EARN Newsletter: February 2024

EARN in Action

Creating and Sustaining Community Partnerships

Community Partnerships are one strategy employers can use to hire and keep skilled workers, especially workers with disabilities. Join EARN on March 20 at 2:00 p.m. ET for its first webinar of 2024, “Building Local Partnerships: One Strategy for Hiring and Keeping Workers.” Innovative leaders will engage in a panel discussion and share approaches to develop successful, high-impact partnerships. Gain insights and practical tips for building partnerships that expand talent pools, drive retention, and boost productivity. Hear first-hand experiences shared by the panel, including practical solutions for overcoming challenges when establishing partnerships, measuring program impact, identifying shared goals, and more.

Considering Disability and Diversity at Work

Diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) efforts in the workplace often focus on just one facet of a person's identity, such as race or gender. Diversity encompasses many factors and people from all historically underserved groups, including disabled people. All identities should be considered in workplace DEIA efforts. EARN’s Disability and Diversity at Work webpage provides helpful information and tips for employers looking to diversify their workforce and hire people with disabilities.

Exploring Neurodiversity in the Federal Government

On February 14, EARN, in collaboration with its federal partners the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), hosted its first Federal Exchange on Employment and Disability (FEED) meeting of 2024. FEED members learned about best practices and model programs to advance employment opportunities for neurodivergent employees in the federal sector, specifically NASA’s Neurodiversity Network (N3); and explored the Workforce Recruitment Program (2024) database. National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM), DEIA, and other topics related to disability employment were also discussed.

Disability Employment in the News

Celebrating Black History Month

RespectAbility, a diverse, disability-led nonprofit that works to create systemic change in how society views and values people with disabilities, released a Public Service Announcement (PSA) spotlighting Black creatives with disabilities—both in front of and behind the camera. The PSA highlights the importance of building a more inclusive future for the more than 5.5 million Black Americans living with disabilities and will run through the month of February.

Ensuring Success Among New Talent

According to the National Association of Colleges and Employers’ (NACE) 2023 Recruiting Benchmarks Report, four out of five employers have formal diversity recruitment efforts. EARN’s own Dr. Susanne Bruyère points out that people with disabilities are an often-untapped talent pool. She provides recommendations for employers to consider in their workplace DEIA efforts to ensure their disabled employees are included at every stage of employment—especially recruiting and hiring efforts.

Ask EARN

Employer Spotlight

Forming Partnerships to Build Inclusive Talent Pipelines

Through the National Business and Disability Council’s (NBDC) Emerging Leadership program, MetLife annually recruits student interns with disabilities to provide a meaningful work experience and build their talent pipeline. They offer training for supervisors, as well as formal and informal professional development opportunities for interns to enhance professional experience. This partnership helps MetLife build a culture of inclusion and respect for diversity, especially for disabled interns and employees.

The content in this newsletter does not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the U.S. Department of Labor, nor does mention of trade names, commercial products, or organizations imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.