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DE Talk Unplugged: Reframing Disability Accommodations as a Performance Strategy, Not a Risk File
Too often, workplace accommodations get relegated to an HR compliance checklist—a legal obligation to manage, form to process, or cost center to minimize. But what happens if organizations shift their perspective and view accommodations as a competitive advantage...
DE Talk Unplugged | The End of “Jobs Near Me”: Conversational AI Is Changing How Candidates Find Jobs
For over two decades, the playbook for job hunting was simple: open a search bar, type a rigid job title or career focus and a zip code, and wade through pages of mismatched links. That playbook is officially expiring. In a recent episode of the DE Talk Podcast, host...
Beyond Accessibility: Everyday Innovations Born from Disability Inclusion
Key Takeaways Many everyday tools—closed captioning, typewriters, curb cuts, ergonomic handles, and texting—were originally designed to solve a specific disability-related need, then went mainstream because they made life easier for everyone. This pattern is known as...
DE Talk Unplugged | Section 503 Changes: What Employers and the Disability Community Need to Know
Major regulatory shifts can create uncertainty, but they also offer a rare opportunity to re-evaluate what truly drives workplace culture. On the latest episode of the DE Talk Podcast, guest host and Chief Advisor at Forte Advisory Group PJ Rossi sits down with...
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 Unplugged | EEO Data in Flux: Navigating the EEOC’s Proposal to Rescind EEO-1 Reporting
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...
What HR Compliance Requirements Apply to Federal Contractors?
Originally published June 24, 2026. Last updated October 27, 2026.Key Takeaways Federal contractors with contracts of $200,000 or more are covered by VEVRAA, and more than $20,000 by Section 503—both of which remain fully enforceable despite the January 2025...
When Hiring Algorithms Go Unmanaged: What the Stanford Algorithmic Hiring Study Means for HR Compliance
Key Takeaways A Stanford study of 3.4 million real job applicants found that more than 25% of applications from Black candidates and nearly 15% from Asian candidates were directed to positions that produced adverse impact under Title VII standards. That risk was not...
What Is a CBO? How Federal Contractors Can Turn Community Partnerships Into Talent Pipelines
Key Takeaways Community-based organizations (CBOs) are nonprofit workforce development partners that connect federal contractors to skilled, job-ready candidates from underrepresented communities—including protected veterans, individuals with disabilities, and more....
DEAMcon26 Day 3 Recap: Pay Equity, ChatGPT, Free Sourcing Tools, and a Closing That Left Nobody Comfortable Staying Still
Key Takeaways The final day of DEAMcon26 delivered a high-density roadmap for navigating the intersection of talent acquisition, AI, and federal compliance. Key highlights included Brian Fink’s demonstration of free Google Custom Search Engines to bypass expensive...