Every October is designated as National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM) by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP). At Applied Development, the goals of NDEAM are central to our mission. NDEAM celebrates “America’s workers with disabilities both past and present and emphasizes the importance of inclusive policies and practices to ensure that all Americans who want to work can work and have access to services and support to enable them to do so,” writes ODEP. Applied Development’s services champion the rights of people of all abilities to work and communicate effectively. Here are three ways we support disability employment awareness throughout the year.
We offer direct services to support employees with disabilities.
Our services include American Sign Language (ASL) Interpretation and Communication Access Real-time Translation (CART), and Section 508 compliance. Our ASL services provide an interpreter to translate spoken English into sign language. CART utilizes technology to ensure communication access for Deaf, hard of hearing, and low or limited vision employees. The Department of Labor writes that with “accessible technology, it is easier than ever before for America’s employers to hire people with disabilities in high-demand jobs.” Clients for our services include the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Department of Commerce, Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA), U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), and Defense Logistics Agency (DLA).
However, employers have to be willing and able to provide these services. While this these accommodations are required in Federal Government jobs, they are not always available to all employees. Part of National Disability Employment Awareness Month is to increase awareness about these services, and how simple and effective they can be. This way, diverse abilities are never a hindrance to hiring.
We help the Federal Government hire and retain employees with disabilities.
One section of our services speaks even more directly to disability employment awareness: our Section 508 Disability Compliance services. Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 requires federal agencies to ensure their electronic and information technology (EIC) is accessible to people with disabilities, including employees and members of the public. Our Section 508 compliance services ensure that the Federal Government is a model employer for people with disabilities.
For the Diversity Management Operations Center, we recruit people with disabilities for the workforce. This provides a vital function within the DoD, ensuring that people who have talent and diverse abilities become employees.
We also manage Section 508 compliance complaints to make sure that employees are receiving the direct services they need to communicate effectively. Finally, we also ensure that government agencies comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act, which prohibits ability discrimination in employment, state and local government, public accommodations, commercial facilities, transportation and communications. We are proud to provide this service in 23 states and Washington, D.C.
Learn more about our services.