OVERVIEW:
The National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) is required by federal law to ensure staff, applicants, and contractors are free of discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, sexual stereotyping, and transgender), national origin, age, disability, genetic information, or retaliation. In addition, the NRO is required by Presidential Executive Orders and internal NRO policies not to engage in discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and parental status.
Office of Equality & Inclusion
WHO WE ARE:
The NRO’s Office of Equality & Inclusion (OE&I) has two primary roles:
- Ensure every employee has a workplace free of discrimination and harassment
- Provide reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities
OE&I serves as the NRO resource for queries and actions on behalf of the Director of National Reconnaissance Office's anti-harassment policy. When harassment occurs, it affects the NRO's most valuable resource-its people.
WHAT WE DO:
OE&I provides counseling and facilitates the EEO complaint process according to federal regulations for applicants, as well as staff and contractors. OE&I is the only NRO component authorized to process EEO complaints with the goal of resolving EEO issues through continued outreach, unbiased expert counseling, and neutral fact-finding.
Staff, applicants, and contractors are protected under federal law from discrimination on the following basis:
Race, color, religion, national origin, disability, age (40 and over), sex (sexual orientation, gender identity, and pregnancy), genetic information and retaliation against an individual because of their opposition to discrimination, or for participation in protected Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) activity.
If you are staff, an applicant, or contractor who believes discrimination has occurred, you must contact an NRO EEO counselor in OE&I within 45 calendar days of:
• The date of the alleged discriminatory incident
• The date they first became aware of an alleged discriminatory incident
• The effective date of an alleged discriminatory personnel action
Complaints of alleged violations of Presidential Executive Orders will be processed in accordance with the NRO's internal policies.
- No FEAR Act
Reasonable Accommodations (RA)
The reasonable accommodation process provides reasonable accommodations for individuals with disabilities, as defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act. Our goal is to provide equal access for employees and applicants in a barrier-free environment.
Personal Assistance Services
The National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) is committed to providing disability support services and timely and effective reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities to assist in performing their job functions. The NRO Accommodations Program currently has a contract in place that covers Workplace Personal Assistant Services (WPAS) for the existing NRO blind and low-vision population who requires assistance with reading inaccessible documents, note-taking, driving, and travels, among other tasks. Further, the contract includes Personal Assistance Services (PAS) support for qualified employees who require assistance to perform basic activities of daily living (including, but not limited to, eating, changing clothes, and using the restroom).
An individual is eligible for WPA/WPAS support if: