Phases of Employment

A woman in a wheelchair shakes hands with a colleague

Recruit

Build a pipeline of talent that includes people with disabilities.

Hire

Identify people who have the skills and attributes for the job.

A woman with a disability wearing a helmet works in a factory

Retain

Keep talented employees with disabilities, including those who acquire them on the job.

A man uses sign language to communicate.

Advance

Ensure that employees with disabilities have equal opportunities for advancement.

Additional Resources

News & Events

EARN makes it easy to stay up-to-date on disability employment news and information. Start by subscribing to our monthly newsletter and eblasts, which will connect you to upcoming events, developing news and promising practices in the world of disability diversity and inclusion. And don’t forget to follow EARN on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.

Featured Events

Creating a Disability-Inclusive Workplace: The Role of Accommodations

July 19, 2023 — 2:00 - 3:00 p.m. ET

Webinar Explore the vital role accommodations play in creating inclusive workplaces and advancing the goals of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

See All Webinars

A list of all webinars.

State Government Employment

Learn about strategies to help state governments become model employers of people with disabilities.

State governments are often the largest employer in many communities, and as such, they play a critical role in workforce diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) across the U.S. Ensuring that state governments maintain equitable practices in hiring and advancement has many benefits, including the ability to tap into a largely underutilized labor pool: people with disabilities. Additional benefits include addressing labor shortages, enhancing productivity, and improving efficiency.

How can a state government be a model employer of people with disabilities?

Reflecting this, many states have adopted multifaceted workforce inclusion approaches to support the recruitment, hiring, retention, and advancement of people with disabilities. These are often called State as a Model Employer (SAME) policies.

EARN has a vast array of resources to help state governments achieve their DEIA objectives:

Quick Links: Explore resources from EARN and our partners that can help state government human resources (HR) staff support the employment of people with disabilities.
State as a Model Employer (SAME) Strategies: Access comprehensive information about SAME policies and practices to support state government hiring managers and HR staff in their DEIA efforts, especially those focused on disability inclusion.
Employer Engagement Resources for State Agencies: Find resources for state agencies, such as vocational rehabilitation (VR) agencies, American Job Centers, Medicaid offices, mental health agencies, and Developmental Disabilities Councils. These resources may also be used or shared as state partners engage with employers on hiring people with disabilities.