January 12, 2012 

MEMORANDUM FOR HEADS OF EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENTS AND AGENCIES 

FROM: Hilda L. Solis 

U.S. Secretary of Labor 

John Berry 

Director 

U.S. Office of Personnel Management

 

Subject: Increasing the Federal Employment of People with Disabilities – 

 Resources for Implementing Executive Order 13548 

In July 2010, President Barack Obama marked the 20th Anniversary of the 

Americans with Disabilities Act by signing Executive Order (EO) 13548, which 

mandates executive departments and agencies improve their efforts to employ 

workers with disabilities through increased recruitment, hiring, and retention of 

people with disabilities. The EO also sets a goal of employing an additional 100,000 

people with disabilities over the next 5 years. Currently, individuals with disabilities 

represent just over 5 percent of the nearly 2.5 million people in the Federal 

workforce, and individuals with targeted disabilities represent less than 1 percent of 

this workforce. 

All Federal agencies have an important role to play in ensuring that the goals set 

forth in the EO are achieved. To be successful, we must be vigilant in our efforts to 

ensure equal employment access for people with disabilities in the Federal 

government by fostering inclusive and supportive work environments and providing 

equal opportunity in our hiring, development, and promotion decisions. We are 

pleased to tell you about several resources that can assist your agency in fulfilling 

this important responsibility. 

eFedLink.org 

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) 

recently launched eFedLink.org -- an online community of practice designed to help 

Federal disability employment professionals advance employment for persons with 

disabilities. Users of eFedLink.org will find online tools to help them connect and 

collaborate with other Federal human resource professionals, disability program 
managers, and selective placement program coordinators across the nation. This 

platform allows for real-time discussion of relevant issues and the sharing of policies 

and best practices related to the inclusion of people with disabilities in the Federal 

government workforce. 

Interactivity is a key component of eFedLink.org. The site has the capacity for 

threaded discussions, document uploading and sharing, resource links, collaborative 

planning and media hosting (including captioned video). The site is free, accessible 

and password protected, and you can join today by visiting the www.eFedlink.org

website and clicking "Register Here." eFedLink.org was developed by the National 

Technical Assistance Center for Employers on Employment of People with 

Disabilities and funded by ODEP under a cooperative agreement. For more 

information, call 1-855-AskEARN (275-3276) or visit www.askEARN.org. 

Workforce Recruitment Program (WRP) 

Hiring an intern through the Workforce Recruitment Program (WRP) can provide a 

pipeline for bringing people with disabilities into the Federal workforce, both today 

and for years to come. Coordinated by ODEP and the U.S. Department of Defense, 

this internship program connects Federal and private sector employers to qualified 

and pre-screened postsecondary students and recent college graduates with 

disabilities. More than 20 Federal agencies regularly utilize the WRP as a recruiting 

source for both summer internships and permanent jobs, with more than 6,000 

students obtaining employment through the program since 1995. 

In 2011, the WRP database contained profiles of over 2,200 job candidates from 

more than 200 colleges and universities nationwide, representing all academic 

backgrounds. Campus recruiting for 2012 began recently with our Federal recruiters 

visiting more than 275 schools. Federal employers will be able to access the 

database of job candidates beginning in December at www.wrp.gov. You can also 

contact ODEP’s Sara Mahoney (mahoney.sara@dol.gov) for additional information. 

(See attachment A for more information about the WRP.) 

Shared List of People with Disabilities 

The Chief Human Capital Officers Council has partnered with Bender Consulting 

Services to provide a list of hundreds of candidates with disabilities who are eligible 

to be hired through the Schedule A hiring appointment. This service is provided for 

free to all federal agencies. 

The Shared List of People with Disabilities is now hosted online on the MAX Federal 

Community with improved features including: 

 Easy search capability 

 Real-time updates as new candidates are added to the database 

 Ability to view resumes online 
All federal human resource personnel can use the Community to share best 

practices, questions and information about hiring people with disabilities. Individuals 

who are already utilizing the Shared List of People with Disabilities will receive emails inviting them to access the MAX Federal Community. New users can gain 

access to the Shared List by completing the following steps: 

Step 1: Join the OPM Shared List of People with Disabilities Contact Group 

Join the Contact Group 

https://max.omb.gov/maxportal/register/group/AGY-OPM.DISABILITIESHIRING 

If you already have a MAX account, you will automatically be added to the group. 

If you do not yet have a MAX account, you must first fill out a short registration form. 

The form can be found at: https://max.omb.gov/maxportal/registrationForm.action. 

Once you’ve completed the registration form, you will automatically be added to the 

group. 

Step 2: Visit the OPM Shared List online 

Go to the Homepage at https://max.omb.gov/community/x/SpEZIQ for the OPM 

Shared List. 

View helpful resources, search the shared list for candidates, and view resumes. 

Step 3: Have Questions? 

For more information on registering for or using the Community or the Shared List, 

contact MAXSupport at maxsupport@omb.eop.gov or 202-395-6860. 

Additional Information 

For additional information regarding this shared list, please contact Jesse Frank at 

202-606-0040 or Jesse.Frank@opm.gov. 

As our nation’s largest employer, the Federal government must model effective 

employment policies and practices that advance America’s ideal of equal opportunity 

for all. eFedLink.org, the WRP and OPM’s Shared List are valuable tools available 

to assist agencies in meeting their EO goals. Thank you in advance for helping us to 

spread the word about these important resources and for your efforts to ensure that 

the Federal workforce is inclusive of everyone – including people with disabilities.