Giving People With Disabilities Greater Chances In Federal Employment

Giving People With Disabilities Greater Chances In Federal Employment

On July 26, 2010, President Barack Obama signed the Executive Order on Disability that further paved the way for people with disabilities in the United States to gain federal employment. Of the 2.5 million people in the federal workforce, only a little over five per cent is occupied by individuals with disabilities. With this executive order, the Obama administration aims to accomplish three things:

There are about 54 million Americans living with disabilities and it is the aim of the federal government to become a model employer where the employment of individuals with disability is concerned. This executive order actually gives more concrete steps to EO 13163 issued in 2000 by then President Clinton which called for the employment of 100,000 people with disabilities over the next five years.

President Obama directed the Office of Personnel Management, the human resources arm of the federal government,in consultation with other agencies, to formulate hiring strategies and develop mandatory training programs to increase the number individuals with disabilities in government service. It further directed each agency to develop their own specific plans and strategies to achieve this purpose. This EO further strongly urges each agency to retain federal workers with disabilities through training, use of funds for centralized accommodation, increasing access to appropriate technologies and accessibility to physical and virtual workspaces. Finally, measures will also be undertaken to ensure that workers who are injured in the job are retained and/or will successfully return to work.

At present, individuals with disabilities may apply for jobs filled competitively or non-competitively.The USAJOBS website has made it easy for individuals with disabilities to apply for any position within the federal government. Their Federal Employment Information System assists those who are looking for jobs by providing comprehensive employment information through telephone or computer. Visually-impaired individuals may also request for further help through this system.

Meanwhile, individuals with Mental Retardation, Severe Physical Disabilities or Psychiatric Disabilities may apply for jobs filled non-competitively by first providing proof of the disability and certification of job readiness (both of which can obtained from licensed medical professionals, state or private rehabilitation specialists, or any government agency that issues disability benefits). Applicants with these documents may apply directly to the federal agency where they wish to work. Finally, individuals with disabilities may also request for reasonable accommodation to hiring officials in order for the employee to be able to successfully perform the job at hand. Reasonable workplace accommodations would include the provision of interpreters, restructuring work sites, providing flexible time schedules and the provision of accessible technology.

Now, more than any other time, people with disabilities can utilize their talents to serve the American public. The road to erasing the stigma and misconceptions associated with disabilities has finally begun.

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