Office of Disability Employment Policy

Mission Statement

TWO NEW FACT SHEETS JUST RELEASED Read about Making Workplace Accommodations Read about Employee Assistance Programs for a New Generation of Employees

GROUND-BREAKING SURVEY OF EMPLOYER ACTIONS/ATTITUDES RELEASED The Survey of Employer Perspectives on the Employment of People with Disabilities is the first of its magnitude, with responses representing more than 2.4 Million companies nationwide. The survey reveals that a majority of large businesses hiring people with disabilities are discovering that costs for accommodations differ very little from those of the general employee population. Additionally, the survey showed that once an employer hires someone with a disability, they are much more likely to hire other people with disabilities. ROBUST & COMPREHENSIVE BUSINESS CASE NOW AVAILABLE   ODEP’s revised Business Case for Hiring People with Disabilities, including returning disabled veterans, features video clips, research and anecdotal information from businesses and industry leaders on how hiring people with disabilities improves an organization's bottom line across six themes: Return on Investment, Human Capital, Innovation, Marketing, Diversity, and Social Responsibility.

JOB ACCOMMODATION NETWORK OFFERS ADA AMENDMENTS ACT OF 2008 RESOURCES The ADA Amendments Act of 2008 became effective on January 1, 2009. Although the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has not yet completed the regulations for the new legislation, ODEP’s Job Accommodation Network (JAN) has developed both a publication and a resource page regarding the Act. The new publication is JAN's Accommodation and Compliance Series: The ADA Amendments Act of 2008 (http://www.jan.wvu.edu/bulletins/adaaa1.htm) and will be periodically updated as additional information is made public. You can find complementary resources at: http://www.jan.wvu.edu/LINKS/adalinks.htm

WORKERS WITH DISABILITIES: TALENT FOR A WINNING TEAM Jim Abbott – It’s Talent and Skill That Mattered, Not His Disability Jim Abbott is a former Major League Baseball (MLB) pitcher who played for the California Angels, Chicago White Sox, Milwaukee Brewers and New York Yankees. The highlight of his career was pitching a no-hitter for the Yankees in 1993. But he is also remembered for excelling at the game despite being born with only one hand. Read more about Jim Abbott