U.S. Department of Labor, Advocates for Individuals with Disabilities to Join Online to Encourage Employers to Build Disability Inclusive Workforces

ATLANTA, GA – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) in Atlanta, Georgia, announced it will hold a virtual symposium on Oct. 6, 2020, to promote inclusive workplaces for individuals with disabilities. The event coincides with October’s 75th annual celebration of National Disability Employment Awareness Month.

OFCCP Southeast Region’s I Am Able-Access Ability committee will host the symposium in collaboration with the Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP), the Excellence in Disability in Inclusion (EDI) Award winners PepsiCo and CVS Health, and the Florida-based nonprofit organization “Who Got Game.”

Attendees will have the opportunity to learn about the importance of disability inclusion, ODEP’s programs and assistance to companies to help build inclusive workforces, PepsiCo and CVS Health’s award-winning disability inclusion programs, how to create an effective disability inclusion program, and how a small Florida non-profit organization successfully includes individuals with disabilities in its workforce.

WHO:            Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs’ Southeast Region

WHAT:          Individuals with Disabilities Virtual Symposium 

WHEN:          Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2020

11 a.m. to 1 p.m. EDT

WHERE:       Register for the online symposium

                        Attendance is free, but space is limited.

“National Disability Employment Awareness Month allows us to focus on assisting individuals with disabilities and how creating opportunities and avenues to increase their workforce participation benefits all of us,” said Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs Southeast Regional Director Samuel Maiden, in Atlanta, Georgia. “This event is an excellent way for attendees to join with our I Am Able-Access Ability disability committee to brainstorm best practices and how we can empower individuals with disabilities and realize all they have to offer.”

OFCCP also provides compliance assistance to discuss best practices for effective outreach, in preparation for the 503-focused reviews designed to ensure contractor compliance with Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.

For more information, contact Director of Regional Compliance Regina Jones at Jones.regina@dol.gov, Senior Compliance Officer and Lead John Palmer at Palmer.john@do.gov, or Regional Liaison Karmen Johnson at Johnson.karmen@dol.gov.

In addition to Executive Order 11246, OFCCP enforces Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Vietnam Era Veterans’ Readjustment Assistance Act of 1974. These laws, as amended, make it illegal for contractors and subcontractors doing business with the federal government to discriminate in employment because of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or status as a protected veteran. In addition, contractors and subcontractors are prohibited from discriminating against applicants or employees because they have inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their compensation or the compensation of others subject to certain limitations, and may not retaliate against applicants or employees for engaging in protected activities. These laws also require that federal contractors provide equal employment opportunity through affirmative action. For more information, please call OFCCP’s toll-free helpline at 800-397-6251 or visit https://www.dol.gov/ofccp/.

The mission of the Department of Labor is to foster, promote and develop the welfare of the wage earners, job seekers and retirees of the United States; improve working conditions; advance opportunities for profitable employment; and assure work-related benefits and rights.