In recognition of National Disability Employment Awareness Month, the Mid-Atlantic Region would like to acknowledge the important role people with disabilities play in creating a diverse and inclusive workforce.
OFCCP’s mission is to protect workers, promote equal opportunity, and enforce the law. One of OFCCP’s priorities in FY 2023 is to 1) promote greater contractor compliance; 2) strengthen outreach and investigations to engage and empower the workers to identify barriers within the workplace.
The Mid-Atlantic has seen tremendous strides with individuals with disabilities and the great diversity, equity, and inclusion programs the federal contractors have created. We have noticed an increase in those self-identifying as an individual with disabilities. However, we know more work needs to be accomplished in this arena.
In a recent Administrative Complaint Filing (see HERE), OFCCP has filed a lawsuit against Resource Metrix, a cyber security firm and federal contractor in Alexandria, VA after an investigation found a disabled employee was fired for being disabled and requesting a reasonable accommodation (ergonomic chair). This filing shows individuals with disabilities’ rights and protections in the workforce still need to be protected and there are some federal contractors who are not willing to even provide low-cost accommodations. https://www.dol.gov/newsroom/releases/ofccp/ofccp20221005-0
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