Investing In People: Job Accommodation Situations and Solutions

[Excerpt] When thinking about accommodations, the focus should not be on the person’s disability but rather on essential job tasks and the physical functions necessary to complete them. Consider a receptionist who cannot answer the phone because he or she cannot grasp the receiver. A handle could be attached to the receiver to enable him or her to balance it on the hand. Or, the receptionist could use a headset, eliminating the need for grasping altogether. The reason the person can’t grasp the receiver is immaterial. With a simple accommodation, the employee can answer the phone

Circle of Champions: Innovators in Employing All Americans

[Excerpt] The Circle of Champions (CoC) is the distinguished group of U.S. businesses and organizations that have received the Secretary of Labor’s New Freedom Initiative Award for its innovative and proactive efforts to recruit, hire, and promote people with disabilities. The CoC is now working to share its proven strategies with businesses that want to hire and retain talented employees

Strategic Connections: Recruiting Candidates with Disabilities

[Excerpt] Many individuals with disabilities possess precisely these attributes. Yet, as a whole, individuals with disabilities represent one of the largest untapped pools of skills and talent in the U.S. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, just over 60 percent of men ages 16 to 65 who have disabilities were working in 2000, compared to 80 percent of men in that age group without disabilities. For women in the same age group, the numbers were 51.4 and 67.3 percent, respectively. Individuals with disabilities have the requisite knowledge, skills and abilities to succeed in today’s rapidly changing workplace. From company headquarters to the factory floor, technology continues to drastically alter the way individuals work, helping to level the playing field for individuals with disabilities and expand opportunities for employers to benefit from their capabilities

Women of Color in the Private Sector: Their Employment in the Private Sector

[Excerpt] This examination of the employment status of minority women or women of color relies primarily on the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s (EEOC’s) EEO-1 report. Characteristics of employment are examined from five different perspectives: total employment, employment by job group, employment of officials and managers, the movement of women from white collar to management positions and per capita charge rates by industry. The report seeks to capture these measures using the most recent EEO-1 data from 2001 and by examining recent trends from 1990. It also utilizes charge receipt data. The annual EEO-1 report indicates the composition of an employer’s workforces by sex and by race/ethnic category. The EEO-1 collects data on nine major job categories: (1) officials and managers, (2) professionals, (3) technicians, (4) sales workers, (5) office and clerical workers, (6) craft workers, (7) operatives, (8) laborers and (9) service workers. Race/ethnic designations used are White (not of Hispanic origin), Black (not of Hispanic origin), Hispanic, Asian or Pacific Islander (Asian), American Indian or Alaskan Native (Native American). In addition to the workforce data provided by the employer, information about each establishment is added to the database. This includes the establishment’s North American Industrial Classification System code and, in early years, added the Standard Industrial Classification code

Customized Solutions for Today\u27s Workforce: The Job Accommodation Network

[Excerpt] The Job Accommodation Network (JAN) is a free and confidential consulting service for employers that expands employment opportunities for individuals with disabilities by providing: ■ Individualized worksite accommodation solutions ■ Technical assistance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and other disability-related legislation A service of the U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL) Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP), JAN also educates about self-employment and small business ownership opportunities for individuals with disabilities

Employers and the ADA: Myths and Facts

[Excerpt] The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is a landmark federal law that protects the rights of people with disabilities by eliminating barriers to their participation in many aspects of living and working in America. In particular, the ADA prohibits covered employers from discriminating against people with disabilities in the full range of employment-related activities, from recruitment to advancement, to pay and benefits. The foundation for the ADA is America’s promise of equal access to opportunity for all citizens. Being inclusive of people with disabilities—in recruitment, retention, promotion, and in providing an accessible environment—gives businesses a competitive edge. Below are some of the common myths about how the ADA affects employers and research and facts that negate them

Fiscal Year 2006 Annual Report on the Operations and Accomplishments of the Office of the General Counsel

[Excerpt] The Equal Employment Opportunity Act of 1972 amended Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VII) to give litigation authority to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and provide for a General Counsel, appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate for 4-year term, with responsibility for conducting the Commission\u27s litigation program. Following transfer of enforcement functions from the U.S. Department of Labor to the Commission under a 1978 Presidential Reorganization Plan, the General Counsel became responsible for conducting Commission litigation under the Equal Pay Act of 1963 (EPA) and the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 (ADEA). With the enactment of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA), the General Counsel became responsible for conducting Commission litigation under the employment provisions of that statute (Title I; effective July 1992). The mission of EEOC’s Office of General Counsel (OGC) is to conduct litigation on behalf of the Commission to obtain relief for victims of employment discrimination and ensure compliance with the statutes that EEOC is charged with enforcing. Under Title VII and the ADA, the Commission can sue nongovernmental employers with 15 or more employees. The Commission’s suit authority under the ADEA (20 or more employees) and the EPA (no employee minimum) includes state and local governmental employers as well as private employers. Title VII, the ADA, and the ADEA also cover labor organizations and employment agencies, and the EPA prohibits labor organizations from attempting to cause an employer to violate that statute. OGC also represents the Commission on administrative claims and litigation brought by agency applicants and employees, and provides legal advice to the agency on employment-related matters

Advancing Opportunities: Accomodations Resources for Federal Managers and Employees

[Excerpt] Every day the nation benefits from the contributions of individuals with disabilities who serve in the federal workforce. Many of these individuals are entitled to workplace adjustments, or accommodations, in order to effectively carry out their duties. A variety of resources are available to assist federal managers in making these accommodations so they can hire, retain and advance qualified individuals with disabilities. An accommodation is a modification to a work environment or job functions to enable a qualified person with a disability to benefit from the same employment opportunities and rights afforded similarly situated individuals without disabilities. The following examples illustrate accommodations in practice in the federal setting