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ODEP News Brief. Driving Change - Creating Opportunity

September 26, 2024

Collage of professionals with and without disabilities working with technology with the text: “New Resource. AI & Inclusive Hiring Framework. Make your artificial intelligence-powered hiring technology more inclusive for disabled job seekers. Visit PEATworks.org/AI-inclusive-hiring-framework to learn more.” PEAT and ODEP logos.Make Your AI Hiring Tools Inclusive and Accessible

If your business uses or plans to use artificial intelligence (AI)–enabled hiring tools, we have a new resource for you: the AI & Inclusive Hiring Framework. Just released by our Partnership on Employment & Accessible Technology (PEAT) initiative, the framework helps employers use AI tools more inclusively and reduce risks of unintentional forms of discrimination when hiring workers with disabilities. We know that while AI can potentially improve opportunities for workers, these same technologies—depending on how they are designed and deployed—can also introduce bias and accessibility concerns for disabled job seekers. So PEAT collaborated with a core team of experts, conducted listening sessions and used feedback from a national online public dialogue to build the new framework and help employers break down barriers and maximize disability inclusion.

“National Disability Employment Awareness Month” and cartoon illustrations of people with various disabilities.Countdown to NDEAM!

National Disability Employment Awareness Month begins October 1! Join ODEP in reaffirming your commitment to equal access to good jobs for disabled people and help us celebrate the invaluable contributions of America’s disabled workers. Be sure to visit our NDEAM webpage to download this year’s customizable poster with the 2024 theme: Advancing Access to Good Jobs for All. And follow us on LinkedIn for 31 ways to honor NDEAM—we’ll post a new tip each day of the month.

Closeup of computer keyboard with an image of a screen floating above showing a bar graph and other iconography depicting the idea of “data.”Census Bureau to Livestream Meeting with Stakeholders on Disability Data Needs

Those who are interested in issues surrounding access and availability of disability data are invited to tune into the livestream of the Census Bureau meeting on Monday, September 30. The daylong convening will bring together federal agencies, data users, disability advocates, community representatives and stakeholders to talk about defining disability, improving data quality and increasing meaningful engagement with the disability community.

“September is Suicide Prevention Awareness Month #SuicidePreventionMonth #SPM24” and an image of a blue suicide prevention awareness ribbon.Suicide Prevention Awareness Month Resources from JAN

September is Suicide Prevention Awareness Month, an appropriate time for employers to evaluate their workplaces and management practices to help with suicide prevention in the workplace. The more employers understand about mental health conditions and the complex interplay between work and suicide risk, the better they may provide needed support for employees to remain healthy and successful on the job. Read the latest newsletter from ODEP’s Job Accommodation Network (JAN) for more information.