Disability Employment

Disability Employment

Americans with disabilities are dynamic and causative members of the general public and they must have equal opportunity to develop the skills they need to participate and gain employment on the twenty-first century human resources. Through the reduction of physical barriers and false discernments, the country meets the dedication to millions of Americans with disabilities, and profits from their hard work, talents, and creativity.

The Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) offers national leadership on disability employment policy. The organization was established to bring a permanent focal point within the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) and throughout the Federal government to deal with the barriers to employment facing people with disabilities and guaranteeing coordination among DOL and other federal agencies on issues related to or affecting disability employment. The office of Disability Employment Policy also supports the accomplishments of the employment-related goals of President George W. Bush's New Freedom Initiative.

The Office of Disability Employment Policy increases and influences the realization of evidence-based disability employment policy and practice to increase preparation and management within service delivery systems, capability of service delivery systems, and employer access to supports and services. This will show the way to disability employment opportunities, as well as retention, recruitment, and promotion of disabled persons.

The mission and vision of ODEP is to provide the foundation for instituting far-reaching strategic and performance goals and support accomplishment of DOL's strategic goals. The organization believes the Federal government's answer to low employment pace among people with disabilities should be complete and aggressive, and necessitate the active participation and cooperation of a number of Federal agencies and private sector organizations, including employers. ODEP's stakeholders include private and public employers and their employees, educational and training institutions, state and local government agencies, disability community, and individuals with disabilities and their families.

The organization's plan recognizes specific performance outcomes to be accomplished and the midway results used to determine the progress. The plan describes how ODEP will add worth to the attempts of service delivery systems, their partners, and employers and meet the determined performance outcomes demanded by the stakeholders.

The organization is faced with complex matters and challenges as they develop and influence the execution of employment policy relating to people with disabilities. Millions of employees are needed to fill new jobs every year and replace those who leave their jobs. Employers look for highly skilled workers who have the experience and qualifications needed to perform the jobs effectively and who can considerably contribute to the "bottom line". The challenge in finding qualified workers and the possibility of general scarcity are expected to increase with the retirement of the baby-boomer generation. The organization is confronted to develop disability employment policies and practices that connect supply sources with labor market end-users, efficiently providing employers with approaches to reach the hugely untapped pool of people with disabilities.