A group of diverse people looking at construction plans. Three are standing and one is in a wheelchair. The text on the graphic reads “The Department of Labor Presents a Virtual NDEAM Event. Good Jobs Change Lives. Helping Disabled Workers Get Ahead. October 24, 2024 2:00 - 3:00 p.m. ET.

The NDEAM 2024 theme, Access to Good Jobs for All, emphasizes our goal to invest in and create opportunities for disabled workers in good jobs across the country. Our October 24 NDEAM event, Good Jobs Change Lives: Helping Disabled Workers Get Ahead, was recorded and is now available to view on demand.

Watch the event recording

Download the event speaker, moderator and panelist bios and slide presentation.

Event Description

President Biden’s Investing in America agenda provides new opportunities to expand access to good jobs in key industries for people with disabilities. Good jobs are jobs at safe workplaces that pay family-sustaining wages and offer strong civil rights protections. Unprecedented federal investments in infrastructure, manufacturing, and clean energy are creating opportunities for greater inclusion of disabled people in critical industries.

This event featured a panel of policymakers discussing the impact of the Investing in America agenda and the opportunities it generates for disabled workers. Participants learned about best practices to help employers hire and retain people with disabilities in good jobs.

Watch the event recording to learn about how:

  • DOL’s Good Jobs Initiative works to enhance talent development for high-quality jobs in high-growth industries by partnering with the departments of Transportation, Commerce, Energy, and Interior, as well as the Environmental Protection Agency and the General Services Administration, to support the use of federal investment in employment for people with disabilities.
  • DOL’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) Mega Construction Project Program fosters equal opportunity in the construction trades workforce of federal contractors and subcontractors on large federal construction projects.
  • The Commerce, Energy, and Transportation departments have designed programs funded through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the CHIPS and Science Act, and the Inflation Reduction Act to ensure that all workers have opportunities to work on federally funded projects.
  • DOL’s resource “Helping Workers with Disabilities Get Ahead Through Good Jobs: A Toolkit of Practical Strategies” provides policies, practices, and real-life examples to help employers hire and retain people with disabilities in good jobs.

Speakers

Black woman with shoulder length natural hair smiling at the camera in front of the American and U.S. Department of Labor flags.

Taryn Mackenzie Williams
Assistant Secretary of Labor
Office of Disability Employment Policy
U.S. Department of Labor

A white man with medium length brown hair wearing a blue suit in front of an American flag backdrop

Emlyn Bottomley
Policy Analyst
Good Jobs Initiative
U.S. Department of Labor

Moderator

  • Louis Orslene, Director, Employer and Workplace Policy Team, Office of Disability Employment Policy, U.S. Department of Labor

Panelists

  • Anupa I. Geevarghese, Deputy Director, Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs, U.S. Department of Labor
  • Maya Goodwin, Workforce Strategy Lead, Office of Energy Jobs, U.S. Department of Energy
  • Karen R. Owens, Senior Policy Advisor, CHIPS for America, U.S. Department of Commerce
  • Paige Shevlin, Strategic Advisor for Infrastructure Workforce Development, Office of the Secretary, U.S. Department of Transportation
  • M.L. (Mike) Efaw, National Legislative Director, Brotherhood of Railroad Signalmen

Resources