The 7% utilization goal is gone. The annual disability data analysis is gone. The CC-305 disability self-identification form is gone. As of September 21, 2026, a Final Rule from the OFCCP has stripped away the measurement tools federal contractors have used for over a decade under Section 503, but the underlying obligations to recruit, accommodate, and not discriminate against people with disabilities haven’t disappeared.
In this episode, guest host PJ Rossi of Forte Advisory Group and HR Compliance Consultant at DirectEmployers sits down with longtime disability advocate Felicia Nurmsen, Founder of Inclusion Without Illusion, to unpack what this rule change really means for HR compliance teams, talent acquisition, and the disability community—including why losing the measurement requirement isn’t permission to do less, the difference between self-identification and disclosure (and why most disabilities are invisible to begin with), how AI in hiring can quietly rebuild the same barriers this rule was meant to remove, why the accommodation process is a retention strategy rather than a cost center, and how to tell whether your disability recruitment partnerships are still earning their keep.
This podcast is for general discussion purposes only and should not be considered as legal advice.
Subscribe links, guest bios, and full transcript available.
Key Takeaways The foundation hasn’t changed. DirectEmployers’ virtual event HR Compliance Foundations: A Federal Contractor’s Guide to Getting It Right had one clear message for federal contractor compliance: the rules keep changing, but the...
Key Takeaways Federal contractor and subcontractor compliance obligations don’t vary by company size. Any covered contractor or subcontractor—regardless of headcount—is subject to the same VEVRAA and Section 503 requirements as large enterprises. VEVRAA requires...
The recruitment landscape is evolving at a breakneck pace. Between the sudden explosion of generative AI, an influx of automated “apply-for-me” bots, and shifting candidate expectations, talent acquisition leaders are caught navigating unprecedented challenges. In the...
In this episode of the DE Talk Podcast, host Shannon Offord sits down with Sam Fitzroy, co-founder and CEO of candidate conversion platform, Dalia. Bringing over 15 years of industry experience—including key leadership roles at Indeed and The Muse—Fitzroy offers a candid look at the friction points plaguing modern recruitment. Together, they break down the flaws of volume-based hiring models, the impact of AI auto-apply tools flooding applicant tracking systems, and why making job applications overly complex harms both candidates and employers. Fitzroy also shares how talent acquisition teams can optimize content for generative AI search engines and previews Dalia’s upcoming candidate-support initiative designed to ensure job seekers never feel alone in their search.
Subscribe links, guest bios, and full transcript available.
In the season eight opener of the DE Talk Podcast, host Alicia Wallace sits down with Nita Beecher, Of Counsel at FortneyScott, for a timely and candid conversation on the future of demographic data collection and the EEOC’s proposed rescission of the longstanding...
