As the nation's largest employer, the Federal Government has pledged to model effective employment policies and practices that advance America's ideal of equal opportunity for all.
Policy Guidance and Issue Briefs
Federal Agency Employment Strategies: A Framework for Disability Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility (DEIA) [PDF] — Outlines promising and emerging employment strategies and practices for recruiting, hiring, advancing and retaining qualified individuals with disabilities in federal agencies in the context of Executive Order (EO) 14035: DEIA in the Federal Workforce, signed June 25, 2021.
EO 14035 Information Center — Provides access to a range of resources on EO 14035, along with tools to help agencies implement its requirements.
Section 501 Information Center — Explores all aspects of Section 501 of the Rehabilitation Act, which requires federal agencies to establish an affirmative action program for the recruitment, hiring, retention and advancement of disabled people.
Rule Implementing Section 501 of the Rehabilitation Act [PDF] — Section 501 requires federal agencies to establish an affirmative action program for the recruitment, hiring and advancement of people with disabilities. This rule clarifies the obligations that Section 501 places on federal agencies as employers.
The Federal Government as a Model Employer of People with Disabilities [PDF] — Research-to-practice brief that discusses how the Federal Government works to be a model employer of people with disabilities.
Federal Exchange on Employment and Disability (FEED) — Interagency working group focused on information sharing, best practices and collaborative partnerships designed to make the Federal Government a model employer of disabled people. Members come from across all sectors of the Federal Government.
Directory of Federal Agency Affirmative Action Plans (AAPs) — A listing of federal agencies’ AAPs, a management tool designed to ensure equal employment opportunity, including for people with disabilities.
Special Hiring Authorities
Schedule A Hiring Authority — Information from the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) on the Schedule A Hiring authority, which allows federal agencies to hire people with certain targeted disabilities noncompetitively.
The ABCs of Schedule A — Fact sheets from the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) that provide information on using the Schedule A hiring authority for a variety of audiences.
Resource Guide: Schedule A Excepted Service Hiring Authority for People with Disabilities — Provides policy guidance for federal agencies regarding how to use Schedule A to support inclusion of disabled people in the federal workforce.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About the Schedule A Excepted Service Hiring Authority for People with Disabilities — Provides answers to frequently asked questions about using Schedule A to support employment of people with disabilities in the federal sector, including information about eligibility, documentation and certification, appointment options and more.
Schedule A Hiring Fact Sheet for Youth [PDF] — Fact sheet explaining the Schedule A hiring authority to young people with disabilities seeking employment in the Federal Government.
Federal Hiring Authorities from a Disability Perspective [PDF] — Includes important information about hiring authorities that federal agencies may use to hire disabled people, including those with targeted disabilities.
Special Hiring Authorities for Veterans — OPM information about special hiring authorities that federal agencies can use to hire veterans, including disabled veterans.
Tips for Applicants with Disabilities Applying for Federal Jobs — Comprehensive information for people with disabilities applying for federal jobs.
Workforce Recruitment Program (WRP) — A program managed by ODEP and the U.S. Department of Defense's Diversity Management Operations Center (DMOC) that connects federal employers nationwide with highly motivated college students and recent graduates with disabilities seeking summer internships or permanent employment.
Best Practices
Advancing & Retaining Federal Employees with Disabilities: The Case for Centralized Accommodation Programs & Funding [PDF] — This document provides program and operational guidance regarding the advancement and retention of disabled employees and the benefits of a reasonable accommodation process.
Federal Agency Promising and Emerging Practices Facilitating Self-Identification of Disability [PDF] — Federal agencies rely on employees’ self-identification of disability as the primary method for counting the number of disabled employees. This guide outlines effective policies, practices and procedures for helping federal agencies to develop and implement comprehensive strategies to facilitate self-identification.
Mental Health and the Federal Workforce: What Can I Do?— A training video and accompanying workplace guide that federal agency leaders, employee resource groups (ERGs) and others can use to raise awareness about workplace mental health and/or facilitate discussions about collaborative approaches to workplace mental health.
Service and Emotional Support Animals in the Workplace: What Federal Employers Should Know [PDF] — Factsheet addressing how to include and support federal employees who use service and emotional support animals in the workplace.
Federal Employment of People with Disabilities Website — Information from the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) about federal disability hiring programs, reasonable accommodations in the federal workplaces, related laws and executive orders, and other resources.
Job Accommodation Network (JAN) — An ODEP-funded service that provides free, expert and confidential guidance on workplace accommodations and other disability employment issues.
Emergency Preparedness — Guidance for federal agencies on ensuring that their emergency preparedness plans consider the needs of employees and visitors with disabilities.
Computer/Electronic Accommodations Program (CAP) — Managed by the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD), this program provides assistance with assistive technology (AT) and reasonable accommodations to both DoD and non-DoD employees with disabilities and wounded service members.