The Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) is the only non-regulatory federal agency that promotes policies and coordinates with employers and all levels of government to increase workplace success for people with disabilities.
Mission
ODEP's mission is to develop and influence policies and practices that increase the number and quality of employment opportunities for people with disabilities.
To fulfill this mission, ODEP promotes the adoption and implementation of ODEP policy strategies and effective practices — meaning those that ODEP has developed and/or validated — that will impact the employment of people with disabilities. ODEP's approach is to drive systems and practice changes by disseminating ODEP policy strategies and effective practices, sharing information, and providing technical assistance to government agencies, service providers and non-governmental entities, as well as public and private employers. Through these activities, ODEP contributes to the achievement of: DOL’s Strategic Goal 1: Support the ability of all Americans to find good jobs, and Strategic Objective 1.3: Develop evidence-based policies, practices, and tools to foster a more inclusive workforce to increase quality employment opportunities for individuals with disabilities.
Vision
A world in which people with disabilities have unlimited employment opportunities.
Authorizing Legislation
ODEP began in Fiscal Year 2001 when Congress “…established in the Department of Labor an office of disability employment policy which shall, under the overall direction of the Secretary, provide leadership, develop policy and initiatives, and award grants furthering the objective of eliminating barriers to the training and employment of people with disabilities. Such office shall be headed by an Assistant Secretary.” 29 U.S.C. 557(b) (emphasis added). [Link] (Pub. L. 106–554, § 1(a)(1) [title I], Dec. 21, 2000, 114 Stat. 2763, 2763A–10)
The ODEP Story
How did ODEP begin? We were officially established in 2001, but our origins trace back a few years further. In 1998, President Bill Clinton, through Executive Order 13078, formed the Presidential Task Force on Employment of Adults with Disabilities. Convening expertise from an array of federal agencies, this Task Force evaluated existing federal programs to identify changes and innovations needed to improve employment opportunities and outcomes for adults with disabilities. One of its key recommendations was the formation of a permanent sub-cabinet level agency within the U.S. Department of Labor focused on disability employment policy. Congress then authorized ODEP in its Fiscal Year 2001 appropriation.
Upon opening our doors, we also assumed responsibility for a number of initiatives managed by the President's Committee on Employment of People with disabilities. This merging of policy and programmatic expertise laid the groundwork for the interagency connections and cooperative partnerships that are the hallmark of our work today.
ODEP in Action
Learn about our specific initiatives and accomplishments by year:
2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023