The Air Force Disability Program along with all federal agencies has been working to meet the President’s challenge to hire 100,000 people with disabilities in federal agencies over the next five years.
Located in the Headquarters Air Force Equal Opportunity Office (HQ USAF/A1Q) at Joint Base Andrews NAF, our team strives to reduce discrimination against Americans with a disability by identifying and eliminating barriers to employment, to provide reasonable accommodations for applicants and employees, and to bring awareness and training to all stakeholders.
I was hired through the Workforce Recruitment Program (WRP) for college students with disabilities. It has been a professional and personal experience more rewarding than I had imagined. I am serving as the Assistant Disability Program Manager and will be posting blogs periodically.
On Friday, June 8th, various Air Force activities joined in an effort to participate in the Equal Opportunity Publications (EOP) science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) Diversity Career Fair at the Ronald Reagan Building in Washington D.C. The purpose of the event was for federal agencies to hire veterans and minority groups (ethnic minorities, women, Wounded Warriors, and people with Schedule A disabilities) that are in STEM fields. Our Air Force booth collected 136 resumes, including 8 Schedule A resumes.
My current project is working with the Employees with Disabilities Resource Group (ERG) to plan an event at the Pentagon on Friday July 27th titled “What does the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) mean to you?” The event is in commemoration of the 22nd anniversary of the signing of the ADA and its purpose is to build awareness of the employment discrimination people with disabilities face and most importantly, to share what is concretely being done to combat this and provide significant opportunities.
The two speakers- Ms. Kendra Duckworth, Air Force Disability Program Manager and Ms. Lisa Stern, workforce development professional- will discuss the ADA’s impact on civilians and veterans. Information on the Disability Program and its opportunities and resources will be available at the event.
A key objective of the ERG is “to facilitate employment and advancement opportunities for individuals with disabilities, civilian employees and wounded warriors.” If you or anyone you know would like to be a part of ERG to influence the initiatives of the Disability Program, send an email message to HAF/ERG@pentagon.af.mil.
By Veena Meer, guest DoDLive blogger
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