Jump to specific sections:

• WIOA Resources
• OSERS Technical Assistance Centers
• OSERS Demonstration Projects
• PEAT Resources
• Section 503 Resources

Workforce Innovation Opportunity Act (WIOA) Resources

WIOA is designed to strengthen and improve our nation's public workforce system and help get Americans, including youth and those with significant barriers to employment, into high-quality jobs and careers and help employers hire and retain skilled workers.

• WIOA overview
• WIOA fact sheet about one stops
• What does WIOA mean for people with disabilities?
• Target Populations and National Programs for WIOA
• The Institute for Community Inclusion at UMass Boston is tracking the status of each state’s plan for providing employment assistance to its citizens, including those with disabilities. ICI has also just published a comprehensive guide that can help in reviewing your state’s WIOA plan.
• Checklist for compliance with Section 188
• Reference guide on promising practices to ensure universal access and equal employment opportunities for individuals with disabilities accessing the American Job Centers.
• LEAD Center webinar on Section 188

OSERS Technical Assistance Centers

The US Department of Education Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS) oversees a number of Technical Assistance Centers designed to help with vocational rehabilitation and the effective implementation of WIOA.

• Job–Driven Vocational Rehabilitation Technical Assistance Center (JDVRTAC)
  Improves the ability of state vocational rehabilitation agencies to work with employers and providers of training to ensure equal access to and greater opportunities for individuals with disabilities to engage in competitive employment or training.
• National Transition Center on Transition (NTACT)
  Assists state education agencies, local education agencies, state vocational rehabilitation agencies and other vocational rehabilitation service providers to implement evidence-based and promising practices to ensure students with disabilities stay in school, progress in school, and graduate with knowledge, skills, and supports needed to succeed in postsecondary education and employment.
• Vocational Rehabilitation Technical Assistance Center – Targeted Communities (VRTAC–TC)
  Provides technical assistance and training to upgrade and increase the competency, skills, and knowledge of vocational rehabilitation counselors and other professionals to assist economically disadvantaged individuals with disabilities to achieve competitive integrated employment outcomes.
• Vocational Rehabilitation Technical Assistance Center for Youth with Disabilities (VRTAC–Y)
  Provides technical assistance to state vocational rehabilitation agencies to improve services to and outcomes of: (1) students with disabilities, as defined in section 7(37) of the Rehabilitation Act, who are in school and who are not receiving services under the IDEA; and (2) youth with disabilities, as defined in section 7(42) of the Rehabilitation Act, who are no longer in school and who are not employed, including dropouts.
• Workforce Innovation Technical Assistance Center (WINTAC)
  Provides training and technical assistance to state vocational rehabilitation agencies, including agency staff and related rehabilitation professionals and service providers, to help them develop the skills and processes needed to meet the new statutory requirements imposed by WIOA 2014.

OSERS Demonstration Projects

The US Department of Education Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS) runs a number of demonstration projects that focus on specific issues to increase access to competitive integrated employment for individuals with disabilities.

• Automated Personalization Computing Project (APCP)
  Increases access to information and communication technologies through automatic personalization of needed assistive technology. The projects are designed to promote state vocational rehabilitation agency partnerships in the development of and the use of career pathways to help individuals with disabilities eligible for vocational rehabilitation services.

PEAT Resources

The Partnership on Employment & Accessible Technology (PEAT) promotes the employment, retention, and career advancement of people with disabilities through the development, adoption, and promotion of accessible technology.

• PEATWorks.org, a central hub for accessible technology-related tools and resources, including the latest PEAT research on the accessibility of online job applications and other eRecruiting technologies.  PEATworks content is designed to help employers and the technology industry adopt and promote accessible technology as part of everyday business practices, for the benefit of all employers and workers.
• PEATTalks, a new virtual speaker series showcasing organizations and individuals whose work is advancing accessible technology in the workplace. Held the third Thursday of every month at 2:00 p.m. ET, PEATTalks are energetic and interactive discussions highlighting a spectrum of exciting work. Featured speakers deliver a 15-minute talk and then field questions from attendees.
• TechCheck, a powerful but simple tool to help employers assess their technology accessibility practices and find tools to help improve them. TechCheck can help employers gauge the current state of their accessible technology policies, the goals they want to reach, and what steps they can take to reach them. TechCheck is intended for U.S. employers of all types — public or private, large or small.
• The U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) has launched TalentWorks, a free tool that helps employers and human resources professionals ensure that online job applications and other recruitment tools are accessible for jobseekers with disabilities. Created by ODEP’s Partnership on Employment & Accessible Technology, TalentWorks offers employers tip sheets on making online job applications, digital interviews, pre-employment tests and resume upload programs accessible. Top accessibility issues include websites with complex navigation, timeout restrictions, a lack of video captioning, and applications that can't be navigated with keystrokes and required using a mouse. An introductory webinar on TalentWorks may also be helpful.

Section 503 Resources

The newly amended Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act establishes benchmark employment goals for federal contractors and sub-contractors to employ a certain percentage of workers with disabilities.

• New Regulations: Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act
• Checklist for compliance with Section 503 as amended
• Office of Federal Contract Compliance FAQs on Section 503 amendments
• The US Business Leadership Network is a national non-profit leading work in supporting Federal Contractors to meet the new section 503 regulations and have created a self-evaluation tool that 503 contractors can use to get a baseline on compliance and then continually measure progress.The tool is free to USBLN corporate members and costs $1500 for non-members.