EARN Newsletter: November 2025

Plus: Meet ODEP’s new Assistant Secretary, watch JAN’s latest video, and more!

EARN in Action

NDEAM 2025 Recap—Celebrating Value and Talent

October was National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM). This year’s observance marked NDEAM’s 80^th anniversary. Employers and organizations across the United States conducted a variety of activities to honor the positive contributions people with disabilities bring to America’s workforce and economy. The U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) has been responsible for administering NDEAM since 2001, including selecting and promoting an annual theme. ODEP produced a celebratory video as part of this year’s observance, honoring this year’s theme—“Celebrating Value and Talent”—and America’s 250^th anniversary.

Commemorating Disabled Veterans

This month EARN honors Veterans Day by recognizing the valuable contributions veterans with disabilities bring to America’s workforce. Veterans offer organizations of all sizes and in all industries a source of qualified, committed talent with transferable skills proven in real-world situations. EARN’s “Disabled Veterans” webpage provides employers with information, resources, and answers to common questions about employing veterans with disabilities.

The Latest

ODEP’s New Assistant Secretary

The U.S. Senate confirmed Julie Hocker on October 7, 2025, as the new Assistant Secretary for Disability Employment Policy at the U.S. Department of Labor. Hocker leads ODEP with “a focus on expanding opportunity, strengthening accountability, and delivering results for workers with disabilities.” Previously, Hocker held a variety of positions in the public and private sectors, including serving as the U.S. Commissioner on Disabilities at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services from 2018 to 2021.

Winning with JAN

Deputy Secretary of Labor Keith Sonderling promotes the Job Accommodation Network (JAN) in a new video, highlighting it as the leading source of free, expert, and confidential guidance on accommodations for workers with disabilities. Watch to learn how JAN’s services can help employers understand and manage the accommodation process and support workers with disabilities to perform their best on the job. JAN and EARN are both funded by ODEP.

“Expanding Opportunity for All,” a Policy Primer

A new policy primer developed by the State Exchange on Employment and Disability (SEED) in collaboration with the National League of Cities outlines actionable strategies municipalities can use to expand employment and economic opportunities for people with disabilities, including through public-sector employment. Highlights include strategies for effectively engaging employers, positioning a city as a model employer, and preparing youth with disabilities for future success.

Workplace Accommodation Toolkit

Every employee needs the right tools and environment to succeed at work. Employees with disabilities may require a reasonable accommodation to perform a job effectively. JAN’s Workplace Accommodation Toolkit helps employers understand their responsibility to provide accommodations and navigate the process in compliance with Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and other disability-related nondiscrimination laws.

Ask EARN

Spotlight

Veterans Accommodations Toolkit

Are you seeking strategies for attracting veterans, including disabled veterans, and helping them succeed once on the job? The Veterans Accommodations Toolkit, a resource developed by ODEP and the Veterans’ Employment and Training Service (VETS), offers tips and strategies that can facilitate the recruitment, hiring, training, and retention of disabled veterans in apprenticeships and other employment settings.

EARN is funded by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy under Cooperative Agreement No. 23475OD000002-01-00 with Cornell University's Yang-Tan Institute on Employment and Disability, in the amount of $10,000,000 (five-year total amount).

The content in this newsletter does not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the U.S. Department of Labor, nor does mention of trade names, commercial products, or organizations imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.