Barriers to Employment of Individuals with Targeted Disabilities

Barriers to Employment of Individuals with Targeted Disabilities Office of Diversity and Inclusion Office of Human Resources and Administration 1

Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended “The Federal government shall become a model employer of individuals with disabilities. Agencies shall give full consideration to the hiring, placement, and advancement of qualified individuals with mental and physical disabilities. ” 2

Americans with Disabilities Act • The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) has several sections. Title I covers employment and originally covered only state and local governments and the private sector. • It requires employers to provide qualified individuals with disabilities an equal opportunity to benefit from the full range of employmentrelated opportunities available to others. • The Rehabilitation Act was amended in 1992 to include coverage under Title I of the ADA. 3

Targeted Disabilities • Blindness • Epilepsy • Deafness • Severe intellectual disability • Missing Extremities • Partial Paralysis • Complete Paralysis • Psychiatric disability • Dwarfism The targeted disabilities were established by EEOC and recently updated by OPM (July 2010). These disabilities were chosen because of chronically high unemployment rates. 4

General Barriers • Myth or perception that there is a lack of qualified candidates with targeted disabilities. • Concerns regarding the cost of accommodations. • Discomfort or unease with people who have a severe disability. • Studies show that when interviewing a person with a severe disability, the interviewer tends to focus (internally) on how s/he would function in the applicant’s shoes instead of focusing on the applicant’s abilities. 5

How Will VA Address the Barriers? • VA will contract with OPM to provide candidates with targeted disabilities who are qualified for VA positions. • Attitudinal barriers are best addressed by providing incentives to hiring (2% goal is in the EEO element of the performance plans of SES). 6

Attitudinal Barriers • Per research, working with a competent peer who has a targeted disability is the best way to overcome negative attitudes. • VA’s goal is to hire people with targeted disabilities at all levels and in every possible job series. 7

VA Program Barriers • Lack of a corporate system for recruiting qualified applicants with disabilities, especially those with targeted disabilities. • Underutilization of Schedule A to hire noncompetitively. • Lack of knowledge on the legal requirement to provide reasonable accommodation and/or the process. • Fitness for duty exams conducted in lieu of providing reasonable accommodation. 8

VA Program Barriers • Reluctance to allow Tele-work, flexi-time, or other accommodation. • Job announcements that do not specify the physical requirements or have outdated or nonbona fide requirements. (Candidates do not pass the pre-employment physical. ) • Job offers being withdrawn without considering possible accommodations. • High complaint rates and termination/separation rates reveal “bumps” in VA’s efforts to create a welcoming work environment. 9

Sources of People with Targeted Disabilities –Vocational Rehabilitation Programs (state and VA) –Disabled Student Programs/Services at Universities (many have Career Center liaisons) –Community Disability Organizations (Centers for Independent Living, etc. ) –Workforce Recruitment Program (WRP) –ODEP 10

Sources of People with Targeted Disabilities • • Paralyzed Veterans of American Federation for the Blind Gallaudet University National Technical Institute for the Deaf (affiliated with Rochester University) • Local non-profits that work with individuals with disabilities. 11

Contact Information Outreach and Retention Division Office of Diversity & Inclusion (202) 461 -4131 VA’s Disability Program web site https: //www. diversity. va. gov/programs/iwd. aspx 12