How can a state government take tangible steps to diversify its workforce and employ people with disabilities successfully at all levels?
EARN Resources on Workplace Disability Inclusion
Learn about creating a disability-inclusive workplace culture through all phases of employment to support your state’s diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) goals. These resources can help all organizations, including state governments, build disability inclusion at work. For more information, visit EARN’s Inclusion@Work Framework for Building a Disability-Inclusive Organization.
Ensuring Accessibility in the Recruitment Process: Assess workplaces to ensure they are fully accessible for all applicants, including digital accessibility of company websites, career pages, and other online information.
Finding Candidates with Disabilities: Take proactive steps to source candidates with disabilities who have the skills, abilities, and experience to help state agencies meet their workforce needs.
Ensuring Accessibility in the Hiring Process: Learn about strategies to ensure the organization's hiring processes are accessible to all applicants, including people with disabilities.
Accessible Onboarding: Ensure your organization’s onboarding processes are accessible and inclusive for employees with disabilities.
Talent Development: Explore how work-based learning opportunities like internships and apprenticeships help build a diverse pipeline of talent.
Retention Strategies: Find strategies for retaining employees with disabilities.
Measuring Progress: Track and review data to ensure your workplace is retaining employees with disabilities.
Inclusive Advancement: Learn about federal laws and regulations that impact advancement activities, including for public-sector entities.
Performance Management: Understand the important role feedback plays in helping all employees, including employees with disabilities, advance in their careers.
Professional Development: Assess your professional development activities and paths to ensure they are accessible to employees with disabilities.
Accommodations and Advancement: Learn about reasonable accommodations and how they can help employees advance in their careers.
State Exchange on Employment & Disability (SEED): An initiative funded by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) that assists states and localities in developing effective and inclusive workforce policies that promote disability employment. SEED works with the Council of State Governments (CSG), a non-partisan organization that represents and supports state governments. SEED and CSG offer a variety of resources to support employment of people with disabilities, including:
SEED COVID-19 Policy Checklist (PDF): Learn about policy options to help state and local policymakers adopt disability-inclusive COVID-19 recovery policies and initiatives.
Partnership on Employment & Accessible Technology (PEAT): Find resources to help employers and the technology industry adopt and promote accessible technology as part of everyday business practices, for the benefit of all employers and workers.
Job Accommodation Network (JAN): Access free, expert, and confidential guidance on workplace accommodations and disability employment issues.
Campaign for Disability Employment (CDE): Access resources such as public service announcements (PSAs), videos, workplace discussion guides, posters, and more that promote employment of people with disabilities. Among them is a CDE toolkit for state agencies (PDF) looking to engage in public education about disability employment, whether internal or external.
Federal Section 501 Info Center: Explore all aspects of Section 501 of the Rehabilitation Act, which provides regulations for the Federal Government being a model employer of people with disabilities.
