As we approach the twenty-first anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the Disabilities Education Blog would like to reflect on the year that has passed since President Obama addressed the country in honor of the Act’s 20th anniversary last summer.
Disability Training: Preparing for Executive Order 13548
For Federal employers, the Department of Labor has prepared a Toolkit for Implementing Executive Order 13548. Private business may benefit from this free resource, though it is geared towards Federal agencies. Nevertheless, this easy-to-follow toolkit outlines 5 main steps that employers must take in order to hire, train, and retain individuals with disabilities. Those steps are as follows:
1) Training. The first step is to reassess current hiring and training practices. Of particular importance is reviewing Schedule A certifications and processes. Under Schedule A hiring, employers may recruit qualified individuals with disabilities to fill certain job openings. For more on Schedule A hiring, please download the ABCs of Schedule A, a free .pdf document made available by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC).
2) Preparation. Step 2 in the DOL’s Toolkit for Implementing Executive Order 13548 is to create a welcoming environment for those with disabilities. Above all, employers must reassess the accessibility of their business. This stretches far beyond the physical workplace to include accessible company Web pages and other community outreach mediums. Additional soft skills training and ongoing disability awareness initiatives are recommended to keep each member of the organization mindful and accountable in creating an accessible environment for employees with disabilities.
3) Recruitment. Companies are encouraged to download the DOL’s Four Step Reference Guide to employing qualified individuals with disabilities. Business owners are also encouraged to proactively search for new networks from which to recruit. Building relationships with disability employers, for example, is just one way these new networks may be explored.
4) Interviewing and Hiring. Here, businesses are urged to once again review the ins-and-outs of Schedule A hiring, certifications of job-readiness, job accommodations, and more. To start, businesses may want to review the Overview of Hiring Practices for individuals with disabilities.
5) Retention. Finally, businesses are encouraged to consider what it means to retain employees with disabilities. The DOL’s Toolkit for Implementing Executive Order 13548 has many resource links to help employers perform a range of tasks including: helping injured employees return to work, build skills to manage veterans with PTSD, TBI, or other illnesses, and making ongoing workplace accommodations for individuals with disabilities.
Disability Training for Private Businesses
Disability trends indicate that the number of Americans with serious disability has been rising through the past decade. The 20th anniversary of the ADA and President Obama’s Executive Order to increase Federal employment of individuals with disabilities are two additional societal cues that diversity in U.S. workplaces is growing. Private sector businesses are smart to prepare to hire, train, and retain individuals with disabilities in the same way Federal agencies are doing so.
The Disabilities Education Blog has prepared several free resources to help businesses achieve this end, including:
- 3 Keys to Fostering Inclusion: This easy-to-follow resource lists 3 fundamental steps organizations may take to make their employees feel acceptance, value, and efficacy.
- Making Websites Accessible: This 5-part series is designed to help businesses create user-friendly Web pages that are accessible to individuals with disabilities, a simple yet crucial step in removing barriers of access to the workplace.
- Soft Skills Meet Hard Tasks: Join the Disabilities Education Blog in this look at soft skills training, a new way of developing individual skill sets to better accept coworkers, communicate respectfully, and foster inclusion in the workplace.
Employers may always visit the Disability Training online store to browse our comprehensive collection of leading disability videos, texts, CD-Roms, and more. Resources span a range of topics from specific illnesses to promoting respectful communication and inclusion in the workplace.
