FORT BELVOIR, Va. –
Defense Logistics Agency employees are being asked to verify and update their disability status in MyBiz so the agency has an accurate account of the workforce.
Federal agencies are required by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission to take steps toward hiring a workforce made up of 12% of employees with a disability and 2% with targeted disabilities. DLA data shows the agency exceeds that goal at 15.72% with disabilities and 3.62% with targeted disabilities, but Monique Ray, a disability program manager for the DLA Equal Employment Opportunity Office, suspects the numbers are higher.
DLA records on employees who are military veterans indicate about 15% of veteran employees have a 30% disability, she said.
“Most individuals with a 30% disability are likely to have a targeted disability, so we’re much higher than 3.62% just based on our veteran population alone. We’re probably well over 15%,” Ray continued.
Targeted disabilities include conditions like traumatic brain injury and mobility impairment as well as deafness or serious difficulty hearing and significant disfigurement. Other disabilities range from diabetes and gastrointestinal disorders to cancer.
One in four people in the U.S. and about one in six of the world population have a disability, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization. Ray noted that an individual’s status can change over time due to newly developed health issues or age. Employees may update their disability status at any time.
Preconceived notions could prevent employees from reporting their disability, Ray added.
“I think a lot of people have a misconception of what their disability information is used for and don’t fully understand that it is used as an aggregate,” she said. “Self-identification is voluntary and confidential.”
The numbers are used to help DLA recruit and retain a diverse and inclusive workforce. It’s also used to take advantage of funding for assistive technology and other resources that are used to support people with disabilities and assist them with doing their jobs and enjoying the benefits and privileges of the workplace. Though not all employees with disabilities require assistive technology like special computer equipment to do their jobs, the Defense Department’s Computer/Electronic Accommodations Program provides such adaptive technologies based on what percent of an agency’s employees have disabilities.
“CAP is a great program that we use to help our employees, and how much funding we get for those free resources is based on the numbers we report,” Ray said.
For more information, please contact your local servicing Human Resources office or Disability Program Coordinator. To verify and update your disability status, visit MyBiz, click on “Personal” at the bottom of the page, then select the “Disability” menu.