The Workforce System
ODEP works to ensure meaningful access to employment and training programs and services through both public and private systems and employers. Recognizing the need for a national policy to ensure that people with disabilities are fully integrated into the 21st Century workforce, and related organizations. ODEP works collaboratively with federal and state stakeholders across both the public and private sectors to promote capacity building and systems changes that increase the employment of individuals with disabilities.
ODEP also works with Department of Labor-funded workforce development systems, such as One-Stop Career Centers (also referred to as "One-Stops"). These are state networks of conveniently located community centers that each provide employment, education, and training services all in one place. They provide a wealth of information and assistance for job seekers, education and training seekers, and employers.
Some of ODEP's workforce technical assistance initiatives and resources are:
National Technical Assistance and Research (NTAR) Leadership Center
NTAR is an ODEP-funded cooperative agreement that works to build capacity and leadership at the federal, state, and local levels to enable change across workforce development and disability-specific systems that will increase employment and economic self-sufficiency for adults with disabilities. In April 2008, NTAR selected three states--Connecticut, Maryland, and Minnesota--to participate in its first State Leaders' Innovation Institute. The State Leaders' Innovation Institute is part of NTAR's national efforts to improve employment for adults with disabilities by connecting state workforce policies to state and local economic growth and development goals.
Workforce Investment Act (Section 188 Checklist)
The U.S. Department of Labor, Civil Rights Center (CRC), in cooperation with the Office of the Assistant Secretary for the Employment and Training Administration (ETA) and the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Disability and Employment Policy (ODEP), developed this Checklist. The Checklist is designed to ensure meaningful participation of people with disabilities in programs and activities operated by recipients of financial assistance under the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (WIA), including those that are part of the workforce development system. (Released July 25. 2003.) The Checklist assists workforce development systems to provide meaningful participation of people with disabilities in programs and activities operated by recipients of financial assistance under the Workforce Investment Act.
Tax Incentives for Employers
ODEP offers a tax fact sheet [HTML] [PDF] to help employers cover the cost of accommodations for employees with disabilities and to make their places of business accessible.
Since successful communication is an essential part of participating in the global workforce, ODEP is committed to making the workforce accessible to all, including those who face a range of communication challenges. Under various civil rights laws, businesses are expected to be able to communicate effectively with their customers, employees, and job seekers who have vision, hearing, or speech disabilities and are responsible for taking hte steps needed for effective communication.
Communication access means that persons wtih sensory disabilities can communicate and be communicated with on an equal footing with those who do not have such disabilities. Various methods are available to facilitate conversations with individuals with communication challenges.
For individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing or who have speech limitations, Interpreting and Relay services are available. ODEP's Job Accommodation Network (JAN) also provides an Interpreter Referral service.
For individuals who are blind or who have low vision, JAN offers Accommodation Ideas for Vision Impairments. This resource provides information on how to accommodate employees with vision limitations, a five-step assistive technology resource, an EEOC Fact Sheet with questions and answers about blindness and vision limitations in the workplace and the ADA, and much more.
Laws Covering Communication Access
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
Rehabilitation Act of 1973
Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act
Section 188 Checklist of the Workforce Investment Act (WIA)
Telecommunications Act
Other Federal Workforce Resources
Highlights of a GAO [Government Accounting Office] Forum: Workforce Challenges and Opportunities For 21st Century: Changing Labor Force Dynamics and the Role of Government Polices [PDF] [Text] (June 1, 2004)
The U.S. workforce of the 21st century is expected to face a very different set of opportunities and challenges than previous generations. Demographic and economic trends indicate that the size and composition of the labor force, as well as the characteristics of many jobs, are changing in the 21st century. To discuss these changing labor force dynamics and the role of government policies, GAO hosted the "Workforce Challenges and Opportunities for the 21st Century Forum" on April 22, 2004. The participants were a select group of national leaders and experts on the dynamics of the U.S. workforce. This group included government officials, business and union representatives, and other national experts on workforce issues.
Human Capital: Federal Workforce Challenges in the 21st Century [PDF] [Text] (March 6, 2007)
Testimony: Before the Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government, Committee on Appropriations, House of Representatives is based on a large body of GAO (General Accounting Office) work over many years, focuses on strategic human capital management challenges that many federal agencies continue to face.
Private- and Non-Profit Sector Workforce Resources
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AARP's Workforce Assessment Tool
This online tool helps employers gauge the impact of the aging workforce on their business. It is a free, confidential resource that can help an employer assess current and future workforce needs, anticipate skill shortages, and build on company strengths to attract and retain experienced workers. The tool asks a series of questions about a company's workforce composition, practices, and benefits. Once the assessment is completed, an individualized report will automatically be generated based on the answers provided. This report provides:
1) An overview of how the aging of the workforce will affect an organization
2) A map of a company's current employment practices and areas for improvement
3) Recommendations on how to create an "age-friendly" workplace that appeals to all workers
4) An inventory of the workplace's strengths that can enhance the company's brand
Staying Ahead of the Curve: The AARP Working in Retirement Study (2003)
A nationwide telephone survey conducted with 2,001 workers between the ages of 50 and 70 to explore their vision of retirement and to better understand the types of jobs that workers who plan to work in retirement imagine holding and the types of jobs currently held by today's working retirees.
