October is a special time of year for us at the Department of Labor. If you’ve been following this blog in recent weeks, you may already know why; It’s National Disability Employment Awareness Month. Managed by our Office of Disability Employment Policy, this annual observance celebrates the contributions of workers with disabilities and educates Americans about the value of a diverse workforce that welcomes everyone’s skills and talents. In other words, it’s all about inclusion.
We are all in search of great talent. “If you want to have a workforce that thinks outside of the box I think it’s really important to be tapping into a diverse population like the population of workers with disabilities, because they live outside of the box....
Twenty four years ago my son, Jacob, was born with hydrocephalus, or water on the brain. After several surgeries, doctors told us Jacob would be living with both physical and intellectual disabilities. They also told us not to expect much of Jacob in terms of his ability to participate in civic life, community life and in work. And they plunged us into what I now call the “The Tyranny of Low Expectations.”
If you have met one person with multiple sclerosis (MS), than you have met one person with MS — as no two people’s experiences are the same. MS is an unpredictable, often disabling disease of the central nervous system that disrupts the flow of information within the brain, and between the brain and body. Symptoms vary from person to person and range from numbness and tingling, to walking difficulties, fatigue, dizziness, pain, depression, blindness and paralysis. The progress, severity and specific symptoms of MS in any one person cannot yet be predicted.
We know that we need to provide accommodations for individuals with disabilities in the application process, but how about accessibility? Is it really necessary to go that far?
Consider the following example. To make a restroom accessible, we would want to make it large enough for a wheelchair and provide handrails. We would adjust the toilet roll holder to the proper height and install automatic flushing. We might even provide a button to the side of door, to make it easier to open.
I had the great opportunity to attend the U.S. Business Leadership Network (USBLN) national conference, an annual meeting of companies with a demonstrated commitment to a disability-inclusive workplace. As always, the event was a very fitting prelude to National Disability Employment Awareness Month.
The much-anticipated so-called federal contractor “blacklisting” rules and guidance (“Final Rule” and “Guidance”) were published in the federal register on August 25, 2016. The Final Rule becomes effective on October 25, 2016 and imposes four new legal obligations on covered federal contractors, which will be phased in over the next year (starting as early as October 25, 2016). It is important to also note that this is being phased in via Federal Acquisition Regulation (“FAR”) solicitation and contract provisions. This means that the Final Rule “becomes effective” by beginning to appear in new solicitations issued on or after October 25, 2016. This should not dampen a company’s concern and speed of progressing through the steps below and determining and pursuing compliance, but it is critical to understand and follow the specific path of obligation.
The following blog post was authored by Cindy Haynes, Managing Director and Partner at EraserFarm–a Tampa branding and creative agency. 2016 is a new era and many employers are putting a greater emphasis on diversity within their companies. As such, this diversity...
The following is a guest post authored by Phil Strazzulla of NextWave Hire–a company focused on helping companies build their employer brands through authentic employee testimonials that dive deep into what life is like at a company. Let me guess, you already tried to...
Member Mike Bazinet, Associate Director of Plasma Recruitment at Grifols Inc. is authoring a series of guest posts on how employers can be more effective with their veteran recruitment, outreach and retention efforts. Be sure to read Mike’s previous post,...
