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Initiatives and Accomplishments

Alliance Initiative Activity

ODEP continues to partner with organizations through its Alliance initiative to implement activities that educate their members about policies and best practices related to disability employment. For example, as part of this, ODEP collaborates with the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) to launch a “Disability Inclusion Pledge.” Also, the Professional Baseball Athletic Trainers Society (PBATS) launches a public service announcement (PSA) campaign focused on workplace mental health developed in collaboration with ODEP and Major League Baseball. Additional activities include webinars, speaking engagements at partners’ events and information-sharing through newsletters and blogs.

Artificial Intelligence

ODEP, in collaboration with its Partnership on Employment and Accessible Technology (PEAT), hosts an online Think Tank on the use of artificial intelligence (AI) tools in hiring, during which federal agency representatives, technology innovators and civil rights organizations explore strategies for ensuring automated employment decision tools treat workers with disabilities and other underserved communities equitably.

Based on input gathered during its AI in Hiring Think Tank and other engagement activities, ODEP facilitates the incorporation of accessibility principles in several policy frameworks, including the White House Blueprint for an AI Bill of Rights, National Institute of Standards and Technology’s (NIST) AI Risk Management Framework and Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s (EEOC) guidance on the American’s with Disabilities Act (ADA) and AI: Applicants and Employees.

Beginner’s Checklist for Inclusive Artificial Intelligence

As a complement to its Disability-Led Innovation Report, ODEP’s Partnership on Employment and Accessible Technology (PEAT) publishes the Beginner’s Checklist for Inclusive Artificial Intelligence (AI) to help organizations use AI tools inclusively and equitably.

Broadband Equity Think Tank

ODEP’s Partnership on Employment and Accessible Technology (PEAT) and the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) host a Think Tank on Defining Disability Inclusion and Accessibility Technical Assistance and Resources for State Programs. The event explores strategies for building inclusive State Digital Equity Plans that serve the needs of people with disabilities and other populations named in the Digital Equity Act of 2021.

Campaign for Disability Employment

The ODEP-funded Campaign for Disability Employment (CDE) continues distribution of its “Mental Health at Work: What Can I Do?” public service announcement (PSA) campaign, which explores the role we all play in fostering a mental health-friendly workplace. By the end of September, the PSA achieves more than 3 million views and more than $11 million in donated airtime. It also conducts a variety of activities to complement ODEP’s Rehabilitation Act 50th anniversary observance and publishes and distributes “What Can State Agencies Do? – A Step-by-Step Implementation Guide for State Agencies,” a toolkit to help state agencies raise awareness about disability-inclusive workplace policies and practices, both externally and internally.

Center on Advancing Policy on Employment for Youth

In collaboration with its Center for Advancing Policy on Employment for Youth (CAPE-Youth), ODEP continues a range of activities to help states ensure their youth policies and workforce development service delivery systems meet the needs of youth and young adults with disabilities. As part of this, CAPE-Youth publishes, Guideposts for Success: States Engaging Employers Through Policy, which outlines concrete ideas for action by employer organizations, state and regional business councils and state and local government agencies based on the Guideposts for Success Framework for the Future. ODEP awards a cooperative agreement to continue and enhance the Center’s work for another five years.

Competitive Integrated Employment

ODEP continues a range of activities to advance competitive integrated employment (CIE) for people with disabilities, including through its Leadership for the Employment and Economic Advancement of People with Disabilities Center (LEAD Center), Advancing State Policy Integration for Recovery and Employment (ASPIRE) and National Expansion of Employment Opportunities Network (NEON) initiatives. It also develops a new web resource on blending, braiding and sequencing (BBS) as strategies for leveraging resources and coordinating services across various public systems to help advance CIE. In addition, on the 50th anniversary of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Department shares that ODEP will be joining the Wage and Hour Division, Policy office and Solicitors office to engage stakeholders in a comprehensive review of the use and future viability of the Section 14(c) program.

COVID-19 and Employment Trends for People with Disabilities

ODEP releases COVID-19 and Employment Trends for People with Disabilities, a data analysis revealing that the employment-population ratio for people with disabilities fully recovered in August 2021, likely due to greater workplace flexibilities spurred by the pandemic, but remains significantly lower than that of people without disabilities.

Disability Employment Statistics

ODEP continues to report monthly statistics on the labor force participation, employment and unemployment of people with disabilities based on the monthly Current Population Survey (CPS) published by the department’s Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). ODEP and BLS also compile Persons with a Disability – Labor Force Characteristics 2022, a summary of data from the year before, and ODEP continues analyses of data on people with disabilities from underrepresented populations. As part of this, it publishes a report, Women with Disabilities and the Labor Market.

Employer Assistance and Resource Network on Disability Inclusion

ODEP awards a cooperative agreement to Cornell University's Yang-Tan Institute on Employment and Disability to operate the Employer Assistance and Resource Network on Disability Inclusion (EARN), an employer-focused, disability policy development and technical assistance center. The agreement adds new dimensions to the Center’s work while also continuing a strong focus on employer engagement, including through the Inclusion@Work Leadership Network and a series of webinars and other events with subject matter experts on a wide range of topics. EARN releases a suite of Workplace Flexibility tools to help employers implement and sustain disability-inclusive flexibility policies, and issues policy briefs on the intersection of workplace flexibility with caregiving, equity and transportation.

Employment First Community of Practice

ODEP, through their contractor EconSys, continues to offer monthly community of practice webinars, federal resources and grant opportunity announcements to over 3,000 listserv members. Highlights of webinars in 2023 include: State Efforts to Phase Out Subminimum Wages: Lessons Learned from Three States from July and Stories of Successful Transformation to Competitive Integrated Employment from August.

Equitable Transition Models Demonstration Grants

ODEP announces the availability of more than $67.1 million in funding over five years for Equitable Transition Models (ETM) Demonstration Grants, to be awarded in cooperative agreements with four recipients. The grants are intended to identify innovative strategies to help youth and young adults with disabilities, particularly those from underserved groups, successfully transition to the workforce.

Exploring the Future of Public Transportation Research National Online Dialogue

In collaboration with the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Transit Administration, ODEP hosts the Exploring the Future of Public Transportation Research ePolicyWorks National Online Dialogue, which aims to gather public input on how to make public transit safer, cleaner and greener, as well as more resilient, inclusive and equitable.

Family and Medical Leave Act 30th Anniversary

ODEP contributes to the department’s year-long observance of the 30th anniversary of the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), contributing to a roundtable discussion about caregiver leave and penning a blog post on the Act as an important part of the legal infrastructure protecting workers with disabilities in the U.S.

Federal Employment

Working with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and Office of Personnel Management (OPM), ODEP continues to promote disability inclusion in the federal workforce and assist agencies in meeting their goals under Executive Order 14035, Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility (DEIA) in the Federal Workforce. This includes hosting quarterly meetings of the Federal Exchange on Employment and Disability (FEED). It also includes producing a training video, “Mental Health and the Federal Workforce: What Can I Do?” and an accompanying workplace guide about ways federal employees at all levels can help promote a mental health-friendly workplace.

Good Jobs Initiative

On October 26, the Leadership for the Employment and Economic Advancement of People with Disabilities Center (LEAD Center) hosts The Good Jobs Initiative (GJI): Creating Employment Opportunities for People with Disabilities webinar and releases an accompanying fact sheet that lays out the good jobs principles, explains competitive integrated employment and how universal design is important for both. ODEP also provided technical support to make sure people with disabilities benefit from the nearly $239.6 billion in Invest in America Funds.

Individual Placement and Support

ODEP’s Advancing State Policy Integration for Recovery and Employment (ASPIRE) initiative publishes Cost Effectiveness of Individual Placement and Support (IPS), which explores the cost-benefit ratio of IPS, an evidence-based model of supported employment that improves competitive integrated employment (CIE) for people with mental health conditions. Also, it publishes IPS for People with Co-Occurring Substance Use Disorders: A Brief for States, Territories and Organizations, which examines challenges and solutions for using IPS to help jobseekers with mental health conditions and co-occurring substance use disorders.

Interactive Data Maps

ODEP’s Research and Evaluation team publishes two interactive data maps to help policymakers, employers and others better understand the disability employment landscape in their states and across the U.S. The first, the Employment Population Ratio Map, illustrates how the employment rate, or employment-population ratio, varies by state and race/ethnicity among working-age adults with disabilities. The second, the Median Annual Earnings Map, shows how median earnings differ by state and sex among currently working adults with disabilities. An additional interactive data map created by ODEP’s Workforce System Policy Team and hosted on ODEP’s Leadership for the Employment and Economic Advancement of People with Disabilities Center (LEAD Center) website at State Specific Policies and Data provides state specific resources and information for disability employment and supports including select funding rates. ODEP’s LEAD Center also updates their Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) Data Visualization tool which provides data on service to individuals with disabilities through the Workforce Development system under WIOA.

Job Accommodation Network 40th Anniversary

ODEP’s Job Accommodation Network (JAN) marks 40 years of providing free, confidential and expert guidance on workplace accommodations for people with disabilities, rolling out an updated homepage. Throughout the year, it also continues its monthly webcast series and develops a suite of new resources with guidance on accommodations for specific conditions and topics.

Leadership for the Employment and Economic Advancement of Individuals with Disabilities

ODEP’s Workforce Systems Policy Team continues to partner with the department’s Employment and Training Administration (ETA) to promote universal design in the delivery of services through the nationwide network of American Job Centers in accordance with Section 188 of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA). The ODEP-funded Leadership for the Employment and Economic Advancement of People with Disabilities Center (LEAD Center) also continues a variety of efforts to advance equitable, inclusive workforce service delivery for people with disabilities through WIOA policy research, recommendations and technical assistance. Among its published resources is Workforce System and Bank Partnerships: A “How-To” Guide, which helps workforce development boards partner with banks to improve WIOA program participants’ employment and economic outcomes including through new career pathways in the financial industry. The LEAD Center also implements a webinar and an informative Frequently Asked Questions document promoting people with disabilities in good jobs as part of the Good Jobs Initiative, and offers multiple webinars highlighting activities and resources of American Job Centers relating to diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility.

Long COVID

As part of the Biden Administration’s “whole-of-government” approach to Long COVID, ODEP conducts an array of activities to educate employers and workers about strategies and supports to help affected workers stay at or return to work once ready. These include the development and dissemination of outreach materials in addition to continuing to field inquiries through the ODEP-funded Job Accommodation Network (JAN). ODEP serves as an active member of the Long COVID Coordination Council and its working groups, including serving as co-lead of the Long COVID Service Eligibility and Disability Rights Protections Workgroup.

Long COVID National Online Dialogue Report

ODEP releases a comprehensive summary report as well as a snapshot from its ePolicyWorks national online dialogue, "Understanding and Addressing the Workplace Challenges Related to Long COVID," which seeks to gain insight into the workplace challenges related to Long COVID and new ways to address them.

Low Cost, High Impact Study

The Job Accommodation Network (JAN) publishes Accommodation and Compliance: Low Cost, High Impact. This report analyzes survey data collected from employers from 2019 to 2022 to reveal that nearly half of accommodations made for workers with disabilities incur no cost, and of those that do, the median one-time expenditure is $300, a decrease in comparison to previous reports.

Mental Health

ODEP assists in developing the department’s Mental Health at Work campaign, which launches in honor of Mental Health Awareness Month. This includes contributing to the campaign’s video public service announcement (PSA) as well as a centralized website with resources for employers, workers and others. The Campaign for Disability Employment (CDE), airs its most recent PSA on televisions across the nation. ODEP also continues to educate employers about best practices for workplace well-being through its Employer Assistance and Resource Network on Disability Inclusion (EARN). In 2023, EARN releases an updated evidence-based Mental Health Toolkit to help employers support their workers' mental health and well-being.

Mental Health Matters Task Force and National Online Dialogues

ODEP, through its State Exchange on Employment and Disability (SEED) convenes The Mental Health Matters: National Task Force on Workforce Mental Health Policy. The task force highlights and discusses policy options for addressing workforce challenges and barriers to employment for people with mental health conditions. Ultimately, the task force’s work informs a series of resources, including a comprehensive policy framework to assist state and local policymakers effectively address the mental health needs of workers during and following the pandemic. To further inform the discussions, ODEP also hosts a series of ePolicyWorks online dialogues to gather ideas and other public input on how health policies can support workers’ mental health.

NDEAM 2023

ODEP oversees the National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM) 2023 in October, anchored by the theme “Advancing Access and Equity.” As part of this, ODEP revamps the NDEAM website and creates additional resources, among them a customizable poster and Spanish-language webpage and animated video. The President also issues a proclamation recognizing the month and the important role workers with disabilities play in America’s economic success.

National Expansion of Employment Opportunities Network Core States

ODEP announces the selection of two cohorts of “core states” under its National Expansion of Employment Opportunities Network (NEON) initiative, which works to advance competitive integrated employment (CIE). The addition of these core states expands NEON’s reach and impact by focusing on state-level policy and systems change. ODEP also continues to provide technical assistance to five National Provider Organizations—ACCSES, ANCOR, the Association of People Supporting Employment First (APSE), The Arc and SourceAmerica—to assist their members in advancing CIE, in accordance with the National Plan to Increase CIE.

Native American Communities Engagement

ODEP, with several intra- and interagency partners, hosts a three-part virtual dialogue series that addresses multiple topics that impact employment for Native American Communities. To help frame the dialogue series, ODEP and federal partners meet with stakeholders from Native Communities to gain more knowledge on the current inequities facing the population, topics that will be the most beneficial for the dialogue series and how to present the information. The three virtual dialogues in 2023 include:

On October 4, 2023, ODEP hosts an all-day hybrid interagency convening on Advancing Interagency Problem Solving and Capacity-Building in Native Communities. The Convening aims to identify collaboration opportunities, policy gaps and intersections to enhance equitable access to economic development, education and workforce development programs in Native communities from a whole-of-government approach.

Our Future Matters National Online Dialogue

ODEP and several federal agency partners host the Our Future Matters: Informing the Federal Interagency Strategy ePolicyWorks National Online Dialogue, which aims to gather public input on how to enhance policies and practices to facilitate effective transition to adulthood for youth with disabilities.

Partnership on Employment and Accessible Technology

ODEP’s Partnership on Employment and Accessible Technology (PEAT) continues to collaborate with employer and technology industry partners to promote accessible workplace technology through a wide range of activities, including podcasts, articles and events, with a focus on equitable artificial intelligence and digital accessibility in the context of the post-pandemic workplace landscape and considerations for historically underserved communities.

Partnership on Inclusive Apprenticeship

Through its Partnership on Inclusive Apprenticeship (PIA), ODEP continues to promote inclusive apprenticeship programs in all industries. PIA focuses especially on fostering career pathways through inclusive apprenticeships in information technology, cybersecurity, clean energy and financial and professional services. Key activities include its ongoing Apprenticeship for All Podcast Series, webinars and Success Stories showcasing the experiences of apprentices with disabilities from diverse backgrounds. Notably, ODEP hosts Think Tanks on Digital Accessibility and Access to Apprenticeships for Black Americans with Disabilities.

Rehabilitation Act Anniversary

ODEP celebrates an observance of the 50th anniversary of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, with the theme, “Advancing Access and Equity: Then, Now and Next.” Activities include a series of blog posts examining the Act’s impact on employment and career readiness, an animated video and contribution to and participation in a White House event. ODEP also collaborates with the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) and U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) to issue a commemorative resource guide, Employment Protections Under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973: 50 Years of Protecting Americans with Disabilities in the Workplace.

Research Support Services for Employment of Young Adults on the Autism Spectrum

ODEP publishes Characteristics, Service Use and Employment Outcomes of Young Adults on the Autism Spectrum Who Engaged with Vocational Rehabilitation Services from 2017 to 2020. This report compiles findings from theResearch Support Services for Employment of Young Adults on the Autism Spectrum (REYAAS) project, which explores opportunities for improving employment outcomes for young adults on the autism spectrum by examining their engagement with state vocational rehabilitation (VR) agencies.

Section 14(c) Stakeholder Engagement Sessions

On the 50th anniversary of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Department shares that ODEP will be joining the Wage and Hour Division, Policy office and Solicitors office to engage stakeholders in a comprehensive review of the use and future viability of the Section 14(c) program.

State Exchange on Employment and Disability

The ODEP-led State Exchange on Employment and Disability (SEED) initiative continues to provide states direct policy assistance and promote inclusive workforce development policy at the state and local level through formal partnerships with 17 intermediary organizations and their communications channels and events. SEED also continues to convene the Mental Health Matters: National Task Force on Workforce Mental Health Policy, which produces a policy framework to help states learn policy options to improve employment outcomes for people with mental health conditions and address mental health workforce shortages. SEED and ODEP’s Employer Assistance and Resource Network on Disability Inclusion (EARN) release a comprehensive toolkit on state government employment for disabled workers to help state and local entities be model employers for people with disabilities, with examples from state governments across the country. 

State Intermediary Organizations

Through NEON, ODEP continues to work with six State Intermediary Organizations (SIOs): Association of People Supporting Employment First (APSE), Council of State Administrators of Vocational Rehabilitation (CSAVR), National Association of Medicaid Directors (NAMD), National Association of State Directors of Developmental Disabilities Services (NASDDS), National Association of State Directors of Special Education (NASDSE) and National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors (NASMHPD). These six partners are developing a Framework to Increase Competitive Integrated Employment for State Level Government Agencies.

Transforming HR Through Innovative Disability-Inclusive Policies and Practices Think Tank

ODEP’s Employer Assistance and Resource Network on Disability Inclusion (EARN) convenes a Think Tank on Transforming Human Resources Through Innovative Disability-Inclusive Policies and Practices. The event features break-out sessions aligned with phases of the employee lifecycle–recruitment, hiring, retention and advancement. Representatives from private industry, the federal sector, disability and diversity consultants, the 13 EARN Inclusion@Work Network Leadership Council members and professional organizations, policy professionals and disability service organizations participate in the event. The Think Tank also features presentations by Specialisterne, the HR Policy Association and Accenture. Representatives from the National Organization on Disability, Valuable 500 and the U.S. Access Board provide reactions to break-out sessions. The 66 participants examine disability-related barriers of current human resource processes and propose solutions for overcoming these barriers. The resulting event report presents a robust set of challenges and solutions for each stage of the employment lifecycle. The report also contains key takeaways and public- and private-sector workplace policy recommendations.

Workforce Recruitment Program

ODEP continues the annual recruitment and hiring cycle for the Workforce Recruitment Program (WRP) in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Defense. The 2024 database includes 3,300 students and recent graduates that federal hiring managers can connect with to fill internships or long-term employment and support their Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility goals under Executive Order 14035.