ODEP News Brief - July 27, 2018

July 27, 2018

RETAIN TA Provider Solicitation

A solicitation for the RETAIN Technical Assistance Provider contract was published last week on GSA eBuy. This TA Provider will provide support to RETAIN awardees and to ODEP throughout both phases of the RETAIN Demonstration Project. Proposals are due August 20. Questions about the opportunity should be submitted to the contract specialist via email no later than Friday, August 10, 2018. Please visit GSA eBuy and search for RFQ number 1306566 under SIN 874 7. In addition, the RETAIN grant application deadline was extended to August 3. If there are any questions in these final two weeks of the application period, please email Jeannette Flowers, Grant Specialist.

• View the RETAIN Technical Assistance Provider contract solicitation on GSA eBuy
• Learn about applying for the RETAIN grant

Workforce Recruitment Program Seeks Volunteers

The Workforce Recruitment Program is a recruitment and referral program that connects federal and private-sector employers nationwide with highly motivated college students and recent graduates with disabilities who are eager to demonstrate their skills through summer or permanent jobs. The WRP is the primary pipeline bringing students and recent graduates with disabilities into federal employment. Volunteers are needed to serve as WRP recruiters for the upcoming recruitment season, which runs from October 29 through November 19. Recruiters must be federal employees who can commit to conducting at least 10 phone interviews with students and evaluating each student candidate in writing. The required recruiter training is conducted online and can be completed in about 90 minutes. Registration is open until August 15.

• Register to be a WRP recruiter

Romano Sworn in as NCD Chairman

The Honorable Neil Romano was sworn in as Chairman of the National Council on Disability on July 19 by U.S. Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chao. The National Council on Disability is an independent federal agency that advises the President, Congress, and other federal agencies regarding policies, programs, practices, and procedures that affect people with disabilities. Romano served as the Assistant Secretary for the Office of Disability Employment Policy from 2008-2009. During his tenure at ODEP, he helped influence policy on Employment First, forged three ODEP Alliances, and created and launched the Campaign for Disability Employment.

• Learn about the members of the NCD Council

Career Pathways Webinar

The joint technical assistance team of the LEAD Center and the Workforce Innovation Technical Assistance Center will host a webinar on “Career Pathways: Introducing Entrepreneurship and Small Business Concepts for Youth with Disabilities” on August 2, from 2-3 p.m. This webinar is presented as a part of the Career Pathways Community of Practice. The webinar will recap the vision of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act for following a career pathway model for service delivery, and explore Alaska's innovation of including entrepreneurship and small business concepts into their service structure for youth.

• Register for the webinar
• Join the Career Pathways Community of Practice

JAN Ticket to Work Blogs

The Job Accommodation Network contributed two posts to the Social Security Administration's Ticket to Work blog, both penned by Melanie Whetzel, lead consultant on JAN's Cognitive/Neurological Team. In “Talking about Disability Disclosure,” Whetzel discusses the three main reasons that employees and job applicants might disclose a disability in the workplace or for the application process. Then in “How to Request Accommodations,” she provides guidance on how to disclose a disability and request accommodations.

• Read “Talking about Disability Disclosure”
• Read “How To Request Accommodations”

Autonomous Vehicle Company Tour

Deputy Assistant Secretary of Labor for Disability Employment Policy Jennifer Sheehy and other staff from ODEP had the opportunity to visit the General Motors Cruise AV in San Francisco, CA, to learn about the steps that GM is taking to make self-driving cars accessible to the disability community. ODEP's initiative, “Autonomous Vehicles: Driving Employment for People with Disabilities,” examines the ways in which self-driving technology can bridge transportation gaps and lead to increased labor force participation for Americans with disabilities.

• Learn more about ODEP's accessible transportation efforts
• Learn more about GM's Cruise Automation