June 11, 2010 Newsletter

Information you can use:

ADA Employment Regulations Delayed

The EEOC has delayed publication of final regulations implementing changes made to the law by the ADA Amendments Act. After the passing of the ADAAA in 2008 the regulations were initially slated for publication by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) in July 2010. They have been delayed to allow for a review by the newly appointed Commissioners. The Commission also proposes to issue a list of impairments that will almost always be considered disabilities.

Veterans Website Update

In response to employer feedback, the America’s Heroes at Work website has been reorganized to include a “For Employers” tab containing all employer-relevant resources and information.  www.AmericasHeroesAtWork.gov

Did you know…?

Of the 25 organizations praised for making diversity a priority, 80% require diversity training for all employees. For more information visit: http://hr.blr.com/newsAlternate.aspx?category=3&topic=43&id=82268

The Disability Employment Situation

May 2010*

Employment rate of persons ages 16-64 with disabilities:

28.9%

Employment rate of persons ages 16-64 without disabilities:

70.1%

Employment Gap:

41.2%

Commonly Used Terms

*In May 2010, the employment rate of people 16-64 years of age was 28.9% for persons with disabilities compared with 70.1% for persons without a disability. The gap between the employment rate of persons of 16-64 years of age with and without disabilities was 41.2%, not seasonally adjusted.

 

Finding a Model Employer at Kirtland Air Force Base

In August 2009 an initial Affirmative Employment Strategic Planning meeting was held with representatives of Kirtland Air Force Base; U.S. Senator Tom Udall’s office; the New Mexico Department of Veterans Services; the U.S. Forest Service, Southwest Region; Division of Vocational Rehabilitation; Commission for the Blind; U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; Southwest ADA Center; and the New Mexico Business Leadership Network to address the under-representation of persons with disabilities in the civilian workforce at Kirtland AFB.  The outcome of this meeting was the establishment of the Disability Working Group (DWG) which began meeting quarterly and last month sponsored the Affirmative Employment Community Outreach Breakfast attended by over 60 community leaders and Brigadier General Everett Thomas, Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center Commander. Presenters at the breakfast included Cyrus Salazar, Director of Equal Opportunity for Kirtland Air Force Base who spoke about the activities of the DWG and highlighted Kirtland’s hiring goal of increasing the workforce of employees with disabilities to 2% by 2010. Judy Young represented the ODEP funded National Employer Technical Assistance Center of Cornell University and lauded Kirtland for its hiring efforts and partnership with organizations representing veterans, minorities, and persons with disabilities.

The Federal Disability Workforce Consortium: Improving Employment of Individuals with Disabilities in Federal Government

The Federal Disability Workforce Consortium (FDWC) is an interagency partnership working to improve the recruitment, hiring, retention and advancement of people with disabilities in the federal government. The consortium is made up of many stakeholders supporting disability employment within the government, including federal agency leaders, disability and special emphasis program managers, selective placement coordinators, human resource specialists, recruiters, reasonable accommodations and 508 coordinators, workplace emergency preparedness and continuity of operations specialists and disability employment policy practitioners. The FDWC holds regular meetings and open forums that encourage sharing of information, resources and best practices, which are especially useful during this time of major transformations, particularly in the area of hiring reform.

Membership and participation in FDWC is open to all federal employees who are interested in collaborating to improve federal employment of people with disabilities. For more information, go to www.fdwc.wordpress.com or visit the FDWC Facebook Fan page at www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=39561658683. To become a member, send an email with your full name, agency/organization, title and email address to banjo.akinyemi@dol.gov.

Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Collaborates with EARN to Improve Recruitment of People with Disabilities

The Internal Revenue Service’s Agency-Wide Shared Services and Special Placement Coordinators (SPCs) are now collaborating with EARN to promote the hiring of people with disabilities within the IRS. Rosslyn Perry, a Senior Analyst in the embedded Equal Employment Opportunity and Diversity Office, a sub department within the AWSS, contacted EARN, in March 2010, for assistance with recruitment. Under Management Directive 715 (MD715), the IRS is now actively recruiting people with targeted disabilities. Currently, EARN is working with Rosslyn Perry and two IRS Selective Placement Coordinators to develop strategies for promoting Schedule A hiring authority, obtaining resumes of qualified candidates, and developing additional materials for an awareness campaign to educate key officials  about the benefits and process for hiring individuals  with targeted disabilities. The IRS will be presenting a series of education/outreach presentations on these topics beginning in July 2010.

Theme Announced for October’s National Disability Employment Awareness Month

The Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) announced that the official theme for October’s National Disability Employment Awareness Month will be “”Talent Has No Boundaries: Workforce Diversity INCLUDES Workers With Disabilities.” ODEP hopes that this early announcement will give communities and organizations ample time to plan events and awareness programs. Since 1945, National Disability Employment Awareness Month has been dedicated to promoting the employment and advancement of workers with disabilities. For more information visit: http://www.dol.gov/opa/media/press/odep/ODEP20100630.htm

EEOC Case Highlights the Challenges of Balancing Accommodations

An Indiana woman has filed a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission alleging that her employer failed to accommodate her disability because her accommodation caused problems for a coworker. Emily Kysel has a rare and potentially fatal allergy to paprika, and has a service dog to aid in detection and avoidance. Ms. Kysel got approval from her employer to bring the service animal to work, but on her first day, a coworker suffered an asthma attack related to a dog allergy. Ms. Kysel’s employer informed her that she would no longer be able to bring her service animal to work and if she was unable to report to work without her, she could go on indefinite unpaid leave. Christopher Kuczynski, assistant legal counsel for the Americans with Disabilities Act division of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, noted that in such situations, “what’s important when you have two people with disabilities is you don’t treat one as inherently more important than the other. What the employer has to do,” he continued, “is work out some sort of balance between the accommodations needed.” The full article is available here: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/11/us/11spice.html

Northrop Grumman Receives 2010 Disability Matters Award

Northrop Grumman Corporation’s Electronic Systems sector received the 4th annual Disability Matters Award. The award recognizes companies for their demonstrated support of employees who are disabled or who have a child or other dependent with special needs.”At Northrop Grumman, we have worked extremely hard, partnering with external and internal organizations, to raise awareness and provide career opportunities for employees from all demographic communities,” said Bob Vetere, a Northrop Grumman human resources specialist, “People with disabilities have as much to offer to a prospective employer as any candidate.”

EOP Launches New Online Diversity and Inclusion Career Center

Equal Opportunity Publications, Inc. (EOP) has partnered with JobTarget on a new online career center, EOP’s Diversity and Inclusion Career Center.  The career center will focus on connecting employers to a diversified workforce of eligible qualified candidates through job posting and employer tools. Employers will be able to take advantage of job broadcasting, bulk posting, job-wrapping, the option to include a company profile and logo with a posting, a resume database, and OFCCP tracking. To view the new site visit: http://www.eop.com/career.php