AGREEMENT ESTABLISHING AN ALLIANCE
BETWEEN
THE OFFICE OF DISABILITY EMPLOYMENT POLICY
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
AND
THE SOCIETY FOR HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

The Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) of the United States Department of Labor (DOL) and The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) recognize the value of establishing a collaborative relationship to promote the employment of people with disabilities. ODEP and SHRM hereby form an Alliance to provide SHRM members and others with information, guidance, and access to resources that will help them to recruit, hire, and advance workers with disabilities. In developing this Alliance, it is recognized that ODEP and SHRM stakeholders, members and customers are an integral part of this national effort.

ODEP provides national leadership on disability employment policy within the DOL and other Federal agencies. ODEP develops and influences the implementation of disability employment policies such as the employment goals set forth in President Bush's New Freedom Initiative (NFI). ODEP also influences practices throughout the workforce development system, including employers. The implementation of these effective policies and practices will result in an increase in employment opportunities and the recruitment, retention and promotion of people with disabilities. ODEP's response to low employment rates among people with disabilities is comprehensive and aggressive, and includes securing the active involvement and cooperation among a number of stakeholders, including Federal, state and local government agencies, private and public employers, educational and training institutions, and the disability community. Visit ODEP Online at www.dol.gov/odep.

The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) is the world's largest association devoted to human resource management. Representing more than 210,000 individual members, the Society's mission is to serve the needs of HR professionals by providing the most essential and comprehensive resources available. As an influential voice, the Society's mission is also to advance the human resource profession to ensure that HR is recognized as an essential partner in developing and executing organizational strategy. Founded in 1948, SHRM currently has more than 550 affiliated chapters within the United States and members in more than 100 countries. Visit SHRM Online at www.shrm.org.

ODEP and SHRM will collaborate to achieve the following goals designed to ensure that the employment of people with disabilities is supported through training and education, outreach and communication, technical assistance and promoting a national dialogue.

ODEP and SHRM will work together to achieve the following training and education goals:

Training and Education

  • Disseminate training and education materials to SHRM members as agreed to that address issues of member concern and advance recruitment and employment of job candidates with disabilities.
  • Disseminate and share with SHRM members as agreed to effective disability employment practices of the Secretary of Labor's New Freedom Initiative Awardees and other employers.

ODEP and SHRM will work together to achieve the following outreach and communication goals:

Outreach and Communication

Outreach and Communication to News/Press

  • Disseminate information through print and electronic media, including links from and between Web sites.

Conferences

  • To the extent that SHRM's practices, policies, objectives and conventions allow, disseminate information at conferences and events.
  • To the extent that SHRM's practices, policies, objectives allow, collaborate on developing and conducting training and education sessions for various conferences.
  • Speak, exhibit, or appear at conferences, meetings or other events to proactively address employment of workers with disabilities.

Outreach and Internal Communication to SHRM Members

  • To the extent that SHRM's practices, policies, objectives allow, organize meetings and Webinars that address and promote strategies for recruitment, hiring, promotion, and retention of people with disabilities.
  • SHRM will continue to update and disseminate pertinent disability employment information via toolkits, SHRM's Information Center, research reports and articles, white papers, HR Talk forums, online chats, and publications as appropriate.

ODEP and SHRM will work together to achieve the following technical assistance goals:

Technical Assistance

  • Conduct activities to identify, document and disseminate effective employer policies and practices.
  • Identify activities that demonstrate, evaluate or replicate model disability employment strategies for SHRM state, regional, and local chapters.
  • Collaborate to identify disability employment issues of concern to employers to which the Alliance should direct particular attention and resources (e.g., JAN, EARN, WRP, etc.). As appropriate, this could include research, conducted independently by SHRM, which furthers the goals set forth in this agreement.

ODEP and SHRM will work together to achieve the following national dialogue goals:

National Dialogue

Research

  • ODEP will supply SHRM and the public in general with statistics on the employment of people with disabilities, and SHRM will disseminate the information as appropriate to SHRM members.
  • SHRM will explore the possibility of conducting research on issues relevant to the employment of people with disabilities.

Training

  • Identify information on effective practices and approaches that members in specific industry sectors would find beneficial. Determine the most effective delivery methods; e.g., through individual or joint outreach or through training programs and materials.

Conferences and Speaking Opportunities

  • Convene and participate in forums, information sharing discussions, focus groups, or stakeholder meetings on opportunities to help forge innovative employment solutions or to provide input on such issues.

Special Events

  • Co-Sponsor and participate in the 2nd Circle of Champions Meeting.
  • Co-Sponsor special events as agreed to parties.

Print and Media Outreach

  • Encourage the implementation of effective disability employment practices and approaches through print or electronic media.

Implementation Team

An implementation team made up of representatives of both organizations will meet to develop a plan of action, determine working procedures, and identify the roles and responsibilities of the participants. In addition, they will meet at least four times per year to track and share information on activities and results in achieving the goals of the Alliance.

Effect of Agreement

ODEP's Alliances provide parties an opportunity to participate in a voluntary cooperative relationship with ODEP for purposes such as training and education, outreach and communication, technical assistance, and promoting a national dialogue on the employment of people with disabilities. These Alliances have the potential to be valuable tools for both ODEP and its Alliance participants. By entering into an Alliance with a party, ODEP is not endorsing any of that party's products or services; nor does the Agency enter into an Alliance with the purpose of promoting a particular party's products or services.

This agreement is not intended to confer any right upon any private person.

Nothing in this agreement shall be interpreted as limiting, superseding or otherwise affecting the U.S. Department of Labor's normal operations or decisions in carrying out its statutory or regulatory duties. This agreement does not limit or restrict the parties from participating in similar activities or arrangements with other entities.

This agreement does not itself authorize the expenditure or reimbursement of any funds. Nothing in this agreement obligates the U.S. Department of Labor to expend appropriations or enter into any contract or other obligations.

This agreement goes into effect on the date accompanying the signatures below and will remain in effect for two years. Either signatory may terminate this agreement for any reason at any time, provided they give 30 days written notice. This agreement may be modified at any time with the concurrence of both signatories.

_________________ _______ ______________________ _______
W. Roy Grizzard, Jr.
Assistant Secretary
Office of Disability
Employment Policy		 Date Susan R. Meisinger, SPHR
President and CEPO
The Society for Human Resource		 Date