Power Grid Blog
Ensuring Equal Employment Opportunity for People with Disabilities
February 8, 2012 | AAPD Power Grid Blog Team
by Julie Arostegui, AAPD Policy Advisor
The American Association of People with Disabilities has submitted comments in support of the Department of Labor/ Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) proposed rules to strengthen the affirmative action obligations of federal contractors to improve job opportunities for people with disabilities.
More than twenty years after passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act, the employment rate of people with disabilities remains unacceptably low. Only about one-third of the working-age population of people with disabilities is actually employed.
Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 prohibits discrimination and requires government contractors to take affirmative action to hire people with disabilities. However, until now, affirmative action programs for people with disabilities have been largely ineffective. Implementing new rules that give more teeth to affirmative action programs and offer clearer guidance to businesses is critical to protect the civil rights of people with disabilities and ensure greater opportunity to compete for jobs.
The proposed rule mandates specific actions that government contractors and subcontractors must take in the areas of recruitment, training, and recordkeeping. The new regulations will also establish a baseline hiring goal for people with disabilities. This means that businesses with at least 50 employees and $50,000 or more in government contracts would be required to set a hiring goal of 7% for workers with disabilities, as proposed by OFCCP. In addition, OFCCP is contemplating a 2% sub-goal for people with severe disabilities.
This is a major step forward for the disability community on our path to equal opportunity, economic power, and independent living. Employment opportunity means economic self-sufficiency and independence. The federal government spends hundreds of billions of dollars annually on contractors. Promoting greater economic opportunities for people with disabilities will benefit all.
AAPD applauds these efforts and offers further suggestions for strengthening the regulations.
AAPD will continue to work with employers and our community to ensure that people with disabilities have meaningful opportunities to work.
To read AAPD’s comments, click here.
You can read the proposed rule here.
