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WHEREAS, individuals with disabilities constitute the Nation's largest minority group with approximately 56.7 million, or nearly one in five, Americans having at least one disability. As the baby boomer population ages and more veterans return from foreign conflicts, this number is expected to significantly increase; and,
WHEREAS, individuals with disabilities represent the single largest minority group seeking employment in today's marketplace. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, in 2013, only 2 out of 10 individuals with disabilities who were seeking employment were employed. Furthermore, of those individuals with disabilities that are employed, a significant amount of the individuals were only employed part-time; and,
WHEREAS, currently and historically individuals with disabilities have difficulties gaining employment for diverse reasons, from discriminatory hiring/firing practices, accessibility of the workplace, refusal of employers to provide reasonable accommodations, facing stigma, apprehension in applying to positions with the Federal government, and a lack of inclusive hiring and recruiting policies that strive to diversify the workplace; and,
WHEREAS, most workers with disabilities require no special accommodations and the cost for those who do is minimal or much lower than many employers believe; and,
WHEREAS, noting that “The Federal Government has an important interest in reducing discrimination against Americans living with a disability, in eliminating the stigma associated with disability, and in encouraging Americans with disabilities to seek employment in the Federal workforce,” President Obama issued Executive Order #13548 in July of 2010, which committed the Federal Government to increasing its workforce to at least 7% being individuals with disabilities within five years; and,
WHEREAS, driving this initiative are new regulations to Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 which strengthen the affirmati...
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