February 15, 2018
In this Issue: New CDE Website, HIRE Vets Medallion Program & More
WHAT'S NEW
A New Look for the Campaign for Disability Employment!
The Campaign for Disability Employment (CDE) launched a brand-new website earlier this month. With a fresh, easy-to-navigate design, visitors can find in-depth information and coordinating media products for the CDE’s three powerful public service announcements (PSAs), including the award-winning “I Can,” “Because” and “Who I Am” PSAs, all of which can be used to stimulate discussion about disability in the workplace setting. The site also introduces a new blog, which will feature insightful posts from a wide range of thought leaders on disability and employment issues. Visit the CDE website.
HIRE Vets Medallion Program
The U.S. Department of Labor recently announced the launch of the HIRE Vets Medallion Program, an effort that will recognize up to 300 employers for their investments in recruiting, employing and retaining our nation’s veterans, including wounded warriors. The awards program, which has different criteria for small, medium and large businesses, is being established under the Honoring Investments in Recruiting and Employing American Military Veterans (HIRE) Act, which was signed into law May 5, 2017. Learn more about the HIRE Vets Medallion program.
Gains in Federal Employment
Earlier this month, the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) issued its latest report on disability representation in the federal executive branch, which revealed that at the end of Fiscal Year (FY) 2016, total career employment of people with disabilities increased from 264,844 in FY 2015 to 282,474, representing an increase from 14.41 to 15.12 percent. Furthermore, new hires with disabilities increased from 26,466 in FY 2015 to 28,164, translating to 19.19 percent. Through its management of the Equal Opportunity workgroup and Federal Exchange on Employment and Disability, EARN is pleased to support efforts to increase federal disability inclusion. Read the OPM report or learn more about EARN’s federal-sector work.
Shared Practices of High Achieving Companies
Recently, the National Organization on Disability (NOD) analyzed the results of its 2017 Disability Employment Tracker to determine what companies with an above average percentage of employees with disabilities have in common. The assessment distilled key policies and practices in five areas: strategy and metrics, climate and culture, recruiter training, people practices, and workplace and technology. The Tracker is a confidential, annual survey of corporate disability inclusion policies and practices, and the 2017 results represent 175 companies that together employ more than 10 million workers. Read the NOD report.
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ASKEARN.ORG SPOTLIGHT
Family and Medical Leave Act
The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) covers private-sector employers with 50 or more employees in 20 or more workweeks in the current or preceding calendar year, providing eligible employees of these covered employers up to 12 workweeks of unpaid, job-protected leave in a 12-month period for specified family and medical reasons, among them the employee’s own serious health condition. This page of AskEARN.org provides more information about how the FMLA applies in such situations.
MARK YOUR CALENDAR
February 20, 2018 2:00 p.m. ET
Webinar: Cancer as a Disability: Your Rights in The Workplace
Presented by TransCen, Inc. and the Mid-Atlantic Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Center, this webinar will provide an overview of the laws, among them the ADA, Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), as well as various state laws, that provide workplace protections for people coping with a cancer diagnosis and cancer survivors. Topics to be discussed include disclosure, reasonable accommodations and requesting medical leave. Register for the February 20 webinar.
February 22, 2018, 1:00 p.m. ET
Webinar: Intro to Accessibility: What Employers Need to Know to Create a Technology-Accessible Workplace
Today, technology is one of the central drivers of productivity, for all workers. But when technology isn’t accessible, it can cause employers to miss out on potential talent. In this webinar, EARN and the Partnership on Employment & Accessible Technology (PEAT) will discuss the basics of accessible workplace technology and strategies for integrating accessibility standards and best practices into the workplace, as well as tips for creating accessible documents and websites. Register for the February 22 webinar.
March 8, 2018, 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Meeting: Federal Exchange on Employment and Disability
The next Federal Exchange on Employment and Disability (FEED) meeting will take place on March 2 at the U.S. Office of Personnel Management in Washington, D.C. The topic will be “Leveraging Workforce Data for Agency Affirmative Action Plans.” FEED is an interagency working group focused on increasing disability inclusion in the federal workforce, and participation is open to federal employees at any level involved in recruiting, hiring, retaining or advancing employees with disabilities. Learn more about FEED.
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EMPLOYER SPOTLIGHT
EY
In recent article, CNN Money highlighted global professional services firm EY for its innovative approach to solving talent shortages by recruiting people with disabilities. Interviewed was Lori Golden, the company’s Abilities Strategy Leader, who is leading the charge at EY to hire more people with disabilities, as well as representatives from other companies, who spoke about the bottom line benefits they’ve reaped from inclusive hiring.
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The Employer Assistance and Resource Network on Disability Inclusion (EARN) is a resource for employers seeking to recruit, hire, retain and advance qualified employees with disabilities. It is funded by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy under a cooperative agreement with The Viscardi Center. For more information, visit AskEARN.org
Preparation of this material was funded by the Office of Disability Employment Policy, U.S. Department of Labor, Grant No. [OD-26451-14-75-4-36]. This document does not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the Office of Disability Employment Policy, U.S. Department of Labor, nor does the mention of trade names, commercial products, or organizations imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.