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November 5, 2008    DOL Home > Find It! By Topic > Disability Resources   

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Disability Resources

The Department of Labor's Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) seeks to increase employment opportunities for people with disabilities by expanding access to training, education, employment supports, assistive technology, integrated employment, entrepreneurial development, and small-business opportunities. The agency also builds partnerships with employers and state and local agencies to increase awareness of the benefits of hiring people with disabilities, and to facilitate the use of effective strategies. ODEP does not enforce any laws.

ODEP has created a Web site, DisabilityInfo.Gov, which provides one-stop online access to resources, services, and information available throughout the federal government. The site also seeks to promote awareness of disability issues to the general public.

The Department's Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) enforces Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act, which requires federal contractors and subcontractors with government contracts in excess of $10,000, to take affirmative action to employ and advance in employment qualified individuals with disabilities. Additionally, OFCCP has coordinating authority under Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), which prohibits job discrimination by employers with 15 or more employees against qualified individuals with disabilities. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has primary authority for enforcing the employment provisions of ADA. Most government contractors are covered by both Section 503 and the ADA.

The OFCCP also enforces the Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRAA), which prohibits employment discrimination against certain categories of veterans by federal contractors. Some disabled veterans are covered under this law.

The Department's Employment and Training Administration (ETA) provides grant programs and other services to enhance the employment opportunities of people with disabilities.

The Department's Civil Rights Center (CRC), a part of the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Administration and Management (OASAM), enforces several federal disability nondiscrimination laws, including Sections 504 and 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. Section 504 prohibits disability-based discrimination by, and imposes affirmative disability-related responsibilities on, recipients of federal financial assistance, as well as federal programs and activities; the CRC enforces the law as it relates to recipients of financial assistance from DOL.

Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act requires that electronic and information technology be accessible to people with disabilities; the CRC enforces the complaint provisions of that section. The CRC also enforces Section 188 of the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (WIA), which prohibits disability-based discrimination by programs and activities that are offered as part of the One-Stop service delivery system established by WIA Title I. Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act contains similar provisions applicable to public employers; CRC is responsible for enforcing Title II with regard to "all programs, services, and regulatory activities" of organizations "relating to labor and the work force."

The CRC also is responsible for enforcing two Executive Orders: E.O. 11478, which prohibits employment discrimination and requires affirmative action on various bases, including disability, by the federal government; and E.O. 13160, which prohibits disability-based discrimination in education programs and activities conducted by executive departments and agencies.

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