SEPTEMBER 2012

FEDERAL AGENCY EMPLOYMENT STRATEGIES: 

A FRAMEWORK FOR DISABILITY INCLUSION

Office of Disability Employment Policy

U.S. Department of Labor

This report was funded by the Office of Disability Employment Policy, U.S. Department of Labor under a contract to Economic 

Systems Inc. The document was developed by Bobby Silverstein of Powers, Pyles, Sutter, and Verville, PC, in partnership with 

Economic Systems Inc. The opinions contained in this report are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of 

the Department of Labor, the Office of Personnel Management, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, or any other 

agency or department of the Federal government or any other organization or individual.
Acknowledgements 

The Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) would like to thank its partners at the 

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and Office of Personnel Management 

(OPM), as well as Department of Labor (DOL) staff, who contributed their time, effort, and 

expertise to support the preparation of this report. In particular, ODEP wishes to thank the 

following individuals: 

ODEP Participants

Rhonda Basha, Chief of Staff 

Dylan Orr, Special Assistant

Colet Mitchell, Supervisor, Employer Policy Team

Randy Cooper, Senior Policy Advisor 

Akinyemi Banjo, Policy Advisor

Mario Damiani, Policy Advisor 

EEOC Participants

Dexter Brooks, Director, Federal Sector Programs, Office of Federal Operations

Jamie Price, Director, Reports and Evaluation Division, Office of Federal Operations

Steven Zanowic, Special Assistant, Office of Commissioner Chai R. Feldblum 

Veta Hurst, Federal Sector Programs, Office of Federal Operations

OPM Participants

Veronica Villalobos, Director, Office of Diversity and Inclusion 

Sharon Wong, Deputy Director for Policy and Coordination, Office of Diversity and Inclusion 

Michael Murray, Diversity Program Manager, Office of Diversity and Inclusion 

Consultants

Robert "Bobby" Silverstein, Principal, Powers, Pyles, Sutter, and Verville, PC

George Kettner, Project Manager, Economic Systems Inc. 
TABLE OF CONTENTS

I. INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................... 1

II. LEAD THE WAY: INCLUSIVE AGENCY-WIDE CULTURE ....................................... 3

III. HIRE (AND KEEP) THE BEST: PERSONNEL PROCESSES ......................................... 5

A. Self-Identification ................................................................................................................ 5

B. Qualification Standards ........................................................................................................ 6

C. Job Announcements ............................................................................................................. 6

D. Hiring Process, In General ................................................................................................... 6

E. Special Hiring Authorities ................................................................................................... 7

F. Special Initiatives for Youth with Disabilities ..................................................................... 8

G. Career Development and Advancement .............................................................................. 8

H. Retention .............................................................................................................................. 9

IV. ENSURE PRODUCTIVITY: REASONABLE ACCOMMODATION PROCEDURES 11

V. BUILD THE PIPELINE: OUTREACH AND RECRUITMENT ..................................... 13

A. Recruitment Sources .......................................................................................................... 13

B. Outreach and Recruiting Strategies ................................................................................... 14

C. Assessing Success .............................................................................................................. 15

VI. COMMUNICATE: EXTERNAL AND INTERNAL COMMUNICATION OF AGENCY 

POLICIES AND PRACTICES .......................................................................................... 17

A. External Communications .................................................................................................. 17

B. Internal Communications ................................................................................................... 17

VII. BE TECH SAVVY: ACCESSIBLE INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION 

TECHNOLOGY ................................................................................................................ 20

A. Leadership and Team Approach ........................................................................................ 20

B. Needs Assessments and Priorities ...................................................................................... 21

C. Formal Policies, Practices, and Procedures ....................................................................... 21

D. Agency-Wide Infrastructure .............................................................................................. 21

E. Evaluation and Accountability ........................................................................................... 21

VIII. GROW SUCCESS: ACCOUNTABILITY AND CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT..... 23

A. Training and Networking ................................................................................................... 23

B. Establishing Accountability Measures ............................................................................... 24

C. Establishing Accountability, Reporting, and Continuous Improvement Mechanisms ......... 25

D. Designating Responsible Individuals ................................................................................. 26

RESOURCE AND RESEARCH COMPENDIUM ...................................................................... 28
1 

I. INTRODUCTION 

Federal agencies need talented workers to meet new challenges and complete new missions in 

the 21st century. Currently, there is an underutilized community of talented individuals who want 

to work and specifically want to work for the Federal Government. In order to better utilize this 

untapped pool of talent, on July 26, 2010, President Obama signed Executive Order (EO) 13548 

on Increasing Federal Employment of Individuals with Disabilities to mark the 20th anniversary 

of the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The EO works to establish the 

Federal Government as a model employer of individuals with disabilities and to improve efforts 

to employ workers with disabilities through increased recruitment, hiring, advancement, and 

retention of these individuals. It requires Federal agencies to increase the hiring of people with 

disabilities by 100,000 over the next five years.

EO 13548 is not an isolated effort, but works in coordination with EO 13518 on Employment of 

Veterans in the Federal Government issued on November 9, 2009; Presidential Memorandum on 

The Presidential POWER Initiative: Protecting Our Workers and Ensuring Reemployment issued 

on July 19, 2010; and EO 13583 on Establishing a Coordinated Government-wide Initiative to 

Promote Diversity and Inclusion in the Federal Workforce issued on August 18, 2011, to recruit, 

hire, and retain workers with disabilities. EO13583 directs Federal departments and agencies to 

develop and implement a more comprehensive, integrated, and strategic focus on diversity and 

inclusion as a key component of their human resources strategies. These Executive Orders 

augment and complement the requirements under Section 501 of the Rehabilitation Act and 

implementing regulations and Management Directive 715 (MD-715) requiring Federal 

departments, agencies, and instrumentalities in the executive branch to prepare an affirmative 

action program for the hiring, placement, and advancement of individuals with disabilities. 

Due to the implementation of promising and emerging practices by Federal agencies, more 

people with disabilities work for the Federal Government now than in the past 20 years. In Fiscal 

Year (FY) 2011, there were 204,189 employees with disabilities working for the Federal 

Government, or 11 percent of the Federal workforce. Of these, 18,738 joined the Federal 

workforce that year, representing 14.7 percent of all new hires. 

Despite this progress, there is still a great deal of work to be done. In FY 2011, there were 

17,845 people with targeted disabilities working for the Federal Government, or 0.96 percent of 

the Federal workforce. Of these, 1,122 joined the Federal workforce that year, representing 0.88 

percent of new hires. To meet the requirements under EO 13548, there are still approximately 

60,000 people with disabilities that need to be hired in FY 2012, FY 2013, and FY 2014. 

*Note: The above data is from the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) publication titled 

Employment of Individuals with Disabilities in the Federal Executive Branch Report: Data for 

Fiscal Year (FY) 2011 (http://www.opm.gov/diversityandinclusion/reports/disability/index.aspx) 

and includes non-seasonal, full-time, permanent employees who self-identified as a person with a 

disability on Standard Form 256 or 30% or more disabled veterans.
2 

Federal Agency Employment Strategies: A Framework for Disability Inclusion identifies

existing, promising, and emerging proactive and dynamic employment strategies and practices 

for recruiting, hiring, advancing, and retaining qualified individuals with disabilities. This tool 

can assist Federal agencies in making their workplaces inclusive of and welcoming to people 

with disabilities.

This tool reflects a combination of legal/regulatory requirements and strategies and practices 

used by public and private sector employers, including strategies and practices identified in: EO 

13548 and guidance provided by OPM; MD-715 and other guidance provided by the Equal 

Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC); and plans submitted by 10 Federal agencies 

under Executive Order 13548 analyzed in a recent report sponsored by the Office of Disability 

Employment Policy (ODEP), Department of Labor (DOL). Links to useful resources and 

research are included in an accompanying Resource and Research Compendium. By identifying, 

adopting, and refining these employment strategies and practices, and making them part of your 

agency’s strategic plan, your agency will benefit from having people with disabilities as part of 

its vibrant, diverse workforce. These practices are organized into seven action areas:

• Lead the Way: Inclusive Agency-Wide Culture 

• Hire (and Keep) the Best: Personnel Processes 

• Ensure Productivity: Reasonable Accommodation Procedures

• Build the Pipeline: Outreach and Recruitment

• Communicate: External and Internal Communication of Agency Policies and Practices

• Be Tech Savvy: Accessible Information and Communication Technology 

• Grow Success: Accountability and Continuous Improvement 
3 

II. LEAD THE WAY: INCLUSIVE AGENCY-WIDE CULTURE 

Section 501 of the Rehabilitation Act (Section 501) and Management Directive 715 (MD-715) 

require each agency to establish an affirmative action program plan for the hiring, placement, 

and advancement of individuals with disabilities. The plan must provide sufficient assurances, 

procedures, and demonstrated commitment by agency leadership (agency heads and other senior 

management officials). MD-715 requires that agency heads issue a written policy statement 

expressing their commitment to equal employment opportunity and a workplace free of 

discrimination and harassment. This statement should be issued at the beginning of the agency 

head’s tenure and thereafter on an annual basis and disseminated to all employees. In addition, 

agency heads and other senior management officials may, at their discretion, issue similar 

statements when important issues related to equal employment opportunity arise within their 

agency or when important developments in the law occur. 

Executive Order 13548 directs agencies to designate a senior-level official to be accountable for 

enhancing employment opportunities for individuals with disabilities and targeted disabilities 

within the agency, consistent with law. This official is to be accountable for developing and 

implementing the agency’s plan, creating recruitment and training programs for employment of 

individuals with disabilities and targeted disabilities, and coordinating employment counseling to 

help match the career aspirations of individuals with disabilities to the needs of the agency. 

Creating and maintaining a truly diverse and inclusive work environment requires commitment 

at all levels of your agency. Establishing an inclusive agency-wide culture begins with leadership 

at the highest levels, including political appointees, personnel in the senior executive service, and 

their leadership teams. Mid-level managers and supervisors, and particularly human resources 

staff and other personnel involved in hiring decisions, must also understand the role they play in 

facilitating an inclusive environment. Finally, communicating the agency’s goal of an inclusive 

and diverse workplace to employees at all levels of the organization and indicating what they can 

do to help is also extremely important. 

Other existing, promising, and emerging strategies for creating and maintaining an inclusive 

agency-wide culture include the following: 

1. Adopting a comprehensive, aggressive, deliberate, continual approach and series of 

initiatives with leadership as the catalyst, the creation of a strong infrastructure, and 

successful implementation through senior leadership, commitment, and accountability. 

2. Establishing an agency-wide team consisting of executives, managers, and employees with 

disabilities to support and advance the recruiting, hiring, retention, and promotion of 

individuals with disabilities. This team may also function as a disability-focused employee 

resource group (ERG) or affinity group. 

3. Making (and publicizing) the business case for employing qualified individuals with 

disabilities. For example, making the business case includes framing the issue in 

communication with managers in terms of return on investment, direct and indirect benefits 

to the agency and to all employees; stressing that enhancing diversity by employing people 
4 

with disabilities recognizes changing demographics of the workforce; improving employee 

engagement, productivity, and reduction of costs; and enhancing retention and advancement. 

4. Including disability as part of all of the agency’s diversity policies and activities. This 

includes using the words “disability” and “people with disabilities” in statements defining the

agency’s diversity policies, inviting disability organizations and people with disabilities to 

the agency’s diversity events, and recognizing that people with disabilities are part of the 

agency’s other diverse communities (including racial and ethnic minority populations, 

veterans, and the LGBT community). 

5. Affirming in policy statements the agency’s commitment to equal employment opportunity 

for people with disabilities and taking affirmative steps to employ, retain, and advance 

qualified individuals with disabilities at all levels and job positions. 

6. Expecting managers to increase their use of special hiring authorities to fill vacancies, 

including the use of Schedule A. 

7. Conducting a summit to secure support, promote dialogue, and explore implementation 

issues.

8. Encouraging workers with disabilities and other employees to identify barriers, issues, and 

individual and systemic concerns, without fear of reprisal, and also providing mechanisms 

such as surveys to allow them to provide this information anonymously. 

9. Establishing a universal policy providing workplace flexibility and accommodations for all 

applicants and employees, with and without disabilities, who can document the need for such 

flexibility and accommodations, including the use of telework, flexiplace, and flextime

options, if appropriate. 

10. Implementing work-life programs and initiatives to help employees balance the needs of the 

workplace with the rest of their lives.

11. Developing emergency management plans that specifically address the needs of employees 

with disabilities. For example, developing practical guidelines for emergency managers and 

employees to plan for workplace emergencies addressing issues such as communication 

about and distribution of the plan, employer responsibilities, first responder responsibilities, 

employee self-determination, and emergency notification strategies.
5 

III. HIRE (AND KEEP) THE BEST: PERSONNEL PROCESSES

Consistent with Section 501 of the Rehabilitation Act (Section 501) and its implementing 

regulations and Management Directive 715 (MD-715), it is important for the agency to review its

personnel processes, qualification standards, and job descriptions (including the essential 

functions of each position) to determine whether they facilitate or impede the hiring and 

advancement of qualified persons with disabilities, including disabled veterans. 

To enable and evaluate affirmative action programs to hire, place, or advance individuals with 

disabilities, the Section 501 implementing regulations and MD-715 specify that the agency may 

invite applicants for employment to voluntarily indicate whether and to what extent they are 

individuals with disabilities under specified circumstances. In implementing their employment 

program plans, Executive Order 13548 directs agencies, to the extent permitted by law, to

increase utilization of the Federal Government's Schedule A excepted service hiring authority for 

persons with disabilities and increase participation of individuals with disabilities in internships, 

fellowships, and training and mentoring programs. 

Personnel processes include the following: 

• Self-Identification

• Qualification Standards 

• Job Announcements 

• Hiring Process, In General

• Special Hiring Authorities

• Special Initiatives for Youth with Disabilities

• Career Development and Advancement

• Retention

A. Self-Identification

Examples of existing, promising, and emerging personnel strategies and practices related to selfidentification include the following:

1. Increasing education and awareness of Standard Form (SF) 256-Self-Identification of 

Disability, the source of Federal disability statistics and informing employees of how selfidentification benefits them.

2. Including a description and explanation of the SF 256 Self-Identification of Disability Form 

at new employee orientation. 

3. Distributing a memorandum to human resources (HR) directors providing guidance on 

effective use of the SF 256-Self-Identification of Disability Form during the on-boarding 

process. 

4. Encouraging existing employees with disabilities to self-identify as a person with a disability, 

for example sending an annual broadcast message from agency leadership encouraging self-
6 

identification or distributing a memorandum to all employees allowing them to self-identify 

and explaining benefits and protections. 

5. Ensuring that employees can modify/update their SF 256 disability status at any time, e.g., 

utilize payroll provider to allow employees to update their personal information at anytime.

6. Developing and initiating an aggressive marketing campaign to promote the process of 

updating profiles. 

7. Re-surveying employees on a periodic basis. 

B. Qualification Standards 

Examples of existing, promising, and emerging personnel strategies and practices relating to 

qualification standards include the following: 

1. Reviewing the agency’s eligibility criteria and any agency-specific qualification standards for 

positions in order to identify and revise criteria and standards that are unnecessarily 

restrictive and potentially exclude people with disabilities.

2. Assisting hiring managers in the identification of the essential functions of positions to 

ensure applicants have the requisite knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform 

them, with or without reasonable accommodations. 

3. Reviewing personnel processes and their implementation on an annual basis and making 

necessary modifications or improvements, when appropriate. 

C. Job Announcements 

Examples of existing, promising, and emerging personnel strategies and practices relating to job 

announcements include the following: 

1. Indicating in job announcements that the agency encourages applications by qualified 

individuals with disabilities. The announcement may include the universal access symbol for 

emphasis as well as communicating the agency’s intent to make reasonable accommodations 

for qualified job applicants and employees with disabilities. 

2. Consistent with the President’s Hiring Reform initiative, drafting clear, understandable job 

announcements that explain in plain language the required qualifications and duties of the job 

and note the availability of reasonable accommodations and contact information for 

requesting them. 

D. Hiring Process, In General 

Examples of existing, promising, and emerging personnel strategies and practices relating to the 

hiring process include the following:
7 

1. Considering applicants with disclosed disabilities for all available positions for which they 

may be qualified, when the position(s) applied for is unavailable. 

2. Implementing a priority consideration model in the hiring process requiring hiring managers 

to review pre-qualified candidates with disabilities for all grade levels and in various job 

occupations (inclusive of the Senior Executive Service) in a departmental talent bank prior to 

the posting of job announcements. 

3. In the case that a hiring manager does not select a pre-qualified candidate with a disability, 

requiring that the hiring manager document for the record the reason for the non-selection. 

4. Providing opportunities for practice interviews for job seekers with disabilities referred by 

community-based organizations who meet qualification standards as a way of identifying 

potential candidates for current or future job vacancies. 

5. Using the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Shared List of People with Disabilities, a 

pre-screened database of qualified individuals with disabilities or establishing an agencywide database of qualified individuals with disabilities.

6. Utilizing a Hiring Manager’s Feedback Form for applicant interviews. 

7. Ensuring that job offers are not rescinded for inappropriate reasons.

8. Using job fairs as hiring events. 

E. Special Hiring Authorities 

Examples of existing, promising, and emerging personnel strategies and practices relating to 

special hiring authorities include the following:

1. Using special hiring authorities, including excepted hiring authorities for individuals with 

disabilities under Schedule A and rules related to disabled veterans. 

2. Developing Schedule A Policies and Procedures. 

3. Establishing a talent bank/database to collect resumes and disability certifications from 

people with disabilities and Schedule A candidates. 

4. Creating and using standard language in all job vacancy announcements and making sure 

they contain information explaining how to apply under Schedule A. 

5. Developing standardized training, including training materials for educating key internal and 

external stakeholders regarding Schedule A and special hiring authorities. 

6. Utilizing Schedule A not only for hiring but as a promotion and retention strategy. 
8 

7. Establishing a Disability Task Force for Schedule A Hiring and Recruiting. 

8. Providing timely input and feedback on Schedule A Policies and Procedures to enhance 

quality assurance. 

9. Developing and implementing methods to track the number and processing of Schedule A 

applications 

10. Providing monthly reports to the Secretary or other agency head that measure progress. 

F. Special Initiatives for Youth with Disabilities

Examples of existing, promising, and emerging personnel strategies and practices relating to 

special initiatives for youth with disabilities include the following:

1. Developing programs for students and recent graduates with disabilities, including building a 

talent pipeline for youth and young adults with disabilities (transitioning high school students 

and college students) through mentoring, internships, and work experience programs; 

summer programs; career days; mock interviews and resume writing (including identifying 

key words in job descriptions to succeed in electronic keyword searches); youth motivational 

programs; and job shadowing activities. 

2. Establishing a website to encourage mentoring and communication with students and student 

interns; marketing of website to include recruitment and communication with students who 

have disabilities. 

3. Tracking interns with disabilities included in internship programs. 

4. Establishing an accessible centralized one-stop application process for all interns, inclusive 

of students with disabilities. 

5. Establishing a centralized fund to support needed full-time equivalents (FTEs) and funding 

for payment of student interns with disabilities (under consideration). 

G. Career Development and Advancement 

Examples of existing, promising, and emerging personnel strategies and practices relating to 

career development and advancement include the following:

1. Adopting a promotion policy that includes disability among the positive selection factors or 

that provides priority consideration to qualified employees with disabilities. 

2. Determining whether management slots can be set-aside for individuals with disabilities and 

inform supervisors of the need to nominate employees with disabilities.
9 

3. Adopting an internal targeted recruitment initiative to fill vacancies with individuals with 

disabilities. This may include a review of employment records to identify qualified 

employees with disabilities available for promotions or desirable transfers so that their 

present and potential skills are fully used and developed. 

4. Providing training and career enhancement opportunities, including apprenticeship programs, 

on-the-job training, developmental assignments, job shadowing, mentoring, and tuition 

reimbursement for current employees with disabilities. These should include strategies to 

facilitate upward mobility for employees at lower dead-end grades. 

5. Providing career enhancement/leadership development opportunities, including reviewing 

employee development programs to ensure that no barriers exist for people with disabilities. 

6. Providing training to leadership, managers, and line staff about new strategies such as 

workforce flexibility, including customized employment around job tasks (job restructuring, 

job sharing, and job creation). 

7. Ensuring that advertisements for training/workshops in career development include language 

advising of the provisions of reasonable accommodations. 

8. Tracking the number of employees who complete Individual Development Plans and enroll 

in mentoring programs. 

9. Monitoring the composition of participants in training and mentoring programs and tracking 

and reporting participation rates. 

H. Retention

Examples of existing, promising, and emerging personnel strategies and practices relating to 

retention include the following: 

1. Adopting disability management and prevention programs (return-to-work programs). 

2. Conducting studies, identifying and implementing methods of collecting feedback on the 

needs and interests of employees with disabilities, including hosting regular focus groups and 

allowing for the submission of anonymous surveys. 

3. Working with the agency organization for employees with disabilities, to identify specific 

strategies for improving the retention numbers.

4. Adopting retention plans and strategies based on information obtained from surveys and exit 

interviews.

5. Developing and disseminating a procedures manual related to the retention of employees 

with disabilities and targeted disabilities.
10 

6. Developing and implementing a plan to review proposed terminations to ensure disability 

accommodations were considered, where appropriate. 

7. Conducting exit interviews of any persons with a disability leaving Federal employment that 

include specific questions which will seek to determine if any reason related to the person’s 

disability led to the decision to leave. 

8. Analyzing and monitoring terminations of permanent employees and reporting to the 

Secretary or other agency head and Administration on a quarterly basis. 
11 

IV. ENSURE PRODUCTIVITY: REASONABLE ACCOMMODATION 

PROCEDURES 

Some individuals with disabilities may need “reasonable accommodations” in order to perform 

the essential functions of a job. According to the U.S. Department of Labor’s Job 

Accommodation Network (JAN), data collected suggest that more than half of all 

accommodations cost nothing. Furthermore, JAN’s statistics show that most employers report 

financial benefits in the form of reduced insurance and training costs and increased productivity. 

Under the regulations implementing Section 501 of the Rehabilitation Act and Management 

Directive 715 (MD-715), an agency must make reasonable accommodation to the known 

physical or mental limitations of an applicant or employee who is a qualified individual with a 

disability unless the agency can demonstrate that the accommodation would impose an undue 

hardship on the operation of its program. In addition, regulations require Federal agencies to 

include a reasonable accommodation statement on all vacancy announcements. Under Executive 

Order 13164 and MD-715, each Federal agency must establish effective written procedures for 

processing requests for reasonable accommodations by employees and applicants with 

disabilities. Executive Order 13164 specifies the minimum components of effective written 

procedures. 

It is important for agencies to consider the procedures and administrative mechanisms they use to 

ensure effective and efficient implementation of accommodations. Examples of existing, 

promising, and emerging strategies and practices relating to reasonable accommodations include 

the following: 

1. Updating reasonable accommodation policies and procedures consistent with the guidelines 

established by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), including updates 

to reflect the Americans with Disabilities (ADA) Amendments Act. 

2. Establishing an administrative mechanism for minimizing the cost of an accommodation 

being assigned to a line manager’s budget, such as centralized payments for the costs of 

providing reasonable accommodations. This is sometimes referred to as a “centralized 

accommodation fund.” 

3. Establishing an administrative mechanism or centralized source of expertise (appointing a 

specific individual and/or establishing an office) for assessing, evaluating, and providing 

reasonable accommodations (including assistive technology) to ensure the effectiveness and 

efficiency of the reasonable accommodation process.

4. Consulting with JAN for free, expert, and confidential guidance on workplace 

accommodations and disability employment issues. 

5. Establishing and/or continuing relationships with the Department of Defense’s 

Computer/Electronic Accommodations Program (CAP), the Department of Agriculture’s 

TARGET Center, and/or the Department of Transportation Disability Resource Center. 
12 

6. Providing training opportunities to learn about new strategies and devices, such as telework

and new assistive technology devices. 

7. Creating an online system for tracking accommodations to document their successful use. 

8. Assigning a full time director of disability services or workplace supports to coordinate 

accommodations strategies. 
13 

V. BUILD THE PIPELINE: OUTREACH AND RECRUITMENT 

Section 501 of the Rehabilitation Act requires all agencies, regardless of size, to have an 

affirmative action program for individuals with disabilities. Furthermore, agencies with 1,000 or 

more employees must also have a special recruitment program for individuals with targeted 

disabilities. In order to meet these responsibilities, agencies often ask: “Where can I find 

qualified applicants with disabilities?” Agencies have expressed concern that one of the greatest 

barriers they face regarding the hiring of individuals with disabilities, including veterans with 

disabilities, is the inability to find qualified candidates. The adoption of effective outreach and 

recruitment strategies is essential to ensuring that your workforce includes qualified individuals 

with disabilities, including disabled veterans. 

To effectively build a pipeline of qualified applicants with disabilities, your agency will need to 

develop relationships with a variety of recruitment sources. Such relationships can be formed 

through formal partnerships (e.g., where agreements are signed that formalize expectations from 

both parties) or informal interactions (e.g., meetings, exchange of contact information and 

staffing needs, and ongoing communication regarding job openings and candidates). The 

investment will be well worth the effort; your agency will not only secure access to talent that it 

otherwise may have overlooked, but also benefit from other supports that can assist in effectively 

integrating job candidates with disabilities into your workforce. Some recruitment sources to 

consider are listed below.

A. Recruitment Sources 

1. Public recruiting sources, including OPM’s Shared List of People with Disabilities, OneStop Career Centers established under the Workforce Investment Act, State vocational 

rehabilitation agencies and community rehabilitation programs, State employment agencies, 

Employment Networks established under the Ticket to Work program, independent living 

centers established under Title VII of the Rehabilitation Act, and Department of Veterans 

Affairs Regional Offices. 

2. Educational institutions, including community colleges, universities, and other institutions of 

learning and/or training, including those that offer programs for individuals with specific 

disabilities, such as persons who are blind, deaf, and have learning disabilities. Most college 

campuses have designated offices for students with disabilities, in addition to career services, 

which agencies should contact for recruitment purposes. 

In addition, there are several internship programs designed exclusively for students with 

disabilities, including the Workforce Recruitment Program for College Students with 

Disabilities (WRP),), Emerging Leaders Internship program, Entry Point! and Project 

SEARCH. 

3. Non-profit entities and social service agencies, including labor organizations, organizations 

of and for individuals with disabilities, and other such entities that may provide referrals, 

technical assistance, and other advice on proper placement, recruitment, and 

accommodations. 
14 

4. Private recruiting sources, including professional organizations, Career Opportunities for 

Students with Disabilities (COSD), consulting services, and companies with expertise in 

disability.

B. Outreach and Recruiting Strategies

Existing, promising, and emerging strategies and steps that may be taken to attract and recruit

qualified individuals with disabilities include the following: 

1. Organizing an agency disability recruitment task force made up of human resources (HR) 

staff, EEO staff, current employees with disabilities, and managers who have hired persons 

with disabilities to help the agency establish a network of disability recruitment resources. 

2. Adopting special recruitment programs for individuals with targeted disabilities. 

3. Appointing a Selective Placement Coordinator to recruit individuals with disabilities who is 

sufficiently senior to advise management, and is trained in Schedule A and other special 

hiring authorities, reasonable accommodations, and workforce representation analysis. 

Responsibilities of the individual may include developing recruitment strategies, establishing 

contacts with external recruitment sources, and facilitating targeted outreach programs, 

including through the use of websites and school and employment assistance programs 

serving persons with disabilities. 

4. Holding formal and informal briefing sessions, preferably on agency premises, with 

representatives from recruiting sources. Integral components of formal briefings include 

agency tours; explanations of current and future job openings and position descriptions; 

explanations of the agency’s selection process; recruiting literature; and a description of 

opportunities for formalizing arrangement for referrals of applicants. 

5. Establishing formal arrangements for referral of applicants with representatives from 

recruitment sources, following up with sources, and providing feedback on whether an 

applicant was interviewed and hired. 

6. Implementing a training program (and delivering it to agency employees responsible for 

recruitment) on how and why to hire individuals with disabilities. 

7. Using accessible online applications and recruitment and social networking sites so that job 

seekers with disabilities can learn about the agency and its hiring initiatives. Such sites can 

also be used to generate leads with disability-focused organizations nationally and within the 

geographical area from which the company usually recruits. 

8. Joining and actively participating in the Federal Disability Workforce Consortium and 

eFedLink, a community of practice to advance Federal employment of persons with 

disabilities. 
15 

9. Posting job announcements on accessible web-based “job boards” that specialize in 

identifying qualified individuals with disabilities (including veterans with disabilities) in 

disability-related publications and with specific disability service organizations. 

10. Participating in career fairs targeting veterans and other candidates with disabilities. 

11. Engaging current employees or an employee resource group (ERG) as referral sources and

asking if they know individuals with disabilities who would make good job candidates. 

12. Including people with disabilities on agency recruitment teams.

13. Building a talent pipeline for youth and young adults with disabilities (transitioning high 

school students and college students) through mentoring, internships, and work experience 

programs; summer programs; career days; mock interviews and resume writing (including 

identifying key words in job descriptions to succeed in electronic keyword searches); youth 

motivational programs; and job shadowing activities, in addition to requesting that students 

with disabilities participate in campus recruitment events.

14. Attracting qualified individuals with disabilities not currently in the workforce who have 

requisite skills, including individuals located through local chapters of organizations of and 

for individuals with disabilities.

15. Developing specific and targeted strategies for recruiting, hiring, and integrating veterans 

with disabilities, including wounded returning service members and internal training on these 

strategies. 

16. Designating a coordinator responsible for targeted outreach programs, including websites, 

schools and employment assistance programs serving persons with disabilities. 

17. Developing an electronic mailing list of disability advocacy groups, both nationally and in 

the local geographic area, and regularly sending e-mail notices to these organizations with all 

job openings as well as a description of Schedule A authority for people with disabilities and 

basic instructions on how to apply for a Federal job using it. 

18. Using the Internet and social media such as Facebook and Twitter to help recruit individuals 

with disabilities and raise awareness of the agency as an employer.

C. Assessing Success 

Consistent with Management Directive 715 (MD-715), the following existing, promising, and 

emerging strategies and practices may be used for assessing the success of outreach and 

recruitment efforts:

1. Reviewing the outreach and recruitment efforts the agency has taken over the previous year 

to evaluate their effectiveness in identifying and recruiting qualified individuals with 

disabilities, including individuals with targeted disabilities. 
16 

2. Documenting each evaluation, including the criteria used to evaluate the effectiveness of 

each effort and the agency’s conclusion as to whether each effort was effective. 

3. Identifying and implementing alternative strategies, if the agency concludes the totality of its 

efforts were not effective in identifying and recruiting qualified individuals with disabilities. 
17 

VI. COMMUNICATE: EXTERNAL AND INTERNAL COMMUNICATION OF 

AGENCY POLICIES AND PRACTICES 

A. External Communications 

To maximize an agency’s ability to attract qualified individuals with disabilities, it is important 

to communicate to the public – and the agency’s subcontractors and vendors – the agency’s 

commitment to employing persons with disabilities and the existence of an inclusive and diverse 

work environment. Examples of existing, promising, and emerging external communication 

strategies and practices include:

1. Selecting individuals with visible disabilities when employees are pictured in publications 

and other materials produced by the agency, including job announcements. 

2. Sponsoring and participating in job fairs that target job seekers with disabilities, including 

veterans with disabilities. 

3. Informing disability organizations about career days, youth motivation/mentoring programs, 

and related community activities sponsored by the agency. 

 

4. Sending information about relevant agency policies and priorities to subcontractors, vendors, 

and suppliers and requesting their support. 

5. Communicating with union officials and/or employee representatives to inform them of the 

agency’s policies and seek their cooperation. 

6. Using the agency’s external/public website to post the agency’s:

• Policy statement regarding inclusion and reasonable accommodation,

• Special recruitment and hiring initiatives, 

• Targeted internship, mentoring and shadowing programs, and

• Hiring goals and progress in achieving goals.

B. Internal Communications

Strong external communication strategies and outreach and recruitment initiatives will be more 

effective if they are accompanied by internal support from supervisory and management 

personnel and understanding by co-workers who may have limited contact with individuals with 

disabilities. In addition to the requirement that agency heads issue a written policy statement to 

demonstrate commitment discussed previously, MD-715 also recognizes that an agency’s equal 

employment opportunity efforts will be most effective if managers and employees are involved 

in their implementation. Internal communication and other strategies targeting managers, 

supervisors, and co-workers can foster awareness, acceptance, and support among all levels of 

staff within the agency. 
18 

Examples of existing, promising, and emerging internal communication strategies and practices 

include the following: 

1. Establishing an agency-wide leadership communication network. 

2. Establishing a Disability Office that delivers a holistic approach to disability program 

management by bringing together the operational components of reasonable accommodation, 

case work, policy, oversight, and education. 

3. Establishing a Disability Employment Advisory Council composed of both national and 

regional representatives such as HR professionals, hiring managers, recruitment coordinators, 

and employees with disabilities. 

4. Supporting a Community of Practice Committee consisting of employees with disabilities 

and hiring managers to increase the network of disability resources, host focus groups, 

discuss best practices, and share resources. 

5. Developing and implementing an Executive Committee with direct access to the agency 

head.

6. Establishing a disability employee resource group (ERG) aligned with the agency’s diversity 

program and composed of existing employees with disabilities and employees with family 

members or friends with disabilities. The purpose of this group would include helping to 

identify policies and procedures that support a positive work environment for persons with 

disabilities.

7. Publicizing the agency’s commitment in its internal publications (e.g., intranet, employee 

newsletters/magazines), including publicizing the availability of Schedule A and other 

special hiring authorities. This includes ensuring that all such information posted is reviewed 

for compliance with Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act, and in particular, screen reader 

compatibility (See “Be Tech Savvy” Section below). 

8. Developing a centralized website as a one-stop shop for disability employment information 

and resources. 

9. Using Intranet and e-mail to assist in recruiting individuals with disabilities and to raise 

awareness. 

10. Updating Intranet with appropriate links and information on accelerated hiring process. 

11. Posting updated reasonable accommodation procedures on Intranet. 

12. Publishing newsletter with useful metrics and resources about agency progress on achieving 

goals. 

13. Conducting special meetings, orientation, and training programs with executive, 

management, supervisory personnel, union officials and employee representatives for the 
19 

purpose of communicating the commitment of the agency and its leadership to foster an 

inclusive corporate culture and work environment. 

14. Including images of employees with disabilities in employee handbooks and other internal 

publications that feature photographs of employees.

15. Establishing a policy that all managers and supervisors share responsibility for the successful 

implementation of the agency’s inclusion policy and ensuring that they are held accountable 

through their performance evaluation plans, including how a manager uses Schedule A and 

other special hiring authorities. 

16. As part of the agency’s employee assistance program (EAP), adopting disability management 

and prevention programs (return-to-work programs), with the goal that workers who become 

injured on the job remain part of the workforce. 

17. Adopting recognition and awards program acknowledging individuals responsible for 

achieving progress and positive outcomes related to disability employment. 

18. Including disability-friendly policies regarding internal communications and information 

dissemination in the agency’s policy manual and employee handbook. 
20 

VII. BE TECH SAVVY: ACCESSIBLE INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION 

TECHNOLOGY

The development, procurement, lease, maintenance, and use of information and communication 

technology (ICT) are central to the operation of Federal agencies in the 21st century. The Internet 

has dramatically changed the way that agencies conduct work and communicate with the public, 

including the manner in which individuals apply for jobs. Further, agency use of the Internet, email, and social media is dramatically changing the way agencies communicate, both internally 

and externally. Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act requires agencies to provide Federal 

employees with disabilities and members of the public access to information and data that is 

comparable to the access provided to Federal employees without disabilities.

If applicants and employees with disabilities are to fully participate in the workforce, they must 

have access to and use of information and data that is comparable to the access and use by 

applicants and employees without disabilities. For example, if an online application system is not 

accessible to and usable by individuals with disabilities, applicants with disabilities will never 

“get through the front door” of applying for a job. Once an individual with a disability is on 

board, if they are not provided with accessible ICT and training, they are limited in their ability 

to develop skills needed to be productive team members and advance in your agency. A specific 

commitment by the agency (and all program operating components) to ensure accessible and 

usable ICT in accordance with Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act is as essential to facilitating 

meaningful and effective employment opportunities for individuals with disabilities as structural 

elements are to ensuring access to buildings and offices. 

Existing, promising, and emerging agency practices regarding accessible ICT include the 

development of comprehensive strategic action plans that include the following areas: 

• Leadership and Team Approach 

• Needs Assessment and Priorities

• Formal Policies, Practices, and Procedures

• Agency-Wide Infrastructure

• Evaluation and Accountability 

A. Leadership and Team Approach

1. Securing leadership at the highest levels of agency leadership, in order to facilitate “buy-in” 

and establish and sustain organizational commitment. 

2. Establishing a network of individuals responsible for implementation (e.g., an accessibility 

team composed of managers across divisions, including human resources (HR), ICT, 

procurement, education and training, financial and marketing, and Section 504 and 508 

compliance. 

3. Making the “business case” for ensuring that technology used by the agency s accessible to 

the largest possible number of applicants, employees, and customers. 
21 

B. Needs Assessments and Priorities

1. Considering all of the ICT used or offered and making a list of those platforms, devices, and 

applications. 

2. Evaluating accessibility by testing of ICT applications with automated accessibility testing 

tools and by considering the user experience of applicants, employees, and customers. 

3. Establishing a process and adopting criteria that can be used for setting priorities.

C. Formal Policies, Practices, and Procedures

1. Adopting specific technical ICT accessibility standards and functional performance criteria 

regarding software applications and operating systems; Web-based intranet and Internet 

information applications; telecommunication products; video and multimedia products; selfcontained closed products (e.g., copiers and printers); and computers. 

2. Adopting accessible online application systems that cover website integration; job posting 

and distribution tools; application and resume submission; communication between 

applicants and employer; resume extraction and management; candidate search and selection 

processes; and communication regarding a job offer or rejection. 

D. Agency-Wide Infrastructure

1. Providing outsourcing guidelines to suppliers and partners, including copies of the ICT 

accessibility guidelines, and ensuring that contracts stipulate suppliers will, where relevant, 

apply ICT accessibility standards. 

2. Establishing clear procurement policies, including a solicitation policy that states ICT should 

be accessible, indicates which accessibility standards apply, and plans to inspect deliverables 

based on those standards. 

3. Delineating the respective roles and responsibilities of key personnel, including the chief 

acquisition officer, chief information officer, and chief accessibility technology officer. 

4. Conducting training for in-house staff, including program managers, contracting and 

procurement officers, software developers, web developers, and video-multimedia 

developers, including IT help desk staff. 

5. Deploying accessible ICT throughout the agency by, for example, establishing a mechanism 

for centralized expertise and/or payment. 

E. Evaluation and Accountability

1. Appointing a Chief Accessibility Technology Officer. 

2. Notifying managers and employees about the agency’s ICT accessibility policy. 
22 

3. Involving individuals with disabilities and experts in the development, implementation, and 

evaluation of policy. 

4. Establishing measureable objectives and benchmarks, including checklists, scorecards, and 

grid-based tracking documents. 

5. Designing and implementing data collection and continuous improvement strategies, 

including tracking and reporting systems and regularly scheduled reporting. 
23 

VIII. GROW SUCCESS: ACCOUNTABILITY AND CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT 

While the adoption of written policies, practices, and procedures are necessary to enhance 

employment opportunities for qualified individuals with disabilities, the ultimate objective is 

ensuring their implementation. Consistent with Section 501 of the Rehabilitation Act and 

Management Directive 715 (MD-715), Federal agencies must develop systems for the evaluation 

of program effectiveness and barrier identification and elimination; ensuring that the agency has 

adequate data systems for effective analyses of applicant flow, on-board workforce and 

personnel transaction data, establishing agency-wide objectives and developing and submitting 

program plans; and preparing accomplishment reports and plan updates for timely submission. . 

In addition, MD-715 states that a model Rehabilitation Act program “will hold managers, 

supervisors, EEO officials and personnel officers accountable for the effective implementation 

and management of the agency’s program.” 

Executive Order 13548 expresses the Obama Administration’s commitment to increase the 

number of individuals with disabilities in the Federal workforce by 100,000 over five years. The 

Executive Order also directs each agency to include in its strategic plan performance targets and 

numerical goals for employment of individuals with disabilities and sub-goals for employment of 

individuals with targeted disabilities, and directs each agency to designate a senior-level agency 

official within the agency responsible for meeting these goals. 

Existing, promising, and emerging agency strategies and practices include establishing systems 

for ensuring accountability and continuous improvement relating to: 

• Training and Networking 

• Establishing Accountability Measures

• Establishing Accountability, Reporting, and Continuous Improvement Mechanisms 

• Designating Responsible Individuals 

A. Training and Networking 

Often times, “people don’t know what they don’t know.” As is recognized in MD-715, in order 

to have a model agency Title VII and Rehabilitation Act Program, it is imperative that managers 

and supervisors be provided with appropriate training and other resources to understand and 

successfully discharge their duties and responsibilities. Extending such professional development 

opportunities to employees in all offices, divisions, and departments can also be an effective 

strategy for demonstrating the agency’s firm commitment to equality of opportunity for all 

employees and applicants. Other examples of existing, promising, and emerging strategies and 

practices regarding training and networking include:

1. Providing training on disability-related issues, not only to managers, but to all personnel, 

particularly those involved in the recruitment, hiring, promotion, and retention processes

(e.g., understanding legal requirements, disability etiquette and disability awareness, 

retention and return-to-work strategies, overcoming stereotypes and other attitudinal barriers, 

reasonable accommodation procedures, targeted hiring programs). 
24 

2. Training managers and others on Schedule A and other special hiring authorities. 

3. Incorporating training on disability-related issues as a regular and ongoing component of the 

agency’s diversity initiatives.

4. Explaining to managers and supervisors how performance elements included in their 

performance plans related to the recruitment, hiring, advancement, and retention of persons 

with disabilities will be assessed, including their use of Schedule A and other special hiring 

authorities. 

5. Actively participating in the Federal Disability Workforce Consortium and eFedLink, a

Community of Practice to Advance Federal Employment of Persons with Disabilities; and 

disability focused conferences like the annual Perspectives on Employment of Persons with 

Disabilities. 

6. Sharing best practices with other Federal agencies through the Office of Personnel 

Management (OPM), the Chief Human Capital Officer (CHCO) Council and EEO Director 

Meetings, eFedLink, and the Federal Disability Workforce Consortium. 

B. Establishing Accountability Measures

It has been stated that “what’s measured gets done.” Consistent with MD-715 and Executive 

Order 13548, specific strategies and practices that your agency can use to measure its progress 

toward creating an inclusive workplace include establishing annual quantitative goals, objectives, 

and benchmarks (including for individuals with targeted disabilities) related to the following: 

• Outreach and recruitment (including referrals); 

• Hiring, retention, and advancement; and 

• Sponsored educational, training, recreational, and social activities.

Examples of existing, promising, and emerging practices related to accountability measures 

include: 

1. Focusing on increasing the employment rate of people with disabilities and targeted 

disabilities, not merely hiring such employees especially in light of the number of individuals 

with disabilities leaving the workforce; including goals relating both to new hires as well as 

the permanent workforce. 

2. Setting performance targets and numerical goals that will make the agency a model 

employer. Each agency should have an individual goal and each agency head be held 

accountable for a proportionate share of the overall goal. 

3. Setting goals for hiring or promoting into pay levels and occupations where individuals with 

reportable and targeted disabilities are not well represented. 
25 

4. Tracking and reporting progress closely and re-evaluating hiring and retention goals 

frequently, on at least quarterly intervals. Monitoring the projections will assist the agency to 

modify its strategic focus as its hiring climate changes. 

5. Updating the agency’s Strategic Human Capital Plan to include hiring goals for people with 

disabilities and requiring the use of hiring and retention data as a critical factor in hiring and 

workforce succession planning. 

C. Establishing Accountability, Reporting, and Continuous Improvement Mechanisms 

MD-715 requires that each agency collect, maintain, and analyze applicant flow data and to 

examine existing recruitment programs and hiring practices to identify and eliminate any barriers 

to recruiting/hiring individuals with disabilities and, in particular, individuals with targeted 

disabilities. More specifically, to successfully remove barriers, an agency must do effective 

barrier analysis, which requires identification of the root cause of the trigger(s), such as a lower 

than expected participation in the workforce. When the root cause is identified, the agency then 

needs to develop a comprehensive action plan to eliminate the barrier. The plan should be 

disseminated to agency managers, who should work in collaboration with the EEO office to 

implement the plan. The plan should be regularly reviewed and updated to report on progress in 

eliminating the root cause found, or address modifications that may be needed to the plan if new 

barriers are found. 

It is important that agencies move beyond merely identifying triggers showing the low 

participation of people with disabilities in the workforce to actually identifying the underlying 

barrier. Only then can agencies develop the most effective action plans specifically tailored to 

address that particular barrier. Once the agency identifies its unique barriers, it can incorporate 

the possible practices discussed below, into an action plan tailored to remove those specific 

barriers. Only by doing focused barrier analysis can an agency determine which of the following 

practices are best suited for the agency to address and eliminate an identified barrier.

Accountability and reporting and continuous improvement mechanisms are necessary to 

ascertain whether current policies, practices, and procedures are effective and whether the 

agency is making progress in improving employment opportunities for persons with disabilities. 

Examples of existing, promising, and emerging strategies and practices regarding accountability, 

reporting, and continuous improvement mechanisms include the following: 

1. Reviewing annually all employment-related activities, including: 

Job posting, recruitment, advertising, and job application procedures, including testing;

• Hiring, promotion, upgrading, awards of tenure, and layoffs; 

• Rates of pay and any other forms of compensation, including fringe benefits; 

• Job assignments, job classifications, job descriptions, and seniority lists; 

• Sick leave, leaves of absence, and other leave;

• Training, apprenticeships, attendance at professional meetings and conferences; and 

• Any other terms, conditions, and privileges of employment. 
26 

2. Establishing a system to collect, maintain, and report accurate employment information on 

disability. 

3. Conducting annual self-assessments, including identifying trends and/or issues needing more 

attention such as:

• Tracking information related to the provision of reasonable accommodations that could 

be used to assess the effectiveness of accommodations and the process; 

• Tracking data relating to the representation of individuals with disabilities in the 

workforce to ascertain trends, including the efficacy of recruitment, hiring, retention, and 

promotion initiatives; and 

• Establishing a complaint tracking and monitoring system to identify areas needing 

systemic improvements. 

4. Based on reviews and assessments, developing strategic plans that include pro-active steps 

and the implementation of specific actions necessary to address any noted deficiencies. 

5. Providing regularly-scheduled reports to agency leaders and/or other high ranking managers 

regarding implementation of agency’s strategic plans. In reports, identifying completion 

dates and managers who are accountable and responsible for ensuring that the action items 

are completed in a timely manner. 

6. Seeking input from employees with disabilities regarding implementation of policies and 

strategic plans using employee surveys, focus groups, and discussions with employee 

diversity and advisory groups regarding the workplace environment. 

D. Designating Responsible Individuals

Designation of authority and responsibility is of central importance to enhancing and securing 

implementation. Pursuant to MD-715, it is the responsibility of each agency head to take such 

measures as may be necessary to incorporate the principles of equal opportunity into the 

agency’s organizational structure. MD-715 further states that agencies must maintain a reporting 

structure that provides the agency’s EEO director with regular access to the agency head and 

other senior management officials for reporting on the effectiveness, efficiency, and legal 

compliance of the agency’s Title VII and Rehabilitation Act programs. In addition, MD-715 

indicates that to emphasize the importance of the position, the agency head should be involved in 

the selection and performance review of the EEO director

EO 13548 also requires each agency to designate a senior-level agency official to be accountable 

for enhancing employment opportunities for individuals with disabilities and individuals with 

targeted disabilities within the agency. Related existing, promising, and emerging strategies and 

practices include: 

1. Designating Disability Program Managers who have the same title and grade level as other 

Special Emphasis Program Managers (with commensurate credentials and duties) and 
27 

comparable access to senior management officials and who are fully empowered to 

implement the agencies’ programs. 

2. Assigning and defining the scope of responsibility for implementation to specific individuals. 

3. Identifying the responsible individual(s) on internal and external communications. 

4. Providing top management support (including budgets) and, if appropriate, staff to manage 

implementation. 

5. Explaining to managers and supervisors how performance elements included in their 

performance plans related to the recruitment, hiring, advancement, and retention of persons 

with disabilities will be assessed. 
28 

RESOURCE AND RESEARCH COMPENDIUM

This Resource and Research Compendium includes a selective list of Federal and State Agency 

regulatory and policy materials, research studies and reports, and other reports/guidance 

identifying existing, promising, and emerging practices regarding the recruitment, hiring, 

retention, and advancement of people with disabilities

EXECUTIVE ORDERS

Executive Order No. 13548 Increasing Federal Employment of Individuals with Disabilities

(July 26, 2010) 

Executive Order No. 13583 Establishing a Coordinated Government-Wide Initiative to Promote 

Diversity and Inclusion in the Federal Workforce (August 18, 2011) 

Executive Order No. 13163 Increasing the Opportunity for Individuals with Disabilities to be 

Employed in the Federal Government (July 28, 2000) 

Executive Order No. 13164 Requiring Federal Agencies to Establish Procedures to Facilitate 

the Provision of Reasonable Accommodation (July 28, 2000) 

Executive Order No. 13078 Increasing Employment of Adults with Disabilities (March 13, 1998)

FEDERAL AGENCY WEBSITES/RESOURCES RELATING TO: SECTION 501 OF 

THE REHABILITATION ACT, EXECUTIVE ORDER 13548, AND SECTION 508 OF 

THE REHABILITATION ACT

SECTION 501 OF THE REHABILITATION ACT—EQUAL EMPLOYMENT 

OPPORTUNITY COMMISSION 

Section 501 of the Rehabilitation Act and implementing regulations, 29 CFR 1614.203; Federal 

Responsibilities under Section 717 of the Title VII and Section 501 of the Rehabilitation Act, 

Management Directive 715 (October 1, 2003) and accompanying documents. 

Frequently Asked Questions about Management Directive 715 Equal Employment Opportunity 

Commission

Questions and Answers: Promoting Employment of Individuals with Disabilities in the Federal 

Workforce Equal Employment Opportunity Commission 

Practical Advice for Drafting and Implementing Reasonable Accommodation Procedures under 

Executive Order 13164 Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, (2005) 
29 

EXECUTIVE ORDER 13548 AND TELEWORK 

A Toolkit for Federal Agencies on Implementing Executive Order 13548, Office of Disability 

Employment Policy, U.S. Department of Labor. 

Model Strategies for Recruitment and Hiring of People with Disabilities as Required Under 

Executive Order 13548, Memorandum from John Berry, Director U.S. Office of Personnel

Management (November 08, 2010) 

eFedLink, A Community of Practice to Advance Federal Employment of Persons with 

Disabilities 

Federal Workforce—Practices to Increase the Employment of Individuals with Disabilities, 

Statement of Yvonne Jones, Director Strategic Issues, U.S. General Accountability Office 

(February 16, 2011)

Participant-Identified Leading Practices that Could Increase the Employment of Individuals with 

Disabilities in the Federal Workforce, Highlights of a Forum, General Accountability Office 

(October 2010)

Improving the Participation Rate of People with Targeted Disabilities in the Federal Work 

Force, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (January 2008) 

Increasing the Federal Employment of People with Disabilities – Resources for Implementing 

Executive Order 13548, Memorandum for Heads of Executive Departments and Agencies

A Guide to Telework in the Federal Government, Office of Personnel Management 

SECTION 508 OF THE REHABILITATION ACT—GENERAL SERVICES 

ADMINISTRATION 

Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act and implementing regulations [36 CFR Part 1194] and 

technical assistance guidance and handbooks; www.buyaccessible.gov See also international 

accessibility standards applicable to websites. See also Resources for understanding and 

implementing Section 508

DISABILITY EMPLOYMENT-RELATED RESOURCES—DEPARTMENT OF LABOR 

See Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) website. For a comprehensive list of ODEP 

employment-related links as well as links to other sites, see Diversifying Your Workforce—A 

Four Step Reference Guide to Recruiting, Hiring, and Retaining Employees with Disabilities. 

Information regarding customized employment

List of links to websites relating to assistive technology devices and services and accessible 

information and communication technology (ICT) 
30 

Information regarding emergency preparedness for people with disabilities

Disability Employment Statistics

Registered Apprenticeship Programs, Employment and Training Administration, Department of 

Labor 

RESOURCE CENTERS—DEPARTMENTS OF DEFENSE, TRANSPORTATION, AND 

AGRICULTURE 

Department of Defense’s Computer/Electronic Accommodations Program. 

Department of Agriculture’s TARGET Center. 

Department of Transportation Disability Resource Center. 

EMPLOYER RESOURCES—DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS

The Department of Veterans Affairs Regional Offices locations; See also Employer Resources 

Section of the National Resource Directory.

RESEARCH PAPERS AND REPORTS

Employment of Individuals with Disabilities in the Federal Executive Branch Report: Data for 

Fiscal Year (FY) 2011, Office of Personnel Management

Promising and Emerging Practices for Enhancing the Employment of Individuals with 

Disabilities Included in Plans Submitted by Federal Agencies under Executive Order 13548

(2012) 

Business Strategies that Work: A Framework for Disability Inclusion, Office of Disability 

Employment Policy (2012) 

Framework for Designing and Implementing Accessible Information and Communication 

Technology (ICT) Strategic Plans, Office of Disability Employment Policy (July 20, 2011) 

A Technical Assistance Guide for Implementing Online Application Systems that Meet the Needs 

of Qualified Individuals with Disabilities and Qualified Disabled Veterans, Economic Systems, 

Inc. (November 2009)

For a comprehensive list of agency regulatory and policy materials, research studies and other 

policy reports/guidance regarding the recruitment, hiring, retention, and advancement of persons 

with disabilities and comprehensive examples of best, promising and emerging practices derived 

from the research studies and policy reports see Business Strategies that Work resources. 
31 

NON-FEDERAL AGENCY TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE RESOURCES

Job Accommodation Network (JAN), 1-800-526-7234 (voice); 1-877-781-9403 (TTY) Source of 

expert guidance on workplace accommodations, the ADA and related legislation, and disability 

employment issues. 

Employer Assistance and Resource Network (EARN), 1-855-275-3276 (Voice/TTY) Provides 

expert advice on hiring and retaining skilled, qualified workers with disabilities. 

Disability and Business Technical Assistance Centers. National network of 10 regional ADA 

Centers that provide services for up-to-date information, referrals, resources, and training on the 

ADA to businesses, employers, government entities, and individuals with disabilities. 

Public sources include One-Stop Career Centers established under the Workforce Investment 

Act, State vocational rehabilitation agencies and community rehabilitation programs , State 

employment agencies, Employment Networks established under the Ticket to Work program , 

and independent living centers established under Title VII of the Rehabilitation Act. 

There are several internship programs that are designed exclusively for students with disabilities, 

including the Workforce Recruitment Program for College Students with Disabilities (WRP), 

Emerging Leaders program, Entry Point! and Project SEARCH. 

U.S. Business Leadership Network, National organization that represents employers using a 

“business to business” strategy to promote the business imperative of including people with 

disabilities in the workforce.