DE Talk | Section 503 Changes: What Employers and the Disability Community Need to Know
Season 8 • Episode 3
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.
DE Talk Unplugged | Fixing the Application Black Hole with Dalia’s Sam Fitzroy
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...
DE Talk | Fixing the Application Black Hole with Dalia’s Sam Fitzroy
Season 8 • Episode 2
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.
DE Talk | EEO Data in Flux: Navigating the EEOC’s Proposal to Rescind EEO-1 Reporting
Season 8 • Episode 1
For almost 60 years, the EEO-1 Report has been a fixture for employers—love it or hate it, everyone knows the drill. Now the EEOC wants to get rid of it, and nobody’s quite sure what comes next.
In this episode, Alicia Wallace talks with Nita Beecher of Fortney Scott about what’s actually going on: why the EEOC is targeting EEO-1 reporting and the rules behind it, what EEOC leadership has said about how employers can still use this data, and why dropping federal reporting doesn’t mean the legal risk goes away. They also get into the uncertain position employers might find themselves in—no requirement to collect the data, but still very much exposed to discrimination claims if they don’t.
It’s a candid conversation for anyone who handles this work and is trying to figure out what to do next, not just what the headlines say.
This podcast is for general discussion purposes only and should not be considered as legal advice.
Subscribe links, guest bios, and full transcript available.
DirectEmployers Association Earns Three Stevie® Awards in Its American Business Awards Debut
Indianapolis-based nonprofit wins Gold, Silver, and Bronze across three competitive categories in first-ever submission to the prestigious American Business Awards, recognizing excellence in annual conference programming and member engagement. DirectEmployers...
Indianapolis Star Names DirectEmployers Association a Winner of the Central Indiana Top Workplaces 2026 Award
Sixth Consecutive Honor Reflects a People-First Culture That Keeps Climbing Nonprofit HR trade consortium, DirectEmployers Association is proud to announce it has been named a 2026 Top Workplace by The Indianapolis Star for the sixth consecutive year. This recognition...
Leadership Shift at the OFCCP: Kenneth J. Wolfe Named Director
Key Takeaways The transition from Ashley Romanias to Kenneth J. Wolfe signals a significant moment of change for the OFCCP, marking the agency’s third director in just over a year. As a long-time public servant with over 23 years of experience at HHS and a current...
The Hiring System Isn’t Broken. It’s Outdated.
Key Takeaways The traditional hiring model is no longer broken—it is outdated. While employers struggle to fill roles, the core issue is not a lack of talent, but the reliance on legacy signals like degrees and job titles that fail to capture modern, non-linear skill...