The Justice Department has new guidance about how the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)’s “integration mandate” applies to public employment and day services. The integration mandate says state and local governments have to provide services to people with disabilities in the most inclusive setting possible. Many people with disabilities are in sheltered workshops and day … Continued
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has joined more than a dozen former workers in suing Union Pacific over the way it used a vision test to disqualify workers the railroad believed were color blind and might have trouble reading signals telling them to stop a train. Union Pacific fired some of their workers when … Continued
This Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and U.S. Department of Labor Document document talks about the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, which helps people with disabilities get jobs. It was the first law of its kind in the United States and served as a model for the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Section 501 stops job discrimination … Continued
A recently updated mental health toolkit from the Employer Assistance and Resource Network on Disability Inclusion (EARN) provides an easy-to-follow framework for building a mental health-friendly workplace. It is built around 4 A’s: Awareness Accommodations Assistance Access Employers can take actions to improve worker well-being, including providing education, a flexible work culture, and employee assistance … Continued
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission recently updated a technical assistance document, Visual Disabilities in the Workplace and the Americans with Disabilities Act. It includes guidance for employers about how the ADA applies to job applicants and employees with visual disabilities. Topics When an employer may ask an applicant or employee questions about vision impairment … Continued
Mental Health at Work program Mental health is an important and often unaddressed part of a workplace. The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) is putting forward resources and information in a campaign called Mental Health at Work. This effort will help teach workers what their rights are and employers what they are required to do … Continued
Employers, how accessible is your onboarding process for new employees with disabilities? A new online resource from the Employer Assistance and Resource Network on Disability Inclusion (EARN) can help. EARN’s Accessible Onboarding tool includes examples and tips to help employees feel welcome from the start. Onboarding may include Describing available transportation options Describing work location … Continued
The U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy has a new factsheet that shares ways employers can support workers with Long COVID. Long COVID Some people who had COVID-19 have new or continuing symptoms—known as post-COVID conditions or Long COVID. These symptoms can last weeks, months, or years and get worse with physical … Continued
Congressman Mike Thompson introduced the Access Technology Affordability Act. If passed, it would provide a refundable $2,000 credit to blind and vision-impaired people to purchase equipment that helps them to work. The Access Technology Affordability Act will provide those with vision loss the resources they need to get tools and equipment that will help them … Continued
The Employer Assistance and Resource Network on Disability Inclusion (EARN) has a new resource about the importance of including people with disabilities in company diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) activities. This helps employers understand how hiring workers with disabilities can benefit their businesses and increase workplace diversity. Topics What it means to be disability-inclusive … Continued
