Facilitating an Inclusive Recovery
Across the U.S., state and local policymakers are adopting policies in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent variant outbreaks. As the nation responds, it is important that newly implemented policies are fully inclusive and aligned with disability and civil rights laws and policies. SEED and its partners have explored the pandemic's impact on people with disabilities and developed resources to assist state and local policymakers in designing, implementing and evaluating COVID-19-related policies that facilitate an inclusive economic recovery.
SEED's COVID-19 Policy Collaborative
In November 2020, SEED launched the COVID-19 Policy Collaborative for an Inclusive Recovery to identify ways to support state and local policymakers and other stakeholders as they respond to the pandemic. The Collaborative identified four broad topics for consideration:
Safety and Health
Mental Health
COVID-19 Vaccinations
Workforce Readiness
Information and examples in practice gleaned from the Collaborative comprise this suite of resources designed to ensure newly implemented policies and programs are disability-inclusive. These resources include:
Frameworks for a Disability-Inclusive Recovery
SEED's COVID-19 Policy Collaborative: Frameworks for a Disability Inclusive Recovery highlights important topics identified by the Collaborative and provides a series of coinciding policy frameworks to assist state and local policymakers.
Policy Checklist
The COVID-19 Policy Collaborative: Policy Checklist for a Disability-Inclusive Recovery is a quick reference guide with policy options to help state and local policymakers adopt disability-inclusive COVID-19 recovery policies and initiatives.
Convenings Report
This report provides a summary of the Collaborative convenings hosted from February-May 2021. It includes meeting highlights; key themes and priority issues; an overview of the breakout group discussions; and more.
Additional COVID-19 Resources for State & Local Policymakers
Addressing the Mental Health Needs of Workers Throughout and Beyond the COVID-19 Pandemic
This report provides a range of policy and program options for states to consider as they enhance mental health supports for workers and address negative impacts of mental health conditions on the workforce.
Apprenticeships: A Pipeline for an Inclusive Recovery
This report examines state and federal actions aimed at enhancing disability inclusion in apprenticeships and explains why inclusive apprenticeships is an effective workforce development tool to aid economic recovery in the COVID-19 response.
COVID-19 Federal Disability-Specific and Other Related Guidance
This webpage summarizes guidance issued by Federal Government agencies that can assist states and localities in ensuring their policies align with America’s civil rights laws and other disability-related policies.
Facilitating a Safe and Inclusive Return to the Workplace
This report is designed to guide states in developing return to the workplace policies and practices that are safe and inclusive of individuals with disabilities during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Making Work Safe and Accessible During a Pandemic
This report reviews the rules and guidance issued by federal, state and local agencies that help keep workers, including those with disabilities, safe on the job.
Preparing for Work in a Pandemic
This report explores how states are making workforce readiness initiatives more adaptive and resilient during the COVID-19 pandemic and highlights ways in which these changes can be applied so that they further the inclusion of individuals with disabilities in the years to come.
Promoting Employment for People with Disabilities Through Statewide Coordination
This guide describes how a collaborative planning process can improve support for workers with disabilities by better coordinating state services during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.
Providing Effective Workforce Development Services to Individuals with Disabilities in a Limited Resource Environment
This toolkit features actions that city and workforce leaders can take to expand employment opportunities for people with disabilities and develop programs that promote workforce inclusivity and accessibility during and following the pandemic.
The Changing Nature of Work
This resource webpage features state government responses to the rise in telework and automation, among other workforce trends resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, that facilitate an inclusive economic recovery and maximize workforce participation.
The Pandemic’s Effect on the Economy and Workers
This report examines economic data and workforce trends following the emergence of COVID-19 in the U.S and its impact on employment opportunities for people with disabilities.
The Promise of Telework
NCSL’s report highlights examples of effective federal and state telework programs and provides recommendations on how states can ensure their telework policies and programs are inclusive of people with disabilities.