New EEOC Initiative Announced

EEOC has announced a new initiative designed to stem the erosion in the government’s employment of people with certain “targeted” disabilities, such as deafness, blindness and other conditions. It says that over 2001-2005, individuals with targeted disabilities separated from the federal workforce at more than twice the rate that they were hired. The percentage of permanent federal employees with such disabilities peaked at 1.24 percent in fiscal year 1994 and since has fallen to 0.99 percent, with a total of 24,086 employees with targeted disabilities. The initiative will include educational events, focus groups and a new section of the EEOC website highlighting the rights and responsibilities of employers and employees on the issue.