July 2001

Over the next several years, the U.S. Department of Transportation will face a significant challenge  in recruiting candidates to fill vacancies created  by retirements and departures from federal service. This challenge, however, also presents an historic chance to open job opportunities at the Department  to individuals who may have had difficulty accessing  them in the past, including people with disabilities.

Section  501 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 prohibits Federal executive branch agencies from discriminating against qualified individuals with disabilities. It also requires agencies to take affirmative  action in hiring, placing, and advancing people with disabilities.

As one of the authors of the Americans with Disabilities  Act during my service in Congress, I am firmly committed to making the Department of Transportation a model employer in opening job opportunities  and building a positive work environment for people with disabilities.

All  applicants and employees have the right to be treated with respect and individuals must be recruited, hired, and promoted based upon their qualifications  and experience. The Department has both an ethical  and legal obligation to provide reasonable accommodations that will allow applicants and employees with  disabilities an equal opportunity to compete in the workplace.

The  current generation of Americans with disabilities is well prepared for the job market, yet nearly one half of working age people with disabilities in the United States are unemployed. An aggressive affirmative employment program of recruiting,  outreach, and employee development directed toward  people with disabilities has the potential both to help the Department meet its workforce needs  and to help bring Americans with disabilities into the mainstream of the Department and society as a whole.

Americans  with disabilities come from all walks of life and all racial, ethnic, and socio-economic backgrounds. Our commitment to opening job opportunities to all Americans, including Americans with disabilities, is a reflection of our commitment to building  a Department that works for, includes, and responds  to the needs of all Americans.

I  urge all U.S. Department of Transportation employees  to join me in finding the very best means of implementing  Section 501 and in working aggressively to create opportunities to recruit, hire, train, mentor, and promote persons with disabilities.
 

Norman Y. Mineta