FEED Meeting September 9, 2026

Wednesday, September 9, 2026
1:00 - 3:00 p.m. ET

Overview

The Office of Disability Employment Policy’s (ODEP) Employer Assistance and Resource Network on Disability (EARN) invites federal employees to the next virtual Federal Exchange on Employment and Disability meeting on Wednesday, September 9, 2026, from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. ET.

This session will focus on actionable strategies and resources to help federal agencies:

• Strengthen workplace mental health;
• Improve emergency preparedness for people with disabilities;
• Enhance the accessibility of accommodation tools and improve communication about the accommodation process; and
• Participate in activities to celebrate National Disability Employment Awareness Month.

Please share this invitation widely, especially with your agency’s security, emergency planning, and response teams so they can join the conversation on improving emergency preparedness for everyone, including employees with disabilities.

Deputy Assistant Secretary of Labor for Disability Employment Policy Jennifer Sheehy will welcome participants and kick off discussions with representatives from ODEP, EARN, the Job Accommodation Network, and Mental Health America. The meeting will conclude with an interactive discussion led by U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission representatives, who will provide updates and answer questions.

Agenda

Introduction (1:00-1:05 p.m.)

• Akinyemi Banjo, Senior Policy Advisor, Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP), U.S. Department of Labor (DOL)

Welcome (1:05-1:10 p.m.)

• Jennifer Sheehy, Deputy Assistant Secretary, Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP), U.S. Department of Labor (DOL)

National Disability Employment Awareness Month (1:10-1:15 p.m.)

• Michelle Barfield, Business Development Specialist, Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP), U.S. Department of Labor (DOL)

Workplace Mental Health and Suicide Prevention (1:15-2:00 p.m.)

• Suzi Craig, Vice President of Workplace Mental Health, Mental Health America (MHA)

Optimizing Your Emergency Preparedness Plans for All Workers (2:00-2:20 p.m.)

• Louis Orslene, Program Lead for Integrated Projects, Job Accommodation Network (JAN)

FY2027 EARN Federal Research: Developing Accessible and Usable Accommodation Websites (2:20-2:30 p.m.)

• Sarah von Schrader, Research Lead, Employer Assistance and Resource Network on Disability (EARN)

Chat with U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) (2:30-2:55 p.m.)

• Elyssa Santos-Abrams, Senior Attorney-Advisor, Training and Outreach Division, Office of Communication and Legislative Affairs, U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)
• Candace Clark, Management and Program Analyst, U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)

Wrap-up and closing (2:55-3:00 p.m.)

• Akinyemi Banjo, Senior Policy Advisor, Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP), U.S. Department of Labor (DOL)

Real-time captioning and ASL interpretation will be provided. Additional accommodations may be requested via the registration form on this page.

*You must be an employee of the U.S. Federal Government with a .gov, .mil, .us, or .edu email address to join FEED.

The Federal Exchange on Employment and Disability (FEED) is a federal interagency working group focused on advancing employment opportunities for people with disabilities in the Federal Government. Managed by representatives from the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP), and supported by the Employer Assistance and Resource Network on Disability (EARN), FEED participants meet four times per year to share and develop information, resources, and best practices on a variety of disability employment topics in the federal sector.

FEED is open to Federal Government employees at any level, and those whose job duties involve recruiting, hiring, retaining, or advancing people with disabilities are encouraged to join.

Visit EARN's FEED webpage for more information.