, Increasing Federal Employment of Individuals with Disabilities.

Youth Action Council on Transition (YouthACT)

ODEP sustains funding and support for YouthACT, a national initiative that provides teams of youth with disabilities and their adult partners with training needed to provide the youth with the leadership skills needed to be change agents within their local communities. In addition, YouthACT teams develop and release two youth-driven informational briefs in 2015: Hitting the Open Road after High School: How to Choose Your Own Adventure to Success! and By Youth, For Youth: Employment.

Initiatives and Accomplishments

Add Us In

ODEP continues to manage Add Us In, a grant program designed to identify and develop sustainable models for increasing employment opportunities for people with disabilities within small businesses, especially those in underrepresented and historically excluded communities. As part of this, it convenes more than 60 grantee representatives in Berkeley, CA for their annual meeting to share information and learn from each other's experiences.

Continued Funding to Improve Employment Opportunities for People with Disabilities

ODEP announces continued funding for organizations to develop models, provide technical assistance and share best practices to improve employment opportunities for people with disabilities. Funded entities include eight Add Us In consortia; West Virginia University Research Corporation to operate the Job Accommodation Network; the Institute for Educational Leadership to operate the National Collaborative on Workforce and Disability for Youth; the National Disability Institute to operate the National Center on Leadership for the Employment and Economic Advancement of People with Disabilities; and the Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Technology Society of North America to operate the Partnership on Employment and Accessible Technology.

Disability Community Project

DOL releases the Economic Picture of the Disability Community Project, a joint initiative between ODEP, ETA, DOL's Chief Economist and Office of the Secretary and the White House Council of Economic Advisors. The data produced are based on an analysis of the Census Bureau's 2010-2012 American Community Survey, matched to the Bureau of Labor Statistics' 2012-2022 occupational projections. Heidi Shierholz, Chief Economist, and Kathy Martinez, Assistant Secretary of Labor for Disability Employment Policy, highlight the data and their significance in a blog post.

Disability Employment Initiative

DOL awards nearly $15 million in grants to six states — California, Illinois, Kansas, Massachusetts, Minnesota and South Dakota — to improve employment opportunities for adults and youth with disabilities. These grants represent the fifth round of funding under the Disability Employment Initiative jointly funded and administered by ODEP and DOL's Employment and Training Administration.

Economic Stability for Workers with Disabilities

ODEP and the Office of Financial Empowerment within the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau issue a joint memorandum titled Promoting Pathways to Economic Stability for Workers with Disabilities. The communication provides information on available federal financial capability resources and assistance that workers with disabilities can use to promote their financial security and economic advancement.

Employee Retention and Return-to-Work Best Practices

ODEP and the LEAD Center release a report titled Best Practices in Employee Retention and Return-to-Work: An In-Depth Look Inside an Exemplary American Corporation. Highlighting effective retention and return-to-work policies and practices gleaned from ODEP and LEAD's professional analysis of a large corporation, the report offers suggestions and identifies replicable best practices that benefit both employers and employees.

Employer Engagement Strategy

ODEP releases a white paper titled Employer Engagement Strategy: Workforce Inclusion, which presents a new employer outreach approach for increasing recruitment and retention of people with disabilities. This research, based on behavioral insights and marketing principles, was developed in collaboration with a research team at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, and describes the findings leading to this position, their implications for ODEP and its partners and recommendations for future actions.

Employment and Health Care Transition Alliance for Youth, Young Adults and Young Veterans with Disabilities and Chronic Health Conditions

ODEP signs an alliance agreement with the Youth Transition Collaborative and the Center for Health Care Transition Improvement. A focus of the agreement is disseminating information, technical assistance and resources to increase capacity of regional and national organizations to support youth in forging a self-directed path to integrated employment.

Employment First

ODEP expands technical assistance, training and policy development support to 15 core states as part of the Employment First State Leadership Mentoring Program. The agency also hosts a national Employment First meeting that draws 150 state government officials, disability stakeholders and subject matter experts from 25 states. Employment First is a framework for systems change based on the premise that competitive, integrated employment should be the preferred outcome of publicly-financed nonresidential supports for individuals with significant disabilities.

ePolicyWorks Awards

ODEP's ePolicyWorks initiative garners numerous industry awards and nominations, including being named "Best Engagement Strategy" by the IdeaScale Innovation Awards program and receiving several Secretary of Labor Honor Awards. Michael Reardon, who leads the initiative, also garners DOL's Innovation Award and is named to the "Government Fierce 15" list, in addition to being nominated for the prestigious FedScoop 50 Awards.

Federal Disability Workforce Consortium and eFedLink

ODEP continues to share leadership for the Federal Disability Workforce Consortium (FDWC) and manage the eFedLink community of practice, which supports federal hiring managers and human resources personnel in hiring and advancing qualified people with disabilities. As part of this, ODEP helps coordinate the FDWC "News Hour" webinar series.

Federal Employment of People with Disabilities

The 2013 Employment of People with Disabilities in the Federal Executive Branch released by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) reveals that, in 2013, people with disabilities, including those with targeted disabilities, were hired by the federal government at a higher rate than at any time in the past 33 years. Much of the progress demonstrated in the report is a result of Executive Order (EO) 13548, which ODEP assisted OPM in implementing since the EO's issuance in 2010.

Federal Partners Committee on Women and Trauma

ODEP continues to co-lead the Federal Partners Committee on Women and Trauma. As part of this leadership, it organizes a three-part series of webinars about the committee's work and related projects conducted by its members, including research and community-based pilot programs using culturally specific trauma-informed approaches. The committee also sponsors a half-day introduction to trauma-informed approaches titled "Exposure to Traumatic Events: How to Improve Care and Services for Women and Girls," open to federal agency staff and other interested stakeholders.

Federal Partners in Transition Workgroup

ODEP partners with the Department of Education, Department of Health and Human Services and Social Security Administration to develop The 2020 Federal Youth Transition Plan: A Federal Interagency Strategy. The 2020 Plan outlines how the Federal Partners in Transition Workgroup will enhance interagency coordination through the identification of compatible outcome goals and policy priorities, ultimately leading to improved outcomes for youth with disabilities by 2020.

Federal Social Media Accessibility Toolkit

ODEP leads the development of a new online federal social media accessibility toolkit that includes tips for making social media tools and content more accessible to people with disabilities. The toolkit is launched at the Accessing Social Media public event hosted by the Federal Communications Commission.

Health Care Professionals with Disabilities Career Trends, Best Practices and Call-to-Action Policy Roundtable

ODEP joins forces with its alliance partner, National Organization of Nurses with Disabilities, as well as ETA and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Health Resources and Services Administration to host a roundtable focused on strategies for increasing the employment of people with disabilities, including veterans with disabilities, in nursing and allied health professions.

HIV/AIDS Service and Housing Providers

ODEP and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development jointly develop Getting to Work: An Online Training Curriculum for HIV/AIDS Service Providers and Housing Providers. The interactive multi-media curriculum assists HIV/AIDS service providers, including housing providers, to understand how increasing access to employment and training services for people living with HIV/AIDS benefits individuals, families and communities.

Individualized Learning Plans

In collaboration with its youth technical assistance center, ODEP continues work to promote Individualized Learning Plans (ILPs) as tools for assisting students with disabilities, and all students, set and achieve employment goals. Key activities include the release of an ILP Interactive Policy Map and accompanying brief, ILPs Across the U.S.; an info-comic titled Shelley Saves the Future: A Story of Career Development; and a report on findings from a five-year study on ILPs.

Inclusive Service

ODEP issues a white paper on the use of social security work incentives to promote work-based learning in youth employment and training programs with a particular focus on national service programs, such as AmeriCorps and AmeriCorps VISTA. ODEP and the Corporation for National and Community Service issue a joint policy guidance letter encouraging greater participation of people with disabilities in national service programs.

Ladders of Opportunity Initiative

ODEP becomes a partner of the U.S. Department of Transportation's Ladders of Opportunity initiative, which works to improve the employment-related mobility of Americans with disabilities and others with transportation disadvantages. The initiative helps communities modernize and expand transit bus service to better link people with employment and training opportunities, as well as other vital services.

National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM) 2014

ODEP leads another successful NDEAM observance, with employers and advocacy organizations across the nation participating through a range of activities. The 2014 theme — "Expect. Employ. Empower." — reflects the continuum of inclusion necessary to advance disability employment. A highlight is a White House Disability Employment Champions of Change event honoring 10 people for extraordinary work to promote increased workforce inclusion of people with disabilities.

National Employer Policy, Research and Technical Assistance Center on the Employment of People with Disabilities

ODEP announces the awarding of a cooperative agreement to The Viscardi Center in Albertson, NY, to manage and operate the National Employer Policy, Research and Technical Assistance Center on the Employment of People with Disabilities. This center is a resource to assist employers with recruiting, hiring, retaining and promoting people with disabilities, with a focus on federal agencies, federal contractors, small businesses and state governments.

National Industry Liaison Group Alliance

ODEP renews its alliance agreement with the National Industry Liaison Group (NILG). A focus of the agreement is providing technical assistance to its members to assist them in achieving their goals under Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act and VEVRAA that took effect in March 2014. Reflecting this alliance, the organizations collaborate on a number of activities, including conferences and other events.

National Study of Employers: Including the Talents of Employees with Disabilities Report

Through a Families and Work Institute (FWI) collaboration with ODEP, FWI and the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) publish the 2014 National Study of Employers: Including the Talents of Employees with Disabilities. The report summarizes results of key questions submitted by ODEP and asked of more than 1,000 small and large employers related to the use of workplace flexibility for their employees with and without disabilities.

Olmstead Anniversary

ODEP marks the 15th anniversary of the landmark Olmstead decision with a variety of activities, including a blog post, webinars and participation in conferences focused on the topic, including one held at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York City.

Online Dialogues on Disability Employment Issues

ODEP leverages cutting-edge crowdsourcing technology to host a series of national online dialogues throughout the year. Topics include STEM careers for people with disabilities, state governments' role in increasing the employment of people with disabilities and universal design and accessibility as they relate to social media. An online dialogue is also held to gather public input into the National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM) theme for the first time ever.

Partnership on Employment & Accessible Technology (PEAT)

The ODEP-funded PEAT initiative launches PEATworks.org — a comprehensive Web portal designed to help employers and the technology industry adopt accessible technology as part of everyday business practice so that all workers can benefit. Features include an action guide for employers, informational articles and "TechCheck," an interactive tool to help employers assess their technology accessibility practices and find resources to develop them further. PEAT also hosts a series of educational webinars on a variety of accessible workplace technology topics, and invites job seekers with disabilities to participate in a national survey on the accessibility of online job applications and pre-screening tools.

Pathways to Careers Demonstration Project

ODEP awards more than $2 million in funding for cooperative agreements to Onondaga Community College in Syracuse, New York and Pellissippi State Community College in Knoxville, Tennessee under the Pathways to Careers: Community Colleges for Youth and Young Adults with Disabilities Demonstration Project, which aims to improve postsecondary education and employment outcomes for youth with disabilities through inclusive and integrated education and career development services.

Professional Baseball Athletic Trainers Society Alliance

ODEP signs an alliance agreement with the Professional Baseball Athletic Trainers Society (PBATS) to work together to educate about the skills and talents of people with disabilities through PBATS' "Ability Transcends Challenges" initiative. As part of this, the two organizations coordinate to disseminate a public service announcement featuring Curtis Pride, a former major league player who is deaf.

Return-to-Work Initiative

Through previous research and engagement with health care providers and insurers, ODEP determines that a compelling case can be made for advancing return to work (RTW) as a cost effective, mutually-beneficial means of addressing the high unemployment of Americans with disabilities. This new initiative includes the formation of a national community of practice consisting of representatives and experts in disability management, employers, workers associations and industry associations to exchange ideas related to best practices in RTW, as well as the development of several policy working groups, led by subject matter experts, to analyze existing state and federal policies and initiatives and recommend action-oriented responses to specific issue areas identified by the CoP.

Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act and VEVRAA Updates

ODEP plays an instrumental role in helping educate federal contractors and subcontractors about updates to Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Vietnam Era Veterans' Readjustment Assistance Act of 1974 that go into effect in March 2014 and require covered employers to recruit, hire, train and promote qualified people with disabilities and protected veterans, respectively. Key activities include meeting with employer groups, developing technical assistance materials and writing articles and blog posts.

START-UP Report

ODEP releases Self-Employment for People with Disabilities, the final report from the START-UP initiative, a three-year grant funded to identify which policies and practices hinder or support self-employment and entrepreneurship for people with disabilities. The report details barriers encountered by the four grantees, models tested, case studies and recommendations for policy adoption and implementation.

States as Model Employers

In support of the National Governors Association report, "A Better Bottom Line: Employing People with Disabilities" issued in 2013, ODEP helps promote state-level policy to increase disability employment. This includes releasing two reports written by researchers at Rutgers University's Heldrich Center for Workforce Development as a partner in ODEP's employer technical assistance center, one on states as model employers and another on state and local government contracting procurement and tax incentive programs for disability-owned businesses.

Training and Employment Notice on Changes to Employment Networks

ODEP and DOL's Employment and Training Administration (ETA) release a joint Training and Employment Notice (TEN) titled Receiving Ticket to Work Payments as an Employment Network. This TEN announces that the Workforce Investment Act Employment Network (EN) Payment Agreement has been rescinded by the Social Security Administration (SSA) and provides information on a new process for becoming ENs under SSA's Ticket to Work and Self Sufficiency (TTW) Program.

Transition Age Youth with Disabilities

To support the development of an interagency strategy to improve transition results for youth with disabilities, ODEP funds the development of a literature review that focuses on five federal systems that play key and inter-related roles in preparing youth with disabilities as they transition into adulthood: vocational rehabilitation, social security, juvenile justice, behavioral health and workforce investment. This study summarizes each system's role, the extent of its use by the population and central programs and authorizing legislation.

Universal Design Case Studies

ODEP collaborates with the Association for Workforce Asset Management (AWAM), Workforce Asset Management (WAM) — Pro certification program to promote universal design case studies for their members on the organization's members-only website. Many of ODEP's Job Accommodation Network's workplace accommodations that promote universal design were shared along with the seven universal design principles.

"Who I Am" PSA

The ODEP-funded Campaign for Disability Employment (CDE) launches the "Who I Am" campaign — an initiative centered around a public service announcement (PSA) featuring nine people with disabilities. This PSA emphasizes that, rather than be defined by disability, these individuals are the sum of their many life roles — which includes working in jobs they love.

Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act

In July, President Obama signs into law the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA), which helps job seekers, including those with disabilities, access services to succeed in employment and matches employers with skilled workers. The Act is expected to increase the access of individuals with disabilities, with a strong emphasis on transition-aged youth, to high-quality workforce services to prepare them for competitive integrated employment. A key provision is the formation of an Advisory Committee on Increasing Competitive Integrated Employment for Individuals with Disabilities. In the fall, ODEP seeks nominations for the committee, helps select the participants and sets the stage for its first meeting in January 2015.

Workforce Recruitment Program

ODEP continues to co-manage the Workforce Recruitment Program (WRP) with the U.S. Department of Defense connecting federal employers with highly qualified and motivated college students and recent graduates with disabilities.

Youth Action Council on Transition

ODEP supports the formation of the Youth Action Council on Transition (Youth ACT). Youth ACT is a national initiative that increases the capacity of youth with disabilities and their allies to work with adult partners to improve youth transition outcomes in their communities. YouthACT works in California, Indiana, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Texas and Washington, DC on topics ranging from raising awareness of disability history to increasing opportunities for youth with disabilities in post-secondary education.

Initiatives and Accomplishments

Add Us In Grantee Meeting

As part of its Add Us In initiative, ODEP convenes more than 60 grantees in Kansas City, MO for their annual meeting to share information, learn from each other's models and address ongoing challenges and solutions.

Aging Workers with Disabilities

ODEP issues two briefs summarizing assessments and recommendations from two ODEP- sponsored conferences that gathered experts to discuss the impact of aging on the national workforce and health care systems. The briefs show that providing accommodations to aging workers with disabilities, chronic health problems or reduced work capacity can help employers retain experienced staff who might otherwise leave the workforce prematurely.

"Because" Media Campaign

The ODEP-funded Campaign for Disability Employment (CDE) launches the "Because" campaign — an initiative centered around a public service announcement (PSA) featuring seven people with disabilities speaking about the mentors whose belief in them inspired their success. Throughout the year, versions of the "Because" PSA appear on hundreds of television stations and billboards across the country, and on the "big screen" at the Indianapolis 500. The CDE also distributes hundreds of coordinating posters, discussion guides and promotional materials in English and Spanish. By the end of 2013, the "Because" PSA garners more than $17 million in earned media value.

Child Labor and Disabilities

ODEP works with DOL's Bureau of International Labor Affairs, Office of Child Labor, Forced Labor and Human Trafficking, to incorporate a disability component into two ILAB Solicitations for Grant Applications (SGA) to combat child labor among vulnerable populations in Ecuador and Panama. A grantee in Ecuador implements a project that specifically, addresses the intersection between child labor and disabilities.

Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Agreement

ODEP signs a Memorandum of Agreement with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) to advance the employment of people with disabilities and help them achieve financial security.

Continued Funding for Policy Initiatives

ODEP awards a total of $9,721,837 in continued funding to organizations managing consortia that develop models, provide technical assistance and share best practices to improve employment opportunities for people with disabilities.

Customized and Self-Employment Services

Based on ODEP's evidence-based research into customized employment for people with disabilities, the U.S. Department of Education's Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA) submits a Policy Directive to revise its Vocational Rehabilitation Program Case Service Reports for its RSA-911 data to include customized and self-employment services.

Data on People with Disabilities

• ODEP works with DOL's Bureau of Labor Statistics to release a report entitled "Persons with a Disability: Barriers to Employment, Types of Assistance and Other Labor-Related Issues — May 2012." The report indicates that in May 2012, half of all persons with a disability who were not working reported some type of barrier to employment. Lack of education or training, lack of transportation, the need for special features at the job and a person's own disability were among the barriers reported.
• ODEP and DOL's Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs develop and sponsor the U.S. Census Bureau's Disability Employment Tabulation, which presents in-depth labor force characteristics of individuals with disabilities, with more details on employment status, occupation, education and earnings. The tabulation provides over 1 billion estimates showing the disability status and diversity of the labor force and population for more than 4000 unique geographic entities.

Disability Employment Initiative

DOL awards grants totaling more than $18 million to eight states to provide education, training and employment opportunities for youth and adults with disabilities. The grants are part of the Disability Employment Initiative (DEI), a program jointly funded and administered by ODEP and DOL's Employment and Training Administration. Additionally, representatives of the 23 states that have already received funding through the DEI convene at DOL to share knowledge and best practices about the initiative.

Employment First Education Series

ODEP spearheads an Employment First Policy Education Series to promote federal support for a National Employment First Strategic Policy Framework. Employment First is a framework for systems change centered on the premise that all citizens, including individuals with the most significant disabilities, are capable of full participation in integrated employment and community life.

Federal Executive Employment of People with Disabilities

The 2012 Employment of People with Disabilities in the Federal Executive Branch released by OPM reveals that people with disabilities, including those with targeted disabilities, have been hired in the federal government at a significantly higher percentage in 2012 than in the past. Much of the progress demonstrated in the report is a result of Executive Order 13548, which ODEP has assisted OPM in implementing since its issuance in 2010.

Henry Viscardi Achievement Award

ODEP's work is recognized when Assistant Secretary Kathy Martinez receives the Henry Viscardi Achievement Award. This new, international award honors people living with disabilities for their work and influence in the global disability community.

Higher Education Recruitment Consortium Alliance

ODEP signs an Alliance agreement with the Higher Education Recruitment Consortium to promote the employment of people with disabilities throughout the higher education community.

HIV/AIDS and Employment Initiative

ODEP formalizes its initiative related to HIV/AIDS and employment. As part of this, it creates an online eWorkgroup through which stakeholders can share resources and effective practices. ODEP also releases the event report from the Institute on HIV/AIDS and Employment held in collaboration with the National Working Positive Coalition in July 2012, following the XIX International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2012). ODEP develops, in collaboration with the Department of Housing and Urban Development as well as other partners and stakeholders, the content for a HIV/AIDS and Employment Training for Service Providers.

Individualized Learning Plan Toolkit

ODEP releases the "Kick Start Your ILP" toolkit. The toolkit includes an explanation of Individualized Learning Plans (ILPs), a year by year checklist of steps to follow, and tips to pull it all together.

Japanese and U.S. Disability Employment Policies

Assistant Secretary Kathy Martinez serves on a panel with Japanese and American disability employment experts to discuss disability law and policy challenges and effective strategies in the two countries. Later in the year, the Japanese government passes the Act on the Elimination of Disability Discrimination, a major international milestone in the disability arena.

LEAD Center Website

The LEAD Center, a national training and technical assistance center funded by ODEP, launches its national website. The centralized site features the latest LEAD Center news and initiatives, a comprehensive resource center, a national calendar of events and trainings and information on the LEAD Center's free webinar series to promote public policy, employment and economic advancement outcomes for all people across the spectrum of disability.

Manufacturing Sector Summit Proceedings Report

ODEP releases the proceedings report from its 2012 Manufacturing Sector Summit: "Keeping America Competitive: Addressing the Skills Gap in Manufacturing." The summit was presented by ODEP and DOL's Employment and Training Administration (ETA) and sponsored by ODEP's Alliance partner, the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM). The report details challenges and solutions discussed at the event, including the recruitment of people with disabilities as a way to close the manufacturing skills gap.

National Association of State Workforce Agencies (NASWA) Alliance Agreement

ODEP signs an Alliance agreement with the National Association of State Workforce Agencies (NASWA) to support the agencies' common goal of improving the workforce system for individuals with disabilities.

National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM) 2013

ODEP leads another successful NDEAM observance, with employers and advocacy organizations across the nation participating through a range of activities. The 2013 theme, "Because We Are EQUAL to the Task," reflects the reality that people with disabilities have the education, training, experience and desire to be successful in the workplace. To assist organizations in their planning, ODEP creates 31 Things You Can Do, a calendar of ideas for celebrating NDEAM in the workplace and community.

National Rehabilitation Leadership Institute Meeting

ODEP welcomes members of the National Rehabilitation Leadership Institute to discuss the agency's work to advance the employment of people with disabilities. Led by San Diego State University research professor Dr. Frederic Schroeder, the Institute's members include nearly 30 vocational rehabilitation leaders from 14 states and territories.

National Working Positive Coalition Alliance

ODEP signs an Alliance agreement with the National Working Positive Coalition (NWPC) to focus on reducing stigma and discrimination, cultivating training and employment opportunities and improving financial well-being for people living with HIV/AIDS.

ODEP Accomplishments 2009 — 2012

ODEP releases the report "ODEP Accomplishments 2009 — 2012," which highlights four years of efforts to ensure that people with disabilities are fully included in DOL's mission of improving job opportunities for America's workers.

Online Dialogues on Disability Employment Issues

ODEP leverages cutting-edge crowdsourcing technology to host a series of national online dialogues throughout the year.

• National Online Dialogue for Employers

ODEP hosts a multi-day national online dialogue that gathers insight and opinions from employers, human resource and diversity and inclusion professionals and other stakeholders about the services they feel they need to better facilitate the hiring, retention and advancement of people with disabilities.

• National Online Dialogue on Technology Accessibility for People with Intellectual Disabilities

In partnership with the Autistic Self-Advocacy Network (ASAN), ODEP's Partnership on Employment and Accessible Technology (PEAT) hosts an online dialogue on improving the accessibility of online tools for workers with intellectual disabilities. The input gathered informs the development of a report entitled The ASAN — PEAT National Online Dialogue: Participation Metrics, which helps frame efforts to improve the accessibility of workplace technology going forward.

• National Online Dialogue on Youth in Transition

ODEP, in collaboration with the Departments of Education and Health and Human Services and the Social Security Administration, hosts an online dialogue to examine the impact of existing federal regulations on the transition from school to work for youth with disabilities. Based on the input gathered, a report entitled Federal Partners in Transition National Online Dialogue: Participation Metrics is developed to summarize the dialogue's results and inform a plan for improving transition results for youth with disabilities by 2020.

Section 503/VEVRAA Updates

ODEP plays an instrumental role in developing and enacting new rules designed to strengthen federal contractors' responsibilities to hire, retain and advance qualified people with disabilities under Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Vietnam Era Veterans' Readjustment Assistance Act of 1974.These laws require federal contractors and subcontractors to affirmatively recruit, hire, train and promote qualified people with disabilities and protected veterans, respectively.

Soft Skills DVD

ODEP releases its Soft Skills video series in DVD format, which includes video vignettes and a discussion guide that can be used to promote dialogue about the situations depicted in the videos. The videos are based on the "Skills to Pay the Bills " curriculum, which teaches workforce readiness skill to youth, including youth with disabilities.

Social Media Accessibility

ODEP's ePolicyWorks team partners with the General Services Administration to co-lead the Federal Social Media Community of Practice's Social Media Accessibility Working Group. As part of this cross-government initiative, ODEP spearheads the development of a Social Media Accessibility Toolkit of recommended, baseline strategies to improve the accessibility of government social media.

Trauma-Informed Approaches Report

ODEP contributes to "Trauma-informed Approaches: Federal Activities and Initiatives: Federal Partners Committee on Women and Trauma — A Working Document /Second Report." The report documents the projects, programs and initiatives of more than three dozen federal agencies, departments and offices working on these issues.

"What's Your Connection?" Initiative

Disability.gov, which is managed by ODEP in collaboration with 21 federal partners, launches "What's Your Connection" to mark the website's 10th anniversary. Members of the public are invited to submit photos illustrating how disability affects them, whether through personal experience or that of a family member. Among the contributors are actor John Hawkes and renowned doctor of animal sciences Temple Grandin.

Workforce Recruitment Program

Private businesses and federal agencies nationwide seeking qualified temporary and permanent job candidates continue to leverage the Workforce Recruitment Program (WRP), a free database of postsecondary students and recent graduates with disabilities, including veterans, who are eager to prove their abilities in the workplace.

Youth Service Professionals Training

In collaboration with the National Collaborative on Workforce and Disability for Youth (NCWD-Youth), ODEP provides free professional development training for partnering organizations in Baltimore, Los Angeles and New York State. These sites receive professional development and technical assistance to strengthen youth service professionals' competencies for working with youth, including those with disabilities.

Initiatives and Accomplishments

Read the ODEP Accomplishments 2009-2012 report (PDF)

Accessible Technology Action Center Grant

ODEP awards a grant to a consortium led by the Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Technology Society of North America (RESNA) to establish the Accessible Technology Action Center (ATAC), a national resource that will facilitate and promote the use of accessible technology in the hiring, employment, retention and career advancement of individuals with disabilities.

Administration on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Agreement

ODEP signs a memorandum of agreement with the Administration on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities to expand and promote integrated employment as the first employment option for individuals with significant disabilities.

Add Us In Small Business Stakeholder Engagement Meeting

ODEP convenes Add Us In grantees and small business leaders for a Small Business Stakeholder Engagement Meeting to identify and develop strategies for increasing the capacity of small businesses to employ youth and adults with disabilities.

Aging Workforce, Medical Professionals and Employment Symposium

ODEP convenes a symposium on "The Aging Workforce: The Role of Medical Professionals in Helping Older Workers and Workers with Disabilities to Stay at Work or Return to Work and Remain Employed." The event gathers employed individuals with disabilities along with representatives of health care companies, medical educational institutions and foundations that are experts on the aging workforce, employment and disability employment issues.

Aging Workforce and the Public Workforce System Report

ODEP produces a report highlighting the challenges that older workers face; describes how the U.S. public workforce system serves these older workers; and makes policy, program and research recommendations aimed at improving the effectiveness of the U.S. public workforce system in serving this population.

Alliance Agreement with Customs and Border Protection

ODEP signs an Alliance Agreement with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CPB), making CBP the first Federal agency to partner with ODEP to advance President Obama's executive order to increase Federal hiring of people with disabilities.

Apprenticeship Initiative

ODEP launches a new webpage on its apprenticeship initiative.

Assistive Technology Industry Association Alliance

ODEP signs an Alliance Agreement with the Assistive Technology Industry Association (ATIA) to promote effective policies and practices regarding assistive technology and information and communications technology accessibility to advance the employment of people with disabilities.

"AT Works" Educational Series

ODEP's Accessible Technology in the Workplace Initiative hosts a series of "AT Works" educational events — free webcasts and webinars that explore the connection between emerging technologies and the employment of people with disabilities.

"Because" Public Service Announcement (PSA)

The ODEP-funded Campaign for Disability Employment produces a television public service announcement (PSA) entitled, "Because," as a sequel to the award-winning "I Can" PSA. This new production emphasizes the importance of expectation in promoting good employment outcomes for youth with disabilities.

"Business Strategies that Work"

ODEP announces the availability of "Business Strategies that Work: A Framework for Disability Inclusion," a how-to guide for employers who want to ensure their workplaces are diverse and inclusive. The resource identifies promising employment policies and practices for recruiting, hiring, retaining and advancing qualified individuals with disabilities.

CMS-led Training Series for DOL Employees

ODEP and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) collaboratively facilitate an educational series to increase the knowledge base of DOL policy leadership on the intersection between Medicaid and employment.

Current Population Survey (CPS) Disability Supplement

For the first time, ODEP and the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) conduct a CPS Disability Supplement. The data gathered from this comprehensive Supplement provides new information on the demographics of the disability population, and data on the employment situation of people with disabilities.

Disability App Challenge

ODEP sponsors its first disability-related "app" challenge to generate innovative tools that will improve employment opportunities and outcomes for people with disabilities. Prizes are awarded to three winning apps that leveraged publicly available resources and employment data.

Disability Employment Initiative (DEI)

ODEP and DOL's Employment and Training Administration (ETA) jointly fund and administer DEI cooperative agreements to 16 states. In 2012, the DEI initiative expands to a third round of sites, which are encouraged to become Employment Networks (ENs), and to improve education, training opportunities and employment outcomes for youth and adults who are unemployed and/or receiving Social Security disability benefits.

Disability.gov 10th Anniversary and "What's Your Connection" Toolkit

To celebrate its 10th anniversary, Disability.gov launches the "What's Your Connection?" initiative, a grassroots movement using social media and grassroots tactics to spark conversations and build support for inclusion of people with disabilities in the workplace and in their communities.

Disability.gov Redesign

Disability.gov undergoes a website redesign based on comments and suggestions from its visitors.

Employment Assistance and Resource Network's (EARN) New Website

EARN, an ODEP-funded technical assistance center, unveils a new, one-stop website that connects employers to information and resources to help them recruit hire and retain individuals with disabilities.

Employer Strategies for Responding to an Aging Workforce

ODEP produces two reports exploring employer strategies to address the challenges of an aging workforce. One report addresses private-sector employers' experiences while the other focuses on the impact of federal policies on work incentives for mature workers with disabilities, as well as policies affecting older workers regardless of disability.

Employment First Community of Practice

Under its ePolicyWorks initiative, ODEP launches an Employment First Community of Practice (CoP) comprised of more than 200 state government participants across 25 states. The CoP includes a monthly webinar series as well as a virtual workspace where CoP participants can collaborate on related policy initiatives.

Employment First State Leadership Mentor Program

ODEP awards grants to four states — three "mentee" states (Iowa, Oregon, Tennessee) and one "mentor" state (Washington) — in an effort to help states align policies, regulations and funding priorities to encourage integrated employment as the primary outcome for individuals with significant disabilities. Among the many program outcomes, Iowa finalizes an interagency agreement across eight state agencies for operationalizing the state's Employment First initiative. In addition, Iowa issues an Executive Order emphasizing competitive, integrated employment as the preferred outcome for its citizens with disabilities. ODEP also develops a policy audit template to assist states in their Employment First efforts.

Executive Order 13548 Joint Memorandum

Secretary Solis and OPM Director John Berry sign a joint memorandum outlining resources for implementing Executive Order 13548 — Increasing the Federal Employment of People with Disabilities.

Federal Agency Employment Strategies: A Framework for Disability Inclusion

ODEP, working with OPM and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, develops and disseminates a synopsis of effective practices in Federal agencies' plans to implement Executive Order 13548, entitled Federal Agency Employment Strategies: A Framework for Disability Inclusion.

Federal Disability Employment Workshop

ODEP hosts a disability employment workshop for Federal staff, jointly planned with the White House, the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and the American Association of People with Disabilities.

Framework for Implementing Accessible Information and Communications Technology (ICT)

ODEP's Accessible Technology in the Workplace Initiative unveils a paper to help employers develop a corporate-wide, comprehensive strategic plan for adopting and implementing accessible ICT corporate policies, practices and procedures in their own workplace.

Higher Education Sector Summit

ODEP collaborates with CUPA-HR, the association for HR professionals in higher education, to convene a sector summit in conjunction with the organization's annual conference.

Individualized Learning Plan Resources

The ODEP-funded National Collaborative on Workforce and Disability for Youth (NCWD/Youth) develops a webpage addressing the latest research, policies and practices related to Individualized Learning Plans (ILPs) — tools that secondary school students use to identify higher education and career goals and strategize how to achieve them. A featured resource on the page is "Promoting Quality Individualized Learning Plans: A 'How to Guide' Focused on the High School Years."

Institute on HIV/AIDS and Employment

In partnership with the National Working Positive Coalition, ODEP hosts an Institute on HIV/AIDS and Employment following the conclusion of the International AIDS Conference held in Washington, D.C.

Integrated Employment Partnership with DOL's Wage & Hour Division

In partnership with DOL's Wage and Hour Division, ODEP takes part in a regional compliance seminar series related to Section 14(c) of the Fair Labor Standards Act, educating service providers and employers on the benefits of expanding existing business models to include the provision of employment supports that result in integrated employment outcomes for people with disabilities.

Job Accommodation Network Grant

DOL awards a grant to West Virginia University to continue funding a cooperative agreement to manage and operate the Job Accommodation Network (JAN), a national technical assistance center that facilitates the employment and retention of workers with disabilities.

Living with HIV/AIDS and Employment Resources

ODEP develops a suite of "Employment and Living with HIV/AIDS" resources to help individuals, employers and service providers understand issues related to HIV/AIDS and employment.

Manufacturing Sector Summit

ODEP and its Alliance partner, the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), co-host an industry sector summit to explore disability employment and the skills gap in the manufacturing industry. More than 300 human resource professionals in the manufacturing sector attend.

National Center on Leadership for the Employment and Advancement of People with Disabilities Grant

ODEP awards a grant to the National Disability Institute to establish the National Center on Leadership for the Employment and Advancement of People with Disabilities (LEAD Center), which will focus on improving employment outcomes and promoting the economic advancement of people with disabilities.

National Disability Employment Awareness Month Toolkit

ODEP launches an online toolkit to assist individuals and organizations to participate in the annual National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM) observance.

National Employment First State Leadership Meeting

ODEP hosts the first National Employment First State Leadership Meeting, bringing together state officials from 20 states to receive high-impact technical assistance and engage in a multi-disciplinary discussion on the need for the establishment of a National Employment First Strategic Policy Framework.

National Industry Liaison Group Alliance

ODEP signs an Alliance Agreement with the National Industry Liaison Group (NILG) to promote the hiring of individuals with disabilities by the Federal contractor community.

National Organization of Nurses with Disabilities Alliance

ODEP signs an Alliance Agreement with the National Organization of Nurses with Disabilities (NOND), with the goal of supporting increased hiring of individuals with disabilities in the health care industry.

National Technical Assistance and Demonstration Center on Preparing Youth with Disabilities for Employment Grant

ODEP awards a grant to the Institute for Educational Leadership to manage and operate the new National Technical Assistance and Demonstration Center on Preparing Youth with Disabilities for Employment.

NGA Chair's "A Better Bottom Line" Initiative

ODEP contributes to the National Governors Association (NGA) Chair's 2012-2013 "A Better Bottom Line" initiative, which focuses on increasing the capacity of states to help businesses employ people with disabilities. As part of this, ODEP participates in a roundtable on leading experts in disability employment and advises on successful state-level policy initiatives, including Employment First.

Online Resources for Employers

ODEP unveils a new "Employers" topic webpage, offering resources and tools for employers as they develop and implement disability employment policies and practices in their workplaces.

Policy Development Think Tank: New Strategies for Successful Collaboration

ODEP hosts a webinar for Federal policymakers and national stakeholders on using new Web 2.0 tools to enhance policy development.

Promising Employment Practices for People with Disabilities Symposium

ODEP, in conjunction with OPM, EEOC, the Computer/Electronics Accommodations Program (CAP) and DOL's Office of Workers' Compensation Programs, convenes a training symposium titled "Promising Employment Practices for People with Disabilities" for Federal Selective Placement Coordinators and Disability Program Managers.

Schedule A Hiring Fact Sheet for Youth

ODEP releases a Schedule A Hiring Fact Sheet for Youth.The Schedule A hiring authority is one tool that can greatly benefit youth and young adults with disabilities who are seeking a job with the Federal government.

SocialGov Summit on Accessible Social Media

Together with the General Services Administration and the Department of Transportation, ODEP co-hosts the SocialGov Summit for more than 100 Federal social media managers, and forms a working group on the issue of accessible social media content.

Society for Human Resource Management Renewed Alliance

ODEP renews its Alliance Agreement with the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM).

Soft Skills Educational Products

ODEP unveils "Skills to Pay the Bills: Mastering Soft Skills for Workplace Success," a curriculum and video series designed to strengthen the workforce readiness skills of young people looking to enter and succeed in the workforce.

State VR Agencies Adopt Customized Wage and Self-Employment Strategies

Three innovative state vocational rehabilitation (VR) agencies in Texas, Florida and Ohio adopt customized wage and self-employment strategies, based on ODEP's Customized Employment evidence-based research, to better serve individuals with significant disabilities.

Training and Employment Notice on Transportation Services

DOL's Employment and Training Administration (ETA) and ODEP release a joint Training and Employment Notice (TEN) to provide successful strategies to the public workforce system for connecting individuals to transportation to jobs and training and to help businesses access a diverse workforce.

U.S. Business Leadership Network Renewed Alliance

ODEP and the U.S. Business Leadership Network (USBLN) renew their Alliance Agreement to work together to improve employment opportunities for people with disabilities.

What Can YOU Do? Video Contest

The ODEP-funded Campaign for Disability Employment launches the second What can YOU Do? Video Contest to promote positive change and challenge misconceptions about disability employment. Winners are awarded in four categories.

Workforce Recruitment Program Resources

The Workforce Recruitment Program (WRP) releases new resources, including a toolkit designed to help Federal employers advance disability employment within their agencies; a series of videos to help all young people with disabilities navigate the job search process; and a job board to connect WRP students with Federal internships and jobs.

Workplace Flexibility Toolkit

In partnership with DOL's Women's Bureau, ODEP unveils the Workplace Flexibility Toolkit, an online collection of resources to help employees, job seekers, employers, policymakers and researchers learn more about workplace flexibility.

Workplace Flexibility-Universal Design Employer Demonstration Project

ODEP launches a demonstration project to provide technical assistance and training to three employers on providing workplace flexibility around not only time and place, but around tasks to promote recruitment, advancement and retention of people with complex employment situations.

Initiatives and Accomplishments

Add Us In (2011-continuing)

ODEP funds four additional consortia under the Add Us Initiative, bringing the total number of grantees to eight. These consortia are charged with identifying and developing local-level strategies for increasing employment of people with disabilities by small businesses, especially those owned and operated by minorities.

Add Us In Expert Strategy Meeting

As part of its Add Us In initiative, ODEP convenes an Expert Strategy Meeting to explore replicable strategies for disability inclusion among small businesses, including those owned by diverse individuals.

Add Us In National Diversity Forum

ODEP convenes Add Us In grantees and national disability and diversity experts for a National Diversity Forum.

Assistive Technology Training and Employment Notice (TEN)

ETA and ODEP jointly distribute a TEN to inform the workforce system about the availability of and funding sources for Assistive Technology (AT) resources for customers with disabilities.

Center of Development Expertise (CODE) for Accessibility Task Force

ODEP engages the Assistive Technology Industry Association's Accessibility Interoperability Alliance (ATIA/AIA) to establish the CODE Task Force. Comprised of executives and developers from leading information technology companies, the group considers ways to promote accessible design in software and hardware development, especially related to workplace information and communications technology.

Customized Employment Videos

ODEP produces a series of videos illustrating customized employment strategies at work.

Disability Employment Initiative (DEI)

ODEP and ETA jointly fund and administer seven additional DEI cooperative agreements to become Employment Networks and improve education, training and employment opportunities and outcomes of youth and adults who are unemployed and/or receiving Social Security disability benefits.

Federal Partners Committee on Women and Trauma Report

The Federal Partners Committee on Women and Trauma, co-chaired by ODEP, releases a report illustrating the importance of listening to people who have been directly impacted by trauma and describing "trauma-informed care," a new approach to addressing trauma that can be implemented in any setting. ODEP writes the section on women with disabilities and trauma issues related to employment.

Financial Services Workers with Disabilities: Career Trends and Current Practices Summit

ODEP partners with The Financial Services Roundtable to host the Financial Services Workers with Disabilities: Career Trends and Current Practices Summit to discuss strategies for increasing the recruiting, retaining and advancing of people with disabilities in the financial services industry.

Health Care: Career Trends, Best Practices and Call-to-Action Summit

Together with Access Living of Metropolitan Chicago, ODEP hosts the Health Care: Career Trends, Best Practices and Call-to-Action Summit to explore strategies for increasing employment and training opportunities for people with disabilities in the health care industry.

HIV/AIDS Employment Roundtable

In coordination with the Office of National AIDS Policy, ODEP convenes the HIV/AIDS Employment Roundtable to explore ways to improve employment and job training outcomes for people living with HIV/AIDS.

"I Can" PSA

After two years of circulation, the ODEP-funded "I Can" PSA surpasses $17 million in donated media airtime and receives accolades from four organizations: Public Relations Society of America (PRSA), PR Week, PR News and the Association of Marketing and Communication Professionals.

Increasing Participation in the Ticket to Work Program Training and Employment Notice (TEN)

ETA and ODEP jointly distribute a TEN that provides information to state workforce agencies, local workforce investment boards and One-Stop Career Centers on the Ticket to Work and Self-Sufficiency Program.

Individual Learning Plan (ILP) Case Study

ODEP launches a longitudinal research and demonstration project designed to understand the effectiveness of ILPs; this state-level analysis uses a multifaceted approach including research and evaluation; information dissemination; training and technical assistance; and partnerships and collaborations.

Integrated Employment Initiative

ODEP launches an Integrated Employment initiative to promote the value and benefits of integrated, community-based employment at competitive wages for individuals with significant disabilities. A key feature of this initiative, an online toolkit, highlights relevant research findings, educational and policy information and real-world success stories.

Partnership for Public Service Alliance

ODEP signs an Alliance Agreement with the Partnership for Public Service, a nonprofit organization that works to encourage a new generation to serve in the federal service.

"Ready and Able"

ODEP publishes a case study analysis of 13 diverse examples of employer workforce-intermediary partnerships with a track record of helping employers recruit, hire, train and retain employees with disabilities.

"Strategies for Including People with Disabilities in the Green Jobs Talent Pipeline" Roundtable Proceedings

ODEP publishes the proceedings of the Strategies for Including People with Disabilities in the Green Jobs Talent Pipeline roundtable; included are recommendations for promoting the inclusion of people with disabilities in green jobs initiatives. A companion guide, Green Jobs: A Resource for Individuals with Disabilities, details major employment and training opportunities and job skills associated with emerging green jobs occupations.

Workplace Flexibility Forum and Report

ODEP and DOL's Women's Bureau (WB) co-host the Advancing Workplace Flexibility Policies and Practices forum, during which workplace flexibility and disability subject matter experts share best practices and research, identify knowledge gaps and offer suggestions for moving workplace flexibility forward in American workplaces.

Workplace Flexibility-Universal Design Employer Demonstration Project

ODEP launches a pilot project to promote the use of flexible workplace strategies that will assist in the recruitment, retention and advancement of aging workers and individuals with disabilities, including those with significant disabilities.

Workplace Flexibility-Universal Design Employer Demonstration Project

ODEP implements an employer pilot demonstration project designed to expand and promote the adoption of flexible workplace strategies that will assist in the recruitment, retention (including return-to-work) and advancement of aging workers and other people with disabilities, including significant disabilities.

Youth Service Professionals' Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSA) Training Modules

ODEP's Youth Service Professionals' KSA initiative releases eight professional development training modules covering the following competencies: Knowledge of the Field; Communication with Youth; Assessment and Individualized Planning; Relationship to Family; Career Exploration & Workforce Preparation; Community Resources; Employer Relations; and Program Design, Delivery and Administration.

Initiatives and Accomplishments

Add Us In (2010-continuing)

ODEP launches the Add Us In initiative, awarding grants to four consortia to identify and develop strategies to increase employment opportunities among small businesses, including those owned and operated by diverse individuals.

Affirmative Action Strategies for Federal Contractors

ODEP collaborates with DOL's Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) to assess affirmative action policies applicable to people with disabilities and disabled veterans and make recommendations for changes to OFCCP regulations, namely Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act and the Vietnam Era Veterans' Readjustment Assistance Act.

"A New Day: We're Listening"

Assistant Secretary of Labor for Disability Employment Policy Kathleen Martinez, in collaboration with leaders from other federal agencies, conducts "A New Day: We're Listening," a series of stakeholder feedback sessions in six cities to gather information about key issues and best practices regarding disability employment.

Disability Employment Initiative (DEI) (2010-continuing)

ODEP and ETA jointly fund and administer DEI cooperative agreements to nine states to become Employment Networks and improve education, training and employment opportunities and outcomes of youth and adults who are unemployed and/or receiving Social Security disability benefits.

"Disability Implications of an Aging Workforce: Developing an Action Strategy"

ODEP's National Technical Assistance and Research Center to Promote Leadership for Increasing the Employment and Economic Independence of Adults with Disabilities (NTAR Leadership Center) convenes 50 experts from across the nation for a roundtable titled Disability Implications of an Aging Workforce: Developing an Action Strategy.

Disability Nondiscrimination Law Advisor

ODEP launches the Disability Nondiscrimination Law Advisor, an interactive, online system that helps employers quickly and simply determine which federal nondiscrimination laws apply to their business or organization and their responsibilities under them.

Executive Order 13548

President Barack Obama marks the 20th anniversary of the ADA by issuing Executive Order 13548, Increasing Federal Employment of Individuals with Disabilities and charges ODEP with assisting the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) in implementing it. Outcomes include a Federal Hiring Toolkit, Federal Mentoring Primer and online Community of Practice for Federal Hiring Managers.

"I Can" Public Service Announcement (PSA)Distribution

The Campaign for Disability Employment's "I Can" PSA, a montage of seven people with disabilities sharing what they "can do" when given the opportunity, is distributed to television and radio stations nationwide, and a suite of complementary materials are produced. A Spanish-language version of the PSA, "Yo Puedo," is also produced and distributed to Spanish-language media.

Induction of Justin Dart and Helen Keller into Labor Hall of Fame

In celebration of the 20th anniversary of the ADA in July 2010, ODEP champions the inclusion of disability rights activists Justin Dart and Helen Keller in the Labor Hall of Fame.

Lights! Camera! Access!

ODEP holds Lights! Camera! Access!, which brings together representatives from the entertainment and disability advocacy communities to discuss strategies for improving representation, in both numbers and accurate portrayal, of people with disabilities in the arts and media.

"Now is the Time!" Federal Hiring Event for People with Disabilities

ODEP, in coordination with OPM, cosponsors Now is the Time, a first-of-a-kind hiring event for people with disabilities interested in federal employment. Thirty-five agencies are represented, and more than 5,000 people submit resumes to apply to attend.

Project SEARCH

DOL, through ODEP, pilots the first federal model of Project SEARCH, a combined education and work experience program for students with disabilities in their last year of high school.

Return-to-Work Policy Partnership

ODEP collaborates with DOL's Office of Workers' Compensation Programs (OWCP) to conduct a study to document barriers and identify strategies that federal agencies may utilize to increase the successful return-to-work of employees who have sustained disabilities as a result of workplace injuries or illnesses.

Roundtable Dialogue on the Future of Accessible Workplace Technology

As part of its Accessible Technology in the Workplace Initiative, ODEP convenes a Roundtable Dialogue on the Future of Accessible Workplace Technology, at which more than 60 thought leaders from government, private industry, academia and non-governmental organizations explore strategies and practices necessary to advance the creation and adoption of accessible workplace technologies.

Self-Employment Training and Employment Guidance Letter (TEGL)

A TEGL is issued by ETA and ODEP to encourage states to establish parameters for funding entrepreneurial and self-employment training under Title I of the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) of 1998.

START-UP USA Close-out Report

START-UP/USA, the national technical assistance aspect of ODEP's Self-Employment Technical Assistance, Resources & Training (START-UP) initiative, submits the final report for the self-employment initiative outlining policy recommendations to further enhance the opportunities for people with disabilities to become self-employed.

Transportation to Work Toolkit for the Business Community

Through a cooperative agreement with the Community Transportation Association of America (CTAA), ODEP funds the creation of the Transportation to Work Toolkit for the Business Community, an online resource for businesses on how to implement workplace transportation programs that benefit employers and employees while also opening doors to employment for a wider segment of people, including those with disabilities.

U.S. Business Leadership Network (USBLN) Alliance Renewal

ODEP and USBLN renew their Alliance established in 2008.

Women's Bureau Collaboration

ODEP and DOL's Women's Bureau sign a Memorandum of Understanding to encourage and assist employers to expand and promote the use of flexible workplace strategies, including those focused on job tasks for people with complex employment situations.

Women and Trauma Roundtable

ODEP assists in convening a roundtable of stakeholders from federal, nonprofit and tribal communities to initiate a dialogue on the behavioral impacts of trauma affecting women and girls, identify gaps in addressing them and develop recommendations for an agenda for comprehensive systems change, integration and collaboration.

Initiatives and Accomplishments

"Access for All Customers: Universal Strategies for One-Stop Career Centers"

An ODEP-funded project publishes an article outlining the standard principles of Universal Design and the benefits of implementing it within in the workforce development system.

Amendments to Executive Law of New York State

The ODEP-funded START-UP New York develops and initiates proposed amendments to designate businesses owned and operated by people with disabilities as Minority and Women-Owned Enterprises.

Asset Development Portfolio

ODEP develops a comprehensive guide on asset building for people with disabilities and service providers, including workforce systems personnel.

"Building a Roadmap out of Poverty for Americans with Disabilities"

ODEP and ETA jointly publish Building a Roadmap out of Poverty for Americans with Disabilities: A Report on the Relationship of the Workforce Development System and Local Asset Building Coalitions, a report that examines best practices in asset development in three cities and the workforce development system's role in advancing self-sufficiency for individuals with disabilities.

"Business Case for Hiring People with Disabilities"

ODEP publishes the Business Case for Hiring People with Disabilities, an online, multi-media resource illustrating how people with disabilities add value across six key concerns common to all employers, regardless of size or industry: return on investment, human capital, marketing, innovation, diversity and social responsibility.

Campaign for Disability Employment

ODEP's Non-Governmental Organization collaborative brands itself the Campaign for Disability Employment and launches What can YOU do?, a national outreach effort framed around a public service announcement (PSA) titled "I Can."

Confirmation of Kathleen Martinez

The U.S. Senate confirms Kathleen Martinez as the third Assistant Secretary of Labor for Disability Employment Policy.

Current Population Survey (CPS) Supplement

After extensive research and testing, ODEP sponsors the addition of disability-related questions to the CPS, and for the first time official government data on the employment status of people with disabilities are available.

Disability.gov

The interagency website DisabilityInfo.gov is revamped and re-launched as Disability.gov. Managed by ODEP in collaboration with 21 federal partners, the new site incorporates numerous Web 2.0 functionalities and interactive features to engage the disability community.

Emerging Technologies Initiative

ODEP conducts research and collaborates with key stakeholder groups to systematically identify and analyze effective practices in the employment of individuals with disabilities through the use of accessible workplace technology — specifically emerging information and communications technology (ICT).

ePolicyWorks

ODEP unveils ePolicyWorks, a first-of-its-kind, coordinated approach to federal policymaking that leverages Web-based technology, stakeholder involvement and real-time information sharing through an online, collaborative workspace. The initiative's inaugural effort, ePolicyWorks Health Care, focuses on the critical intersection between employment, disability and health care.

Federal Interagency Asset Development and Financial Education Working Group

ODEP leads an interagency working group to enable federal agency stakeholders involved in asset development and financial education initiatives to stay abreast of each others' efforts and to facilitate coordination of relevant research, policy and programming.

Federal Partners Committee on Women and Trauma

As part of its involvement in the Federal Partners on Mental Health Transformation Work Group, ODEP joins the Federal Partners Committee on Women and Trauma, serving as co-chair with the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration/Center for Mental Health Services.

Financial Education for Youth with Disabilities

ODEP conducts a literature review and white paper providing a comprehensive analysis of existing financial literacy programs for all youth, including those with disabilities; the effectiveness of these programs; and the role of employers and employment as they relate to financial literacy.

Funding Options for Personal Assistance Services (PAS)

ODEP examines employer-based reimbursement accounts as a way to assess the feasibility of creating a PAS Flexible Spending Account to reimburse PAS not covered by employers as a workplace accommodation. Research findings outline both the benefits and limitations of such a policy, taking into account the perspectives of various stakeholder groups.

Health and Wellness Research Initiative

ODEP conducts studies to explore corporate health and wellness programs in the context of disability as well as access to health care initiatives for people with potentially disabling conditions who do not qualify for employer-based group coverage. The results identify and describe programs that have been important to people with disabilities and the extent to which these programs have advanced quality access to health care.

Inclusive Entrepreneurship Curriculum

START-UP New York establishes and implements a first-of-its-kind Inclusive Entrepreneurship Curriculum at Syracuse University's Whitman School of Management.

Knowledge Development and Translation Initiative for Expanding the Availability and Use of Customized Employment

ODEP conducts research to increase knowledge about the use of customized employment strategies among public and private systems personnel and employers and how such strategies enable people with disabilities to move from poverty to self-sufficiency through asset accumulation and customized benefits.

National Association of Counties Award

Based on its work under an ODEP grant, Montgomery County, MD receives an award for its Customized Employment Public Internship Project from the National Association of Counties.

National Technical Assistance, Policy and Research Center for Employers on Employment of People with Disabilities (National Employer Technical Assistance Center) (2009-continuing)

ODEP awards a cooperative agreement to establish a National Employer Technical Assistance Center to assist in developing demand-side policy and share best practices on the employment of people with disabilities.

Registered Apprenticeship for Youth and Young Adults with Disabilities Initiative (2009-continuing)

ODEP awards cooperative agreements to organizations in two states to lead consortia to develop innovative models for providing inclusive registered apprenticeship training to youth and young adults with disabilities.

Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) Alliance Renewal

ODEP and SHRM renew their Alliance established in 2006.

State Leadership Innovation Institute

ODEP's National Technical Assistance and Research Center to Promote Leadership for Increasing the Employment and Economic Independence of Adults with Disabilities (NTAR Leadership Center) conducts a project to promote employment and economic independence for adults with disabilities by connecting state workforce policies to state and local economic development goals in three states: Connecticut, Maryland and Minnesota.

Strategies for Including People with Disabilities in the Green Jobs Talent Pipeline Roundtable

ODEP convenes thought leaders and entrepreneurial problem solvers to develop recommendations to ensure that people with disabilities are included in the emerging energy efficiency and renewable energy workforce talent pipelines.

Telework Study

ODEP conducts research to explore telework as a return-to-work strategy for people receiving workers' compensation and a path to competitive employment for disabled veterans, as well as the conditions necessary to effectively sustain telework for people with disabilities.

Workforce Investment Act (WIA) Reauthorization Listening Session

ODEP Assistant Secretary Kathleen Martinez and ETA Assistant Secretary Jane Oates hear comments from workforce development professionals and representatives from the disability and business communities during a listening session attracting more than 700 participants via the web and conference call.

Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC) Article

ODEP partners with Social Security Administration (SSA) and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to publish an article promoting the WOTC, a tax credit for employers who hire individuals who are in one or more targeted groups, including vocational rehabilitation customers, Social Security Income (SSI) recipients and qualified Veterans with disabilities.

Initiatives and Accomplishments

America's Heroes at Work

In collaboration with the Veterans' Employment and Training Service, ODEP launches America's Heroes at Work, a targeted outreach campaign to address the employment challenges of returning Service Members and Veterans living with Traumatic Brain Injury and/or Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.

"Business Sense"

ODEP publishes the first issue of "Business Sense," a monthly brief on disability employment issues targeted at the small business community.

Confirmation of Neil Romano

The U.S. Senate confirms Neil Romano as the second Assistant Secretary of Labor for Disability Employment Policy.

Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities (CCD) Recommendations

The CCD's Employment and Training Task Force formally endorses ODEP's universal design and customized employment policies in its Workforce Investment Act (WIA) reauthorization recommendations to the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee.

Corporate Culture Study

ODEP publishes the final report of its Disability Case Study Research Consortium on Employer Organizational Practices in Employing People with Disabilities. This report examines corporate culture and how organizational structures, values, policies and day-to-day practices affect the employment of people with disabilities; findings help shape employer policy and corporate perceptions regarding disability inclusion

National Association of Governors' Committees on People with Disabilities (NAGC) Alliance

ODEP signs an Alliance Agreement with NAGC to provide its members and others with resources to assist in advancing employment opportunities for workers with disabilities; through this Alliance, ODEP and NAGC also jointly develop a toolkit to encourage and assist states to incorporate disability history into school curricula.

National Resource Directory

ODEP partners with the Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs to develop the National Resource Directory, a website that provides wounded warriors, Service Members, Veterans and their families with access to services and resources at the national, state and local levels to support recovery, rehabilitation and community reintegration.

Non-Governmental Organization Collaborative

ODEP forms and funds a collaborative of non-governmental disability and business organizations to work together to address disability employment from a broad perspective.

Roundtable on Employment for People with Intellectual Disabilities

ODEP hosts a two-day roundtable of key thought leaders to explore public policy strategies for promoting employment and economic self-sufficiency of individuals with intellectual disabilities.

Smithsonian Collaboration

ODEP partners with the Smithsonian Institution to develop materials and identify best practices to increase the number of Smithsonian employees with disabilities and create a replicable model for other federal agencies.

"Successful Workplace Digest"

ODEP and several of its partners contribute articles addressing a variety of disability employment topics — including universal design, youth in transition and customized employment — to Successful Workplace Digest, a publication of the Business and Professional Women's Foundation.

Survey of Employer Perspectives on the Employment of People with Disabilities

ODEP conducts a nationally representative survey exploring attitudes and practices of employers in 12 industry sectors, including some high growth industries as projected by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). The resulting data assist in formulating and promoting targeted strategies for increasing employment opportunities for people with disabilities.

Transforming the American Workplace: A 21st Century Vision

ODEP convenes Transforming the American Workplace: A 21st Century Vision, a two-day summit during which hundreds of business, government and nonprofit leaders discuss how today's global marketplace has the power to open doors to employment for people with disabilities.

University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) Anderson School of Business Alliance

ODEP signs an Alliance Agreement with the UCLA's Anderson School of Business to provide participants in its Executive Education Programs with information, guidance and access to resources to help advance employment opportunities for managers with disabilities.

U.S. Business Leadership Network (USBLN®) Alliance

ODEP signs an Alliance Agreement with USBLN® to provide the organization's members and other businesses with information, guidance and access to resources that will help them to recruit, hire and advance workers with disabilities.

Initiatives and Accomplishments

Accessible Technology and Disability Employment Business Dialogue

ODEP, along with the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services, plays a key role in a Business Dialogue on Accessible Technology and Disability Employment held by the Assistive Technology Industry Association and U.S. Business Leadership Network (USBLN). Outcomes include two roadmap reports outlining actionable steps that can be taken by the business community and federal government to facilitate the adoption of accessible technology policies and practices.

Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Interview

The Work and Family Research Network, an Alfred P. Sloan Foundation grantee, publishes a "Conversation with the Experts" interview with several ODEP staff members during which they discuss the benefits of customized employment, from both the individual and employer perspective.

Blazing the Trail: A New Direction in Youth Development and Leadership

ODEP convenes more than 200 youth and adults to discuss ideas for improvements to laws, policies and communication strategies to ensure that young people are well-prepared to successfully transition to adulthood and the world of work.

"Customized Employment — Employers and Workers: Creating a Competitive Edge" Summary Report

ODEP publishes a summary report of its Customized Employment and WorkFORCE Action grants. The report outlines new and innovative practices for improving outcomes, both for individuals with disabilities and the workforce investment system, using customized employment strategies.

CVS/Caremark Alliance

ODEP signs an Alliance Agreement with CVS/Caremark to develop replicable model programs for recruiting, hiring and advancing employees with disabilities.

Disability Employment Policy Demonstration Programs Evaluation

ODEP publishes an independent evaluation of its various demonstration projects to strengthen the capacity of the workforce development system to better serve adults and youth with disabilities.

Journal of Vocational Rehabilitation: Special Issue on Customized Employment

A special issue of the Journal of Vocational Rehabilitation is dedicated to the topic of customized employment, featuring contributions from several highly respected authors and researchers in the field.

National Spinal Cord Injury Association (NSCIA) Article on Customized Employment

NSCIA publishes an article by the Assistant Secretary of Labor for Disability Employment Policy titled "Customized Employment: A Back-to-Work Strategy for Job Seekers with Spinal Cord Injury."

National Technical Assistance and Research Center to Promote Leadership for Increasing the Employment and Economic Independence of Adults with Disabilities (NTAR Leadership Center) (2007-2012)

ODEP establishes a cooperative agreement that works to build capacity across workforce and disability systems to increase the employment and self-sufficiency of adults with disabilities.

Universal Design for the Workforce Development System Toolkit

The National Center on Workforce and Disability/Adult (NCWD/Adult) publishes the first in a collection of tools, online training modules and best practice findings from the field, all of which are designed to promote a workforce development system that is responsive to both local realities and the needs of diverse businesses and jobseekers.

Initiatives and Accomplishments

Circle of Champions

ODEP creates the Circle of Champions, a select group of businesses who received the Secretary of Labor's New Freedom Initiative Award. These businesses commit to reaching out to their peers to share best practices and innovative strategies for advancing the employment of people with disabilities.

Disability Case Study Research Consortium on Employer Organizational Practices in Employing People with Disabilities

ODEP funds a consortium of expert researchers to examine corporate culture and its impact on employment opportunities, experiences and engagement at work for persons with disabilities.

EU-US Information Exchange

In collaboration with DOL's Bureau of International Labor Affairs, ODEP hosts Exploring Employment and Retention Strategies for People with Disabilities, a two-day information exchange held as part of an agreement between DOL and the European Union.

Federal Partners in Transition Interagency Workgroup

ODEP establishes the Federal Partners in Transition Interagency Workgroup, which brings together representatives from several federal agencies whose work impacts youth, transition and disability issues.

Federal Partners on Mental Health Transformation/Employment Work Group

ODEP leads the Employment Work Group of the Federal Partners on Mental Health Transformation. Established by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, this group includes representatives from six federal agencies and is charged with addressing work as an integral part of recovery from mental illness and as part of the modernization of mental health systems.

Health Care Initiative

ODEP launches an initiative to give health care priority consideration in all of its policy efforts and bring national attention to the critical intersection between health care, disability and employment. As part of this effort, ODEP hosts a State-Federal Policy Exchange to identify solutions to the fragmented funding streams for health care and other employment and training supports.

Interagency Taskforce on the Aging of the American Workforce

ODEP plays a critical role on an interagency taskforce convened by DOL, at the request of the Senate Special Committee on Aging, to address issues created by the "graying" of the American workforce.

ODEP Alliance Program

ODEP launches a formal Alliance program to foster collaboration with external organizations committed to improving disability employment. Shortly thereafter, it signs its first Alliance Agreement with the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), the world's largest association devoted to human resource management.

Self-Employment Technical Assistance, Resources, & Training (START-UP) (2006-2011)

ODEP funds START-UP grants in three states and a national technical assistance initiative to develop models for increasing access to self-employment and entrepreneurship for youth and adults with disabilities and advance relevant policy change.

Initiatives and Accomplishments

Emergency Preparedness

As part of its participation in the Interagency Coordinating Council on Emergency Preparedness and Individuals with Disabilities, ODEP chairs the Subcommittee on Emergency Preparedness in the Workplace and leads the development of Preparing the Workplace for Everyone: Accounting for the Needs of People with Disabilities, framework of emergency preparedness guidelines for federal agencies.

Self Employment Training and Employment Guidance Letter (TEGL)

A TEGL is issued by DOL's Employment and Training Administration (ETA) and ODEP to encourage the workforce investment system to make entrepreneurial training opportunities available to people interested in self-employment under Title I of WIA.

White House Mini-Conference on Aging and Disability Policy Recommendations

As part of a White House conference on aging, ODEP is critical in facilitating a mini-conference resulting in employment-related and other policy recommendations for the President concerning the needs of older workers with disabilities.

Workforce Development Case Study

ODEP publishes case studies of 12 Workforce Investment Act (WIA)-assisted program sites conducted over five years. Information from this longitudinal study addresses impact evaluation and customer satisfaction and helps inform policy to increase the capacity of WIA-assisted programs to serve people with disabilities.

Initiatives and Accomplishments

Chronic Homelessness Employment Technical Assistance (CHETA) Initiative (2004-2008)

ODEP, in cooperation with DOL's Employment and Training Administration and Veterans' Employment and Training Service (VETS), awards a grant to the Corporation for Supportive Housing under CHETA, an initiative to end chronic homelessness among people with disabilities, including veterans with disabilities. The funds provide intensive employment-related training to organizations in five states.

Recovery and Employment Assistance Lifelines (REALifelines)

ODEP provides assistance to VETS in launching REALifelines, a military medical facility-based program that offers active-duty wounded and injured service members with personal assistance to ensure a successful transition to civilian life.

Telework Research (2004-2007)

ODEP funds initiatives in three states to investigate, develop and validate strategies likely to yield the largest number of telework positions for people with disabilities in cooperation with federal and state agencies.

United We Ride

ODEP, in conjunction with the U.S. Departments of Transportation, Health and Human Services and Education, co-sponsors United We Ride: Interagency Forum on Transportation Coordination, which resulted in Executive Order 13330, Human Service Transportation Coordination and the creation of Interagency Coordinating Council on Access and Mobility. As a principal member on this council, ODEP oversees several national technical assistance and grant programs to assist states to better coordinate employment-related transportation efforts.

Youth Service Professionals' Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSA) Initiative

ODEP establishes the Youth Service Professionals' KSA initiative, which seeks to strengthen youth professionals' capacity to connect all youth, including youth with disabilities, to workforce, educational and independent living opportunities. Early outcomes include a background paper and the establishment of ten core competencies for youth service professionals.

Initiatives and Accomplishments

Customized Employment Grants (2003-2007)

ODEP funds additional grants to increase the capacity of the workforce development system to serve individuals with significant disabilities through the use of customized employment strategies.

Ending Chronic Homelessness through Employment and Housing Cooperative Agreements (2003-2008)

In coordination with DOL's Veterans' Employment and Training Service and Employment and Training Administration, as well as the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), ODEP funds five cooperative agreements to improve employment outcomes for chronically homeless individuals with disabilities through local partnerships with housing providers and workforce agencies.

"Guideposts for Success"

ODEP publishes the Guideposts for Success, a policy development framework representing what research and practice has identified as key educational and career development interventions that make a positive difference in the lives of all youth, including youth with disabilities. The Guideposts grew out of data gathered from the High School/High Tech Realignment Grants (2001-2002).

High School/High Tech (HS/HT) State Development and Implementation Grants (2003-2006)

ODEP funds grants to assist several states, in partnership with their Workforce Investment Boards, to integrate and sustain HS/HT programs into youth services funded under the Workforce Investment Act.

Home Modification Grants (2003-2004)

ODEP, in partnership with the Corporation for National and Community Service and HUD, funds grants to promote home modifications as a means to promote employment of individuals with disabilities.

Innovative State Alignment Grants for Improving Transition Outcomes for Youth with Disabilities through the Use of Intermediaries (2003-2007)

ODEP funds grants to help states develop, implement and evaluate cross-agency, multi-year plans to improve transition outcomes for youth with disabilities through blending and braiding of resources and to conduct local pilot demonstrations with intermediary organizations.

Intermediary Grants for Mentoring Youth with Disabilities (2003-2007)

In coordination with DOL's Center for Faith-Based and Community Initiatives and the U.S. Department of Education's Rehabilitation Services Administration, ODEP funds grants to build the capacity of community organizations to provide mentoring services to young people.

Pathways to Work in the 21st Century: A UK-US Seminar of Exchange

ODEP convenes a three-day forum at which more than 75 U.S. and U.K. disability advocates, government officials and employers share ideas for improving employment opportunities for people with disabilities on both sides of the Atlantic.

Promoting the Employment of Persons with Psychiatric Disabilities Work Group

ODEP establishes the interagency Work Group on Promoting the Employment of Persons with Psychiatric Disabilities, which is charged with ensuring that all DOL-sponsored employment and training activities incorporate the perspectives of people with mental health disabilities.

Small Business Administration (SBA)-ODEP Strategic Alliance Memorandum

ODEP initiates and leads a formal agreement with SBA to catalyze self-employment opportunities for people with disabilities through a coordinated, interagency initiative.

Washington Center for Internships and Academic Seminars

ODEP provides funds to the Washington Center for Internships and Academic Seminars to establish a program to help college students with disabilities gain professional work experience with the federal government.

Workforce Investment Act (WIA) Section 188 Checklist

ODEP collaborates with DOL's Employment and Training Administration (ETA) and Civil Rights Center (CRC) to jointly develop and issue the WIA Section 188 Disability Checklist — a uniform procedure for measuring compliance with Section 188 of WIA and its implementing regulations pertaining to physical, programmatic and communication accessibility for persons with disabilities.

Working for Freedom, Opportunity and Real Choice Through Community Employment (WorkFORCE) Action Grants (2003-2006)

ODEP funds additional grants to document effective strategies that increase the capability of individuals transitioning from segregated environments — pursuant to the Olmstead decision — to successfully participate in community employment through utilization of customized strategies.

Initiatives and Accomplishments

Confirmation of Dr. W. Roy Grizzard

The U.S. Senate confirms Dr. W. Roy Grizzard as the first Assistant Secretary of Labor for Disability Employment Policy.

Customized Employment Grants (2002-2007)

ODEP funds additional grants to increase the capacity of the workforce development system to serve individuals with significant disabilities through the use of customized employment strategies.

DisabilityInfo.gov

ODEP leads the development and launch of DisabilityInfo.gov, the first interagency website for disability-related information and resources.

Disability Mentoring Day

ODEP partners with the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD) as a national co-sponsor of Disability Mentoring Day, an annual event that promotes career development for students and job seekers with disabilities through hands-on work experience and job shadowing.

Disability Program Navigator Initiative

ODEP collaborates with DOL's Employment & Training Administration (ETA) and the Social Security Administration to launch the Disability Program Navigator initiative to increase the capacity of the workforce development system to serve people with disabilities.

Employment and Transportation Summit

ODEP and the U.S. Department of Transportation co-sponsor an Employment and Transportation Summit to develop strategies to provide greater access to transportation systems for individuals with disabilities.

High School/High Tech (HS/HT) Grants (2002-2003)

ODEP funds additional grants to assist states, working in partnership with state Workforce Investment Boards, to implement HS/HT programs and integrate them into youth services funded under WIA.

Improving Employment Outcomes for Persons with Intellectual Disabilities through Access to Post Secondary Education Roundtable

ODEP convenes national experts to discuss barriers to accessing post secondary programs for people with intellectual disabilities and explore strategies for systems change.

Innovative Demonstration Grants for Youth with Disabilities (2002-2003)

ODEP funds additional grants to improve the ability of youth service programs to improve transition outcomes for young people with disabilities.

National Forum on Reauthorization of the Workforce Investment Act (WIA)

ODEP and ETA jointly sponsor a national forum designed to ensure that the needs of people with disabilities are fully considered during reauthorization of WIA.

Secretary of Labor's New Freedom Initiative Awards

The Secretary of Labor establishes the New Freedom Initiative award program to recognize innovative efforts to recruit, hire and promote people with disabilities.

Telework/Telecommuting Pilot Demonstration Grant for Adults with Significant Disabilities (2002-2003)

ODEP funds three pilot demonstration projects designed to evaluate the extent to and manner in which various home-based telework/telecommuting arrangements can enhance the employment of people with disabilities.

Training and Technical Assistance for Providers (T-TAP) (2002-2007)

ODEP funds a cooperative agreement to implement T-TAP, a national effort to increase the capacity of community rehabilitation programs and other community-based service providers to promote integrated, competitive employment for people with disabilities through customized employment strategies.

U.S. Business Leadership Network (USBLN®)

The Business Leadership Network (BLN) program becomes its own entity as the USBLN®, an umbrella organization that promotes the development and growth of BLN chapters nationwide.

Working for Freedom, Opportunity and Real Choice Through Community Employment (WorkFORCE) Action Grants (2002-2007)

ODEP funds WorkFORCE Action grants to expand the use of customized employment strategies for individuals with disabilities transitioning from segregated environments, so that they may more fully live, work and participate in their communities.

Initiatives and Accomplishments

Customized Employment Grant Initiative (2001-2006)

ODEP funds its first grants, multi-year initiatives to validate customized employment as an effective workplace practice for employing people with significant disabilities previously perceived as "not employable."

Formation and Consolidation of Initiatives

In its Fiscal Year 2001 appropriation, Congress establishes ODEP, a sub-cabinet level agency within the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) and an outgrowth of the Presidential Task Force on Employment of Adults with Disabilities and the President's Committee on Employment of People with Disabilities. This landmark occasion creates a permanent focus on disability policy within the context of DOL's work and consolidates responsibility for several related resources and programs, including the Job Accommodation Network (JAN), Workforce Recruitment Program (WRP), Employer Assistance and Resource Network (EARN), Business Leadership Network (BLN) and National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM).

High School/High Tech (HS/HT) Realignment Grants (2001-2002)

ODEP awards grants to existing HS/HT programs, which introduce young people with disabilities to technology-related careers. These grants support explore strategies for partnering with Workforce Investment Act (WIA) youth-focused programs.

High School/High Tech (HS/HT) Start-Up Grants (2001-2003)

ODEP awards grants to start and operate a HS/HT site for youths with disabilities either in partnership with, or led by, a WIA youth program.

Innovative Demonstration Grants for Youth with Disabilities (2001-2002)

ODEP funds demonstration programs intended to enhance the capacity of youth programs to serve youth with disabilities. Reflecting a commitment to building the next generation of leaders, ODEP requires that youth with disabilities and subject matter experts work together to implement grant activities.

National Center on Workforce and Disability/Adult (NCWD/Adult) (2001-2006)

ODEP establishes NCWD/Adult, a national training and technical assistance provider charged with improving access to the workforce development system for people with disabilities.

National Collaborative on Workforce and Disability for Youth (NCWD/Youth) (2001-2006)

ODEP establishes NCWD/Youth, a collaborative charged with conducting research and providing technical assistance to youth-focused demonstration projects and the workforce development and other service delivery systems.