Job Seekers

The Federal Government is actively recruiting and hiring persons with disabilities. We offer a variety of exciting jobs, competitive salaries, excellent benefits, and opportunities for career advancement.

Hiring people with disabilities into Federal jobs is fast and easy. People with disabilities can be appointed to Federal jobs non-competitively through a process called Schedule A. Learn how to be considered for Federal jobs under the noncompetitive process. People with disabilities may also apply for jobs through the traditional or competitive process.

To find Federal jobs for which you can apply, use USAJOBS

Getting a Job

Learn the difference between the competitive and non-competitive hiring processes, how to use the Schedule A Authority, and how to conduct a job search in the Federal government.

Find a Selective Placement Program Coordinator

Most Federal agencies have a Selective Placement Program Coordinator, a Special Emphasis Program Manager (SEPM) for Employment of Adults with Disabilities, or equivalent, who helps to recruit, hire and accommodate people with disabilities at that agency.

Reasonable Accommodations

The Federal Government may provide you reasonable accommodation in appropriate cases. Requests are considered on a case-by-case basis.

Federal Agencies

As the Nation's largest employer, the Federal Government has a special responsibility to lead by example in including people with disabilities in the workforce. This website contains important information for federal agencies to use in recruiting, hiring, and retaining individuals with disabilities and targeted disabilities.

Background

On July 26, 2010, President Obama issued Executive Order 13548, which provides that the Federal Government, as the Nation's largest employer, must become a model for the employment of individuals with disabilities. The order directs Executive departments and agencies (agencies) to improve their efforts to employ Federal workers with disabilities and targeted disabilities through increased recruitment, hiring, and retention of these individuals. This is not only the right thing to do, but it is also good for the Government, as it increases the potential pool of highly qualified people from which the Federal Government draws its talent. Importantly, the Executive Order adopts the goal set forth in Executive Order 13163 of hiring 100,000 people with disabilities into the Federal Government over 5 years, including individuals with targeted disabilities.

The Executive Order also instructed the Director of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), in consultation with the Secretary of Labor, the Chair of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), and the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), to design model recruitment and hiring strategies for agencies to facilitate their employment of people with disabilities.

In addition to the Executive Order, federal agencies are obligated under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended to affirmatively employ people with disabilities. The specific requirements of this obligation are spelled out in the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission Management Directive (MD) 715.

Recruiting

This section contains recruiting information and resources for selective placement program coordinators, human resources professionals, managers and hiring officials.

Hiring

There are two types of hiring processes. In the non-competitive hiring process, agencies use a special authority (Schedule A) to hire persons with disabilities without requiring them to compete for the job. In the competitive process, applicants compete with each other through a structured process.

Retention

Retention is essential to making the investment of identifying and hiring people pay off. Learn helpful practices for retaining people with disabilities.

Providing Accommodation

In order to meet their accommodation obligations, agencies should think creatively about ways to make their workplace more accessible and create an environment where their employees who have disabilities can thrive. Here are some suggestions that relate specifically to reasonable accommodation issues.