NOROFLK, Va. (October 26, 2021)—Civilian teammates and service members attached to Military Sealift Command gathered virtually to honor National Disability Employment Awareness Month, Oct. 26.
National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM) is an opportunity to reaffirm the Department of Defense’s (DOD) commitment to recruit, retain, and advance individuals with disabilities throughout our workforce, according to the Defense Equal Opportunity Management Institute.
“National Disability Employment Awareness Month is a nationwide campaign which celebrates the many and varied contributions of America’s workers with disabilities,” Yeoman Chief Petty Officer Jair McGee-Anderson, the mistress of ceremonies for the special observance stated. “The observance also emphasizes the importance of guaranteeing that all Americans have access to the services necessary to enable them to work.”
The theme for this year’s special observance was “America’s Workforce: Empowering All.”
MSC’s NDEAM special observance featured, Bryan Osbourne, Military Sealift Command’s Military Sealift Command’s Equal Employment Opportunity Program Director, who provided information about the Workforce Recruitment Program (WRP), and Military Sealift Command Human Resource Specialist Sharon Caine who discussed the use of “Persons with Disabilities Schedule ‘A’” when considering prospective future MSC teammates. Caine also provided information about MSC’s efforts to ‘self-identify’ its teammates’ disability status.
“WRP is a recruitment and referral program to help connect Federal employers with college students, graduate students and recent graduates with disabilities who are eager to demonstrate their skills and abilities in the workplace through internships or permanent positions,” Osbourne said.
The leadership at MSC is always in search of new teammates and the WRP has shown to be an effective tool to find talent who might not be found using traditional recruiting methods, according to Osbourne.
Prospective employers have direct access to candidate information via the website (www.wrp.gov). Employers are able to find candidates with specific skills needed for a position. The website contains an extensive search page to assist employers with finding the best candidates.
“Colleges and Universities register for the program in the spring and market the WRP to students and recent graduates with disabilities,” Osbourne added. “The students and recent graduates register and are confirmed for participation in the fall. The database is updated with the new candidates annually in December.”
The WRP database is available year-round to employers. WRP candidates consist of undergraduate, graduate students and recent graduates from a wide variety of academic and professional backgrounds.
Schedule ‘A’ hiring authority, used for hiring people with severe physical disabilities, psychiatric disabilities, and intellectual disabilities, is an excepted authority used to appoint persons with severe physical disabilities, psychiatric disabilities, and intellectual disabilities, according to the U.S. Office of Personnel Management. Individuals may qualify for conversion to permanent status after two years of satisfactory service. Severe physical disabilities include but are not limited to blindness, deafness, paralysis, missing limbs, epilepsy, dwarfism, and more.
“The Schedule ‘A’ Hiring Authority, for people with disabilities (Schedule A), is an exception to the traditional hiring process,” according to Caine. “Schedule ‘A’ streamlines the hiring process for persons with disabilities and, in some instances, hiring officials may select solely from a list of qualified Schedule ‘A’ applicants.”
“A person can apply using Schedule ‘A’ if they are a person with an intellectual disability, a severe physical disability, or a psychiatric disability,” Caine added. “In order to be selected the person will need to show that they meets the qualifications of the job (with or without reasonable accommodation).”
An individual wishing to be hired under the Schedule A (5 CFR 213.2102(u)) hiring authority must provide proof he or she is indeed an individual with intellectual disability, severe physical disability, or psychiatric disability. This proof must be provided to the hiring agency before an individual can be hired.
For employers who are interested in more information about Schedule ‘A’ hiring authority, please visit https://www.eeoc.gov/abcs-schedule.
In addition to Schedule ‘A,’ Caine addressed MSC’s efforts to identify its teammates with disabilities.
In order to foster a culture of inclusion in the work environment at MSC, new employees are provided the opportunity to provide their status as a disabled employee by completing a Standard Form 256 (SF-256). This voluntary form issued by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is used to gather disability employment information within the federal government. Current employees are encouraged to ‘self-identify’ their disability status as well.
According to Caine, “MSC teammates should ‘self-identify’ their disability status to ensure accurate representation of the disability workforce at MSC and Enhance existing efforts to identify and eliminate barriers equal employment opportunities for Individuals with Disabilities.”
Caine emphasized that self-identifying one’s disability status is both confidential and voluntary.
“When MSC teammates ‘self-identify’ their disability status, they are assisting with allocating resources to disability-related programs such as reasonable accommodation and enhancing the DON’s affirmative employment efforts for individuals with disabilities,” Caine added.
MSC teammates can update their disability status by logging into their MyBiz account at https://compo.dcpds.cpms.osd.mil. They can also complete and submit a Standard Form 256 (SF-256).
"Military Sealift Command remains diligent in providing every person opportunities for a meaningful career in a culture that embraces diversity and inclusivity,” concluded McGee-Anderson. “By empowering all, the Defense Department continues to build an inclusive workforce resulting in total force readiness.”
| Date Taken: | 10.26.2021 |
| Date Posted: | 10.27.2021 15:15 |
| Story ID: | 408141 |
| Location: | NORFOLK, VIRGINIA, US |
| Web Views: | 104 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Military Sealift Command Honors National Disability Employment Awareness Month, by Bill Mesta, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
