Federal Employment Strategies

NAD Leadership Training Conference Birmingham, Alabama

September 25, 2015

Howard A. Rosenblum, Esq. NAD CEO & Legal Director

Federal Employment U.S. Federal Government is the largest

employer of all people in the USA (2,500,000)

Also largest employer of deaf and HOH people in the world

But still not easy to get a job with US Federal Government

Legal Requirements Rehabilitation Act, not ADA, protects

deaf and HOH people from discrimination by federal agencies

Requires provision of reasonable accommodations including interpreters for job interviews

Still many challenges

Executive Order 13548 Signed by President Obama on July 26,

2010 (20th anniversary of ADA)

Recognizes only 5% of federal employees have disabilities, and less than 1% have targeted disabilities

Requires hiring of 100,000 by 2015 Agencies are to increase Schedule A and

utilize centralized funds

Schedule A A form that you can submit to get

federal jobs without competition

Most federal jobs are advertised on www.usajobs.opm.gov

Must meet all job requirements and submit resume and other documents

Must also have proof of disability

Schedule A (continued) Must be certified as job ready which

can be done with help of VR counselor, career placement oce, SSA, and other benefits oces.

Other option is to be a temporary employee to prove able to do the job

Contact Disability Program Manager (DPM) or Selective Placement Coordinator (SPC) at agency

Challenges with Schedule A Limited opportunities, not apply to all

jobs or agencies

Once you obtain a federal job on Schedule A, does not mean you can get promoted

May require you to apply for new position through usajobs

Accommodations Issues Qualified Sign Language Interpreters Videophones or other

telecommunications access

Captioning on video materials Request process for accommodations

Need for Centralized Funds Not all federal agencies have centralized

funds for accommodations

Those that do, have the highest numbers of deaf/HOH employees

Reason why centralized funds work best for deaf/HOH employees

Pre-Employment Strategies Use Schedule A if you need to get

experience

Network on job availabilities and search usajobs.com

Be VERY PREPARED for interviews, be ready to give information to interpreters

Employment Strategies Discuss (not demand) accommodations Show proof why the accommodations

needed will improve productivity

Sue when you have no choice, negotiate before you sue

Q&A

Questions?