COLUMBUS, Ohio –
The Defense Federal Community celebrated National Disability Employment Awareness Month with a panel discussion Oct. 24 at the Defense Logistics Agency Land and Maritime Operations Center Auditorium on Defense Supply Center Columbus.
The program was sponsored by the DLA Land and Maritime Office of Equal Employment Opportunity and Diversity’s People with Disabilities Employment Program.
October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month. It was established by Congress by Title 36, US Code Section 2. During this month, the nation reaffirms its commitment to ensuring equal opportunity for all citizens and pays tribute to the accomplishments of men and women with disabilities.
A presidential proclamation released ahead of this year’s observance states, “America is the only country in the world founded on an idea: that we are all created equal and deserve to be treated equally throughout our lives. This National Disability Employment Awareness Month, we celebrate all the people with disabilities who have moved our Nation closer to realizing that ideal and, in the process, have made America more prosperous, inclusive, and humane. As we celebrate the progress we have made, may we continue to open the doors of opportunity even wider for people with disabilities by advancing access and equity.”
DLA Land and Maritime Deputy Commander Kenneth Watson provided opening remarks where he recognized the significant contributions of people with disabilities all over the United States and the importance of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.
“People with disabilities are a huge contributor to our very diverse workforce here at [DLA] Land and Maritime. That's one of the things that absolutely makes us better,” Watson said. “This year marks 50 years since the passage of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, which was really a major milestone piece of legislation in advancing access and equity for people with disabilities. It was the first legislative effort to secure an equal playing field, and it really laid a foundation that we rely on even today.”
Watson also reaffirmed DLA Land and Maritime’s commitment to recruit, retain and advance people with disabilities throughout the organization.
“DLA has long been a leader in recognizing the strengths and values that people with disabilities bring to our workforce, [DLA] Land and Maritime remains committed to providing every person the opportunity for a meaningful career.”
He shared the inspirational story of U.S. Navy Master Chief Boatswain’s Mate and Master Diver Carl Maxie Brashear rising to the position in 1970 despite having his left leg amputated in 1966.
Under this year’s theme, “Advancing Access and Equity,” panelists answered questions about the importance of access and equity in the workplace, the reasonable accommodation process, and ways to improve access for disabled employees. DLA Land and Maritime Contract Specialist Jessica Ramsey served as the moderator, leading a discussion with three panelists: Material Planner Teresa Brunotte, Contract Specialist Abigail Graf, and EEO Disability Program Coordinator Michael McCoy.
When asked about assistive technology, Graf said she uses it daily to perform the duties of her position.
“Assistive technology is very important for someone with a visual impairment,” she said. About eight years ago, I lost a good portion of my central vision. As my career continued after college, I found what works best for me. The things that I was introduced to back then, I still use today in my job as a contract specialist. I use ZoomText—a magnification software and [Job Access with Speech, or JAWS], which reads the screen. Both are really helpful.”
Brunotte’s experiences as a hearing-impaired employee led to the initiation of a Lean Six Sigma Green Belt process improvement project with the goal of improving the process for obtaining sign language interpreters.
“We don’t see deaf supervisors or directors here. So that really motivated us to start this project, thinking about the access that interpreters would give not just me, but other deaf employees here as well, to advance in our careers,” she said. “We want 100% of the information that everybody else has access to. That’s why it is vital for us to have the interpreters available to us.”
McCoy provided a brief overview of the Reasonable Accommodation process.
“Federal agencies have a legal requirement under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 to provide accommodations to disabilities of our employees, as long as the accommodation does not cause undue hardship for the agency,” he explained. “Individuals with disabilities must be able to perform the essential functions of the role with and without reasonable accommodation. The reasonable accommodation process starts when a qualified individual under the Americans with Disabilities Act, as amended, requests a reasonable accommodation to perform the essential functions of their position.”
For the last question, all the panelists had the opportunity to share their thoughts about ways to improve access to disabled employees.
“I would encourage DLA to continue being the best at what they do. As technology advances, I think that is my biggest encouragement to DLA, to keep advancing. In that same vein, I think DLA does a wonderful job currently,” Graf said.
“As a deaf individual, I am unable to serve in our military. So, it’s my honor to be behind the scenes to serve our workforce and to provide support to the warfighter,” Brunotte said.
She added that she believes DLA could improve the hiring process to focus more on hiring individuals with disabilities.
“I think that DLA can improve access for individuals and employees with disabilities by recruiting at local colleges and universities and recruiting on social media so that individuals know and employees know that DLA is the place to be. We have a great organization. We model inclusivity and diversity,” McCoy said.
As the program concluded, Watson presented the panelists with tokens of appreciation. DLA Installation Management – Columbus’ Support Agreement Manager Greg Ramsey, who also serves as EEO People with Disabilities Employment Program Chair, delivered the closing remarks. Ramsey was recently honored as a 2023 Defense Department Outstanding Employee with a Disability.
DLA Land and Maritime Resolution Specialist Lisa Griffin rendered the National Anthem and Alan Shatz, contract specialist and EEO European American Program chair, delivered the invocation.
DLA Land and Maritime associates interested in joining the EEO People with Disabilities Employment committee can contact Ramsey or EEO People with Disabilities Employment Committee Coordinator Fernando Nava.