Overview
The U.S. Department of Transportation is committed to being a model employer of a diverse workforce that includes people with disabilities, especially those with targeted disabilities (deafness, blindness, partial paralysis, total paralysis, missing limbs, distortion of limbs or spine, mental illness, mental retardation, and convulsive disorders).
Federal agencies are required to set goals for the employment and advancement of people with targeted disabilities. The most recently reported Federal high ratio for the employment of people with targeted disabilities in a Federal agency is 2.65 percent. Currently, DOT is at 0.73 percent, as of March 2011.
Goals for DOT
Given the Department's current statistics, Secretary LaHood has established a goal that 3% of DOT's workforce will be persons with targeted disabilities. Hiring activities will be monitored until the goal is achieved. Qualified people with severe or targeted disabilities may be hired either non-competitively through the Schedule A Hiring Authority, or for FAA job opportunities using the On-The-Spot Hiring Authority . Applicants with disabilities can also choose to participate in the competitive hiring process. For more information about the Schedule A Hiring Authority, visit the OPM website on employment of people with disabilities.
This DOT DRC web page provides applicants with disabilities and hiring managers with information, resources, and tools that can be used toward achieving the DOT hiring goal.
Current Non-Competitive Employment Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities at the U.S. Department of Transportation
The Department of Transportation is committed to increasing our employment of qualified persons with disabilities. The Schedule A Hiring Authority is a regulation issued by the Federal government's Office of Personnel Management (OPM), that gives managers the flexibility to hire qualified persons with disabilities without competition.
Applicants should carefully read each non-competitive vacancy announcement and follow the application processes as indicated. There may be some slight variances among them.
- See the listing of current non-competitive vacancy announcements in DOT
- Memo: Our Commitment to Hiring Persons with Targeted Disabilities
Information for Applicants with Severe/Targeted Disabilities
- Tips for Applying for DOT Jobs Non-Competitively as a Person with a Severe Disability
- Sample Schedule A Letters
- Tips for Writing a Federal Resume
- Navigating USAJOBS (OPM Video)
Information for DOT Managers
- Four Steps to Filling Vacancies Fast with Qualified Individuals with Disabilities
- Sample Non-Competitive Vacancy Announcements
- Tips for Interviewing Applicants with Disabilities
Information for Students with Disabilities
The Workforce Recruitment Program
The Workforce Recruitment Program (WRP) is a recruitment and referral program that connects federal and private sector employers nationwide with highly motivated college students and recent graduates with disabilities who are eager to prove their abilities in the workplace through summer or permanent jobs.
The U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) and the U.S. Department of Defense Office of Diversity Management & Equal Opportunity (ODMEO) manage the program, which continues to be successful with the participation of many other federal agencies and sub-agencies. Since the program's expansion in 1995, over 6,000 students and recent graduates have received temporary and permanent employment opportunities through the WRP.
In 2011, the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) highlighted the WRP as a model strategy in its guidance to federal agencies regarding the recruitment and hiring of people with disabilities in response to Executive Order 13548, Increasing Federal Employment of Individuals with Disabilities.
Annually, trained WRP recruiters from federal agencies conduct personal interviews with interested candidates on college and university campuses across the country. Candidates represent all majors, and range from college freshmen to graduate students and law students, and with various levels of experience, even including some Veterans. Information from these candidate interviews is compiled in a searchable database that is available through this website to federal Human Resources Specialists, Equal Employment Opportunity Specialists, and other hiring officials in federal agencies. Information on WRP can be found here: https://wrp.gov.