FYI. Please circulate widely, as appropriate. If I can be of further assistance please, do not hesitate to contact me at the telephone number noted below.
-Jim-
James J. Elekes, M.Ed, MPA, CPM
Founder/Principle, Disability Services Consultant
Trans-Access Associates, LLC
1415 Ashton Glenn Drive, Surfside Beach, SC 29575-5434
*(O) 888.564.8430; (E)
jelekes@sc.rr.com*TTY/VRS Users are encouraged to contact their State's Relay Center by dialing 711 or, the Federal Relay Service (FRS) for this assistance.
Disabilities - U.S. Attorney General Memo
Please read and share:
From: Cantos, Ollie (CRT)
Sent: Thursday, May 28, 2009 6:07 PM
Subject: Breaking News - Attorney General Issues New Call to Action
Dear Colleagues:
What a wonderful opportunity this is to be in touch with you again, especially after more than two months. The primary reason surrounding this time gap in communications stems from our having to work on issues relating to our software, which is still in need of upgrading to the new operating system. But, in light of very recent developments within the past 24 hours or so, I simply had to find a way to get the word out quickly, even before system improvements are implemented and finalized. Having just returned from travel late last night, my goal today has been to get in touch with you as quickly as possible.
Getting right to the heart of today's email, I am extremely pleased to share information with you that is late-breaking. Our Attorney General, Eric Holder, head of the U.S. Department of Justice, has just issued a Department-wide call to hire and promote persons with targeted disabilities (i.e., those with sensory, physical, psychiatric, and intellectual disabilities) to be hired to fill positions for which they qualify within the various Department components. As such, within my capacity as Member of the Attorney General's Committee on Employment of Persons with Disabilities, I immediately wanted to share with you the original Portable Document File format copy of a Department memorandum, dated May 27, 2009 (text also pasted below). I strongly advise you to print and retain this memo for your records and to share this important document with everyone in your respective networks who wishes to seek employment in our Department.
Job-seekers may include a copy of this memo in their applications as a reminder to hiring authorities of the call to action issued by the Attorney General.
Supplementing this PDF, I am also taking the liberty of re-sending to the network an article on employment of individuals with disabilities, which was last revised in late 2007. Of specific note, job-seekers may wish to utilize "Schedule A" Hiring Authority, which allows individuals with targeted disabilities to be hired non-competitively into all levels of leadership (with the position later ideally to be converted from probationary status to permanent employment).
The article describes this further. Also contained in the piece are dozens of national resources that may assist with efforts to attain gainful employment.
I can tell you from my personal perspective that working in this Department has been an amazing and fulfilling experience in more ways than one. I would like nothing more than for all individuals with disabilities, who have an interest in joining our ranks, to make application to available positions for which they qualify To make this more of a concerted effort, I am taking the liberty of sending a CC of this email to Fred Parmenter, an attorney with the Antitrust Division, who is also the founder and chair of the Attorney General's Committee on which I sit. (This Committee first came into being under Attorney General Reno during the years of the Clinton Administration.) He may provide you with additional insight and guidance.
Even if you yourself may not be interested in serving with us here at the Justice Department, I respectfully urge you to forward this information far and wide because of the direct difference that may be made in someone's life as a result. President Obama has expressed a commitment to advancing employment opportunities for persons with disabilities, and our Attorney General has now followed the President's lead by communicating to all component heads his commitment to advance Management Directive 715, issued by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, which affirmatively encourages the recruitment, hiring, retention, and promotion of persons with disabilities (among others).
Help us fulfill the goal of greater employment of individuals with disabilities by ensuring that every community member that you know ends up receiving this email, and urge them to spread the word still further. Encourage posting of this information on websites, on social networks, on newsgroups, and in online and offline organization and agency publications. Help us achieve the
goal of our having 2% of our workforce of more than 100,000 consist of people with disabilities. Take action immediately so that, together, we may contribute to the lives of persons with disabilities being changed for the better while infusing this Department with the richness of talents, abilities, and skills that will effectively contribute to the Department's mission being fulfilled in every way.
Thank you very much, and here's to everyone's success!
Sincerely,
Olegario D. Cantos VII, Esq.
Member
Attorney General's Committee on Employment of Persons with Disabilities
Olegario D Cantos VII Esq
OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL
Washington, DC 20530
May 27, 2009
MEMORANDUM FOR HEADS OF DEPARTMENT COMPONENTS
FROM: THE ATTORNEY GENERAL <Initialed>
SUBJECT: Hiring Goals for Persons with Targeted Disabilities
President Barack Obama has a comprehensive agenda to empower individuals with disabilities and enhance access to employment for all Americans. As Attorney General, I am committed to making the Department of Justice (DOJ) a model employer with a diverse workforce that includes people with disabilities.
The Department, like other Federal agencies, must comply with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission's Management Directive 715, which requires hiring goals to increase employment and advancement of people with disabilities. While I recognize that DOJ's workforce is comprised of many law enforcement positions that have physical requirements, I ask that managers,
supervisors, and hiring officials assist me in working toward a Department-wide two-percent hiring goal of people with disabilities. If achieved, this goal will align DOJ with the most successful agencies in employing individuals with severe disabilities.
The Justice Management Division's (JMD) Human Resources and Equal Employment Opportunity Staffs are available to assist you and to provide information on special hiring authorities and accommodations for people with disabilities. These offices also will report quarterly to me on the Department's progress. If you have any questions you may contact
Rod Markham, Director, Human Resources Staff, JMD or Vontell D. Frost-Tucker, Director, Equal Employment Opportunity Staff, JMD.
President Obama has said, "We must build a world free of unnecessary barriers, stereotypes, and discrimination. Policies must be developed, attitudes must be shaped, and buildings and organizations must be designed to ensure that everyone has a chance to get the education they need and live independently as full citizens in their communities." I am asking the DOJ leadership for its pledge to incorporate talented persons with disabilities into the workplace.
__________ Information from ESET NOD32 Antivirus, version of virus signature database 4164 (20090617) __________
The message was checked by ESET NOD32 Antivirus.
<
http://www.eset.com>
http://www.eset.com
