https://www.dol.gov

ODEP – Office of Disability Employment Policy

Employment Laws: Disability & Discrimination

There are five important federal laws that protect individuals with disabilities from discrimination in employment and the job application process:

• The Americans with Disabilities Act

• The Civil Service Reform Act

Although many employers and individuals have a basic understanding of the ADA, the nondiscrimination policies of the other laws may be less familiar. Below is a short summary of each law and information on where employers can access additional information and compliance resources.

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities and guarantees equal opportunities for individuals with disabilities in employment, transportation, public accommodations, state and local government services, and telecommunications. Two sections of the ADA relate to employment:

 

Employment prohibits covered employers from discriminating against people with disabilities in all employment-related activities, including hiring, pay, benefits, firing and promotions. Covered employers include private businesses, educational institutions, employment agencies, labor organizations, and state and local government entities with 15 or more employees.

Additional Information: The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) enforces Title I of the ADA. The EEOC Web site has a section dedicated to disability discrimination that summarizes the ADA provisions it enforces and provides access to related publications and resources.

 

Title II

 

State and Local Governments protects people with disabilities from discrimination in state and local government services, programs and activities. It prohibits all state and local government entities, regardless of how many people they employ or whether they receive federal financial assistance, from discriminating against qualified individuals with disabilities in employment.

Additional Information: The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) enforces Title I of the ADA. The EEOC Web site has a section dedicated to disability discrimination that summarizes the ADA provisions it enforces and provides access to related publications and resources.

 

Title II

 

State and Local Governments protects people with disabilities from discrimination in state and local government services, programs and activities. It prohibits all state and local government entities, regardless of how many people they employ or whether they receive federal financial assistance, from discriminating against qualified individuals with disabilities in employment.

Additional Information: The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) enforces Title II of the ADA. DOJ’s ADA Home Page offers resources on all aspects of the ADA, including those addressing state and local government employment-related responsibilities under Title II.

 

The Rehabilitation Act

 

Authorizes funding for various disability-related purposes and activities, including state vocational rehabilitation (VR) programs, independent living programs, training and research, and the work of the National Council on Disability. It also includes three sections that prohibit discrimination against individuals with disabilities by specific types of employers: federal agencies, employers/businesses contracting with federal agencies and programs receiving federal financial assistance.

 

Section 501

 

Section 501 of the Rehabilitation Act prohibits federal employers from discriminating against qualified individuals with disabilities and requires them to take affirmative action to employ and advance in employment qualified individuals with disabilities.

Additional Information: Each federal agency enforces Section 501 for its own job applicants and/or employees. For additional information on specific Section 501 policies, contact the relevant agency’s Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) office.

 

Section 503

 

Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act prohibits employment discrimination based on disability and requires affirmative action in the hiring, placement and advancement of people with disabilities by federal contractors or subcontractors who have federal contracts or subcontracts more than $10,000.

Additional Information: The Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) of the U.S. Department of Labor’s Employment Standards Administration enforces Section 503. Compliance assistance information is available on OFCCP’s Web site.

 

Section 504

 

Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act prohibits discrimination against qualified individuals with disabilities by federal agencies, or by programs or activities that receive federal financial assistance or are conducted by a federal agency.

Additional Information: The federal agency providing the financial assistance or conducting the program/activity enforces Section 504. For additional information on specific Section 504 policies, contact the relevant agency’s EEO office.

 

The Workforce Investment Act

 

(WIA) consolidates federal job training and employment programs, bringing together a wide range of employment services, vocational rehabilitation, adult education, welfare-to-work and vocational education activities into a nationwide system of One-Stop Career Centers.

WIA’s Section 188 prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities who apply for, participate in or are employees of any program or organization that receives federal financial assistance under WIA orthat provides programs/activities as part of the One-Stop system.

Additional Information: The Department of Labor’s Civil Rights Center enforces Section 188. For additional information, including a self-assessment checklist for covered employers and programs, see the Civil Rights Center’s Web site.

 

The Vietnam Era Veterans’ Readjustment Assistance Act

 

(VEVRAA) requires employers that have federal contracts or subcontracts entered into before December 1, 2003 of $25,000 or more and/or federal contracts or subcontracts entered into on or after December 1, 2003 of $100,000 or more to provide equal employment opportunities for certain veterans with disabilities. VEVRAA’s Section 4212 specifically prohibits discrimination against covered veterans with disabilities in the full range of employment activities.

Additional Information: OFCCP enforces VEVRAA. Compliance assistance information is available on OFCCP’s Web site. For an overview of the nondiscrimination requirements affecting veterans with disabilities, see the Employment Law Guide.

 

The Civil Service Reform Act

 

(CSRA), which covers most federal agencies, contains several rules designed to promote fairness in federal personnel actions and prohibit discrimination against applicants and employees with disabilities.

Additional Information: The CSRA is enforced by both the U.S. Office of Special Counsel (OSC) and the Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB). Both agencies provide general guidance on their Web sites. In addition, the Office of Personnel Management has helpful information on the CSRA in Federal Employment of People with Disabilities in an online guide.

 

 

FOUNDATIONS

 

https://www.disabled-world.com/

List of U.S. Government and disability organizations providing help support and assistance for persons with disabilities in America.

 

A

 

Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing

 

The association is a nonprofit membership organization that was established in 1890 to empower people who are deaf or hard of hearing to function independently by promoting universal rights and optimal opportunities to learn to use, maintain, and improve all aspects of their verbal communications, including their abilities to speak, speech-read, use residual hearing, and process both spoken and written language – www.agbell.org

 

American Association of People with Disabilities

 

The American Association of People with Disabilities is the largest nonprofit, nonpartisan, cross-disability organization in the United States – www.aapd-dc.org

 

American Council of the Blind

 

ACB is a national organization advocating on behalf of persons who are blind or have low vision.; ACB also publishes A Guide to Making Documents Accessible to People Who Are Blind or Visually Impaired – www.acb.org

 

American Foundation for the Blind

 

The mission of the American Foundation for the Blind is to enable people who are blind or visually impaired to achieve equality of access and opportunity that will ensure freedom of choice in their lives – www.afb.org

 

Arc

 

The Arc (formerly Association for Retarded Citizens of the United States) is the country’s largest voluntary organization committed to the welfare of all children and adults with mental retardation and their families – www.thearc.org

 

C

 

Canadian Council on Rehabilitation and Work

 

The Canadian Council on Rehabilitation and Work is a Canada-wide network of organizations and individuals that promotes and supports meaningful and equitable employment of people with disabilities – www.ccrw.org

 

D

 

Deaf Initiative in Information Technology (DIIT)

 

The Deaf Initiative in Information Technology (DIIT) is a project of the Applied Computer Technology Department (ACT), of the National Technical Institute for the Deaf at the Rochester Institute of Technology.; This project provides retraining workshops to deaf and hard-of-hearing adults already in the national workforce or preparing for employment in the information technology field, clusters these workshops into a certificate program, and modifies the workshops into undergraduate courses – www.rit.edu/~diit

 

Designing Accessible Communities

 

A nonprofit organization providing information and education about accessibility to people with disabilities and to professionals in the fields, of design, construction, code development and enforcement – www.designingaccessiblecommunities.org

 

Disability.Gov

 

A one-stop inter-agency portal for information on U.S. Federal programs, services, and resources for people with disabilities, their families, employers, service providers, and other community members – www.disability.gov

 

DisabilityResources, Inc.

 

A national nonprofit organization that provides information about resources for independent living – www.disabilityresources.org

 

Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund

 

Founded in 1979 by people with disabilities and parents of children with disabilities, the Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund, Inc. (DREDF) is a national law and policy center dedicated to protecting and advancing the civil rights of people with disabilities through legislation, litigation, advocacy, technical assistance, and education and training of attorneys, advocates, persons with disabilities, and parents of children with disabilities – www.dredf.org

 

Disability Statistics Center

 

The Disability Statistics Center produces and disseminates statistical information on disability and the status of people with disabilities in American society and establishes and monitors indicators of how conditions are changing over time to meet their health, housing, economic and social needs – dsc.ucsf.edu

 

Disability Studies Quarterly

 

Disability Studies Quarterly (DSQ) is the journal of the Society for Disability Studies (SDS). It is a multidisciplinary and international journal of interest to social scientists, scholars in the humanities, disability rights advocates, creative writers, and others concerned with the issues of people with disabilities – www.dsq-sds.org

 

Disabled American Veterans

 

DAV is a national organization advocating on behalf of veterans with disabilities – www.dav.org

 

E

 

Easter Seals

 

Easter Seals creates serves children and adults with disabilities, their families and communities through early intervention and child development services, vocational training and employment services, and physical medicine and rehabilitation. Easter Seals has more than 400 service sites across the country, including Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico – www.easter-seals.org

 

Environmental Health Network

 

EHN’s focus is on issues of access and developments relating to the health and welfare of the environmentally sensitive and to promote public awareness of environmental sensitivities and causative factors – users.lmi.net/wilworks

 

H

 

Hearing Loss Association of America(formerly Self Help for Hard of Hearing People (SHHH))

 

The Hearing Loss Association of America is a national consumer organization representing people who are hard of hearing and provides technical assistance for selecting Assistive Listening systems – www.hearingloss.org

 

I

 

Institute for Human Centered Design(formerly Adaptive Environments)

 

Founded in 1978 to address the environmental issues that confront people with disabilities and elderly people, the Institute for Human Centered Design (formerly Adaptive Environments) promotes accessibility as well as universal design through education programs, technical assistance, training, consulting, publications and design advocacy. Its mission is to promote, facilitate, and advocate for international adoption of policies and designs that enable every individual, regardless of disability or age, to participate fully in all aspects of society – www.adaptenv.org

 

Independent Living Centers

 

ILCs are typically non-residential, private, non-profit, consumer-controlled, community-based organizations providing services and advocacy by and for persons with all types of disabilities. There are nearly 500 ILC’s in the USA. Many are state supported. Their goal is to assist individuals with disabilities to achieve their maximum potential within their families and communities. Also, Independent Living Centers serve as a strong advocacy voice on a wide range of national, state and local issues. They work to assure physical and programmatic access to housing, employment, transportation, communities, recreational facilities, and health and social services. This site provides a list, arranged by State – www.ilusa.com/links/ilcenters.htm

 

Institute on Independent Living

 

The Institute serves self-help organizations of disabled people who work for self-determination and equal opportunities; provides information, training materials and technical assistance on accessibility, personal assistance, advocacy, legislation and peer support; publishes articles, reports, manuals or comments and other materials related to Independent Living – www.independentliving.org

 

International Commission on Technology & Accessibility

 

ICTA initiates, facilitates and provides information regarding technology and accessibility through the World Wide Web. This information is available to people with disabilities, advocates and professionals in the field of disability, researchers, legislative bodies, and the general community – www.ictaglobal.org

 

J

 

Job Accommodation Network (JAN)

 

Free consulting on the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), job accommodations, and the employability of people with disabilities – www.jan.wvu.edu

 

N

 

National Association of the Deaf (NAD)

 

Is a national consumer organization representing people who are deaf and hard of hearing – www.nad.org

 

National Disability Rights Network

 

The National Disability Rights Network (NDRN) is a voluntary national membership association of protection and advocacy systems and client assistance programs. It assumes leadership in promoting and strengthening the role and performance of its members in providing quality legally based advocacy services – www.napas.org

 

National Federation of the Blind (NFB)

 

Is a national organization advocating on behalf of persons who are blind or have low vision – www.nfb.org

 

National Information Center for Children and Youth with Disabilities

 

The Center is a clearinghouse for information on disabilities and disability-related issues concerning children and youth (birth to age 22) – www.nichcy.org

 

National Organization on Disability

 

The National Organization on Disability promotes the full and equal participation and contribution of America’s 54 million men, women and children with disabilities in all aspects of life – www.nod.org

 

P

 

PACER Center

 

Nonprofit organization for families of children and adults with disabilities. The site includes newsletters, articles and legislative information – www.pacer.org

 

Paralyzed Veterans of America (PVA)

 

Is a national advocacy organization representing veterans – www.pva.org

 

T

 

TASH

 

(formerly the Association for the Severely Handicapped) is an international advocacy association of people with disabilities, their family members, other advocates, and people who work in the disability field – www.TASH.org

 

TDI

 

(formerly known as Telecommunications for the Deaf, Inc.) mission is to promote equal access in telecommunications and media for people who are deaf, hard of hearing, late deafened, or deaf blind – www.tdi-online.org

 

Through the Looking Glass

 

(TLG) is a nationally recognized non-profit agency that provides direct services, training, materials and research concerning families in which a child, parent or grandparent has a disability or medical issue – www.lookingglass.org

 

U

 

United Cerebral Palsy Association

 

UCP’s mission is to advance the independence, productivity and full citizenship of people with cerebral palsy and other disabilities, through our commitment to the principles of independence, inclusion and self-determination – WWW.UCPA.ORG

 

United Spinal Association

 

A membership organization serving individuals with spinal cord injuries or disease. Formerly known as the Eastern Paralyzed Veterans Association, the organization expanded its mission to serve people with spinal cord injuries or disease regardless of their age, gender, or veteran status – www.unitedspinal.org

 

W

 

World Institute on Disability

 

WID is an international public policy center dedicated to carrying out research on disability issues and overcoming obstacles to independent living www.wid.org