President Obama is fully committed to promoting and enabling more Federal employment of people with disabilities. In the opening keynote address at the Telework Exchange Spring Town Hall Meeting on April 8, 2010, in Washington, D.C., Kareem Dale, Special Assistant to the President for Disability Policy, stated, "We now have a formidable team," mentioning Kathy Martinez, who heads the Office of Disability Employment Policy at the Department of Labor (DOL), "and we stand poised and ready to reshape the landscape for the employment of people with disabilities in our community."

In fact, in late April, several weeks after Dale spoke at the Town Hall Meeting, DOL, in conjunction with the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), held one of the first-ever job fairs specifically geared to people with disabilities. More than 50 agencies participated and more than 500 prospective employees were interviewed. OPM also held a training seminar in March for 600 human resources professionals and hiring managers from several agencies, as well as for people with disabilities who were seeking Federal jobs. In addition, OPM has a video available that explains Schedule A and how to use it to hire people with disabilities.

Telework is a key tool in the Federal government's effort to increase hiring of people with disabilities, but Federal agencies need to work harder to find ways to incorporate it into their employment and management efforts, Dale remarked. He referenced the recent Telework Exchange study, "Unnecessary Barriers," that found only half of agencies are relying on telework to hire people with disabilities and that 50 percent of employees believe their agencies do not have the tools and resources necessary to hire, promote, and retain people with disabilities.

"This must change," Dale stated emphatically. "The bottom line is that millions of people with disabilities around the country can work, want to work, are capable of working, and are ready and willing to work. But they sometimes need telework as an option, as a tool, as a resource to become productive, taxpaying members of society. And telework must be accessible to all of those who need it."

Dale, who is blind, noted that he was able to telework during the snow-induced government shutdown of early 2010. "If the White House can allow me to telework from home – with the accessible equipment and software that I have to have on my computer and that has to work with the many security layers and procedures that the White House has in place – if the White House can do it, then any Federal agency can do it," he stated.

Dale noted that a major barrier to hiring those with disabilities is that agency managers do not take advantage of – and often do not even know about – Federal programs that can speed the hiring process or provide financial and technical assistance.

Among these tools is Schedule A, which allows Federal agencies to fast-track the hiring of qualified employees who have disabilities. The Telework Exchange survey found, however, that 36 percent of those involved with hiring decisions or approving those hires had no knowledge of Schedule A. Dale called this finding "unacceptable."

Likewise, many agency personnel are unaware of the Computer Electronic Accommodations Program (CAP). This unique Department of Defense initiative provides computers and assistive technologies for people with disabilities who work within the Federal government, including those who need to telework on a full- or part-time basis. And, Dale noted, they provide this help at no cost to the hiring Federal agency involved. "Therefore, there is no excuse," he stated.

While progress is being made, much work remains to be done to improve the job prospects of people with disabilities, according to Dale. And that includes leveraging the very tangible benefits of telework to ensure that even those with physical disabilities can obtain a Federal job and work productively.

"I challenge each and every one of us, both inside and outside the government, both employers and employees: Let us recommit to the principles of equality," Dale said. "Together, we can ensure that people with disabilities are able to work, be productive members of society, support their families, be role models for others, and support the American Dream."