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According to a recent Society for Human Resource
Management survey, large companies are more likely to actively recruit
applicants with disabilities than smaller companies. Sixty-one percent of the
respondents from large companies indicated that they proactively seek out
qualified employees with disabilities as compared to 53 percent of the
respondents from medium size companies and 39 percent of the respondents from
small companies. Historically, large employers may have had an easier time
developing relationships with organizations that have access to qualified
candidates with disabilities, making it easier for large companies to hire
candidates with disabilities and giving them a distinct advantage in
capitalizing on this available and reliable labor pool. Yet, there are a
variety of recruitment resources available to all employers. This fact sheet
provides some key resources.
U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Disability Employment Policy
Programs
Employment Assistance Referral Network
(EARN)
866-EarnNow (866-327-6669) (V)
www.earnworks.com
(Internet)
The U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Disability
Employment Policy has contracted for a new service: the Employment Assistance
Referral Network (EARN), which provides all employers with a direct connection
to their local community service providers.
EARN, a national toll-free service, makes it simple
for all businesses to locate applicants with disabilities for any type of
position. When EARN receives a call from an employer who wants to recruit
qualified candidates with disabilities, the EARN staff takes the employer's
vacancy information and then communicates with the local employment provider
community to locate providers who have contact with appropriate job candidates.
Once these providers are identified, EARN calls the employer back. The employer
receives the appropriate contact information and may call the designated
providers to connect with applicants. Providers do not receive the employer's
contact information. This allows the employer to be in control of the process.
EARN also provides employers with technical
assistance related to the employment of people with
disabilities,
such as tax credits, disability-related laws, lawful job interviewing
techniques, recruitment and hiring strategies, ways of dealing with co-worker
attitudes, personal assistance services and reasonable accommodations. EARN
operates Monday through Friday, from 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. EST.
EARN is a great place for companies to begin their
recruitment efforts. Yet there are many other resources available to assist
employers.
Workforce Recruitment Program (WRP)
724-891-3533 (V); 724-891-0275 (Fax)
www.wrpjobs.org
(Internet)
The Office of Disability Employment Policy's contracted
service, the Workforce Recruitment Program (WRP), is another excellent resource
for locating college students and recent graduates. Through the WRP, employers
may request a database of pre-screened college students with disabilities to
fill summer or permanent hiring needs. These candidates, from more than 160
colleges and universities, represent a variety of academic majors and range
from college freshmen to students in graduate school or law school.
Job Links
www.dol.gov/odep (Internet)
The Office of Disability Employment Policy operates
Job Links, which takes prospective job applicants to job listings on the
Internet employment pages of businesses and organizations who seek to hire
people with disabilities.
Company and College Alliances
Some companies, such as Cisco Systems, forge
alliances with colleges or universities. Cisco, based in San Jose, CA, is
developing a relationship with the National Technical Institute for the Deaf
(NTID) in Rochester, NY. The company, which makes computer routers that direct
traffic to the Internet, sees NTID as a great place to recruit employees with
strong skills. If a company has not developed a relationship with a college's
disability student services office, it may want to do so. The Association of
Higher Education and Disability can point the employer in the right
direction.
Association of Higher Education and Disability
(AHEAD)
617-287-3880 (V/TTY); 617-287-3881 (Fax)
www.ahead.org
(Internet)
AHEAD is a membership organization involved in the
development of policy and in the provision of quality support services to serve
the needs of persons with disabilities in higher education programs. The
organization can provide the name and number of the college and/or university
coordinators of services for students with disabilities in your area.
Community Resources-Federally Funded
I-NABIR, The Association of Projects with
Industry
202-543-6353 (V)
To tailor training for specific tasks, an employer
may want to work directly with a provider. I-NABIR is an organization of
federally-funded programs that provides employment preparation and job
placement services for persons with disabilities under the guidance of
employers. Contact I-NABIR for the location of Projects with Industry programs
in your area.
Goodwill Industries International
301-530-6500 (V)
www.goodwill.org
(Internet)
Another resource is Goodwill Industries of America,
which offers employment, training and placement services for people with
disabilities in programs throughout the United States. Contact Goodwill
headquarters for the programs in your area.
Government Resources
U.S. Department of Education, Rehabilitation
Services Administration
202-205-8719 (V)
The Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA) is a
federal agency that oversees programs that help individuals with physical or
mental disabilities obtain employment. RSA's major formula grant program
provides funds to state vocational rehabilitation agencies who, in turn,
provide employment-related services for people with disabilities. State and
local vocational rehabilitation agencies are listed under state government
agencies in the telephone directory.
Department of Veterans Affairs
800-827-1000 (V)
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs supports a
nationwide employment training program for veterans with service-connected
disabilities who qualify for vocational rehabilitation. Regional or local
offices are listed under federal government agencies in the telephone
directory.
State Governors' Committees on Employment of
People with Disabilities
www.dol.gov/odep/state/state.htm
(Internet)
The governors' committees provide employment
information and referral services within their respective states. Governors'
Committees are listed under state government agencies in the telephone
directory.
U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special
Education Programs (OSEP)
202-205-8112 (V)
The Secondary Education and Transitional Services for
Youth with Disabilities program assists youth with disabilities in the
transition from secondary school to post-secondary environments. Through awards
to institutions of higher education, state educational agencies, local
educational agencies and other appropriate public and private nonprofit
institutions, the program ensures that secondary special education and
transitional services result in competitive or supported employment for youth
with disabilities. Contact the OSEP for the location of transition programs in
your area.
This publication is available in alternate formats.
July 2001 |
