May 2014 Technology and Disability Policy Highlights

Dr. James White, Director of Communications Studies at Georgia Tech’s Center for Advanced Communications Policy CACP and Wireless RERC researcher, authored a National Council on Disability (NCD) report: Effective Communication for People with Disabilities Before, During, and After Emergencies Evaluated. The report, which was recently published and officially released at the NCD’s May 27th briefing, focuses on the accessibility of emergency communication for people with intellectual, sensory, psychiatric and developmental disabilities. Dr. White’s study focused on identifying barriers and best practices to assist in improving communication with people with disabilities during emergencies.

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) is requesting public input on how to improve federal hiring of people with disabilities. Under the current law, federal agencies are obligated to serve as model employers of people with disabilities, but there are no set rules they must follow by which to achieve this result.  The EEOC has issued an Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to gain public comment on the matter, requesting suggestions and/or comments. Also regarding employment of people with the disabilities, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has made nearly $15 million available for state workforce agencies in an attempt to “develop flexible and innovative strategies to increase the participation of people with disabilities in existing career pathways programs in the public workforce system.”