eNews · April 2016
What's New
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PEAT is pleased to announce the launch of TalentWorks—a free online tool for employers and human resources professionals that helps them ensure their online job applications and other eRecruiting technologies are accessible to job seekers with disabilities. PEAT created the tool based on its national survey of people with disabilities where 46% of respondents rated their last experience applying for a job online as "difficult to impossible." Among the tool's features are general background on accessibility and eRecruiting, as well as practical tip sheets and videos on making online job applications, digital interviews, pre-employment tests and resume upload programs accessible.
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The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) is seeking public comments on their proposed updates to Section 501 of the Rehabilitation Act. You can help by submitting a comment to share issues and concerns related to accessible technology in the workplace. Deadline: Monday, April 25.
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The National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR) will award up to 10 Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grants of $75,000 each to small businesses seeking to develop innovative products, processes or services that will benefit people with disabilities. Final applications are due April 25, 2016.
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Deputy Secretary of Labor Chris Lu discusses his takeaways from meeting with the great Stevie Wonder and hundreds of other dedicated leading accessibility "stars" at last month's International Technology and Persons with Disabilities Conference (CSUN). As he notes, "our commitment to accessible technology is about basic civil rights, as well as the collective productivity of America’s workforce...employers, technology vendors and tech users with disabilities must all work together to raise awareness and educate one another about accessible workplace technology issues, most of which can be easily solved."
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Are we at a tipping point with regards to employer awareness of the importance of accessible technologies in the workplace? At our March PEAT Talk, Knowbility's Sharron Rush was optimistic that things are starting to change, and offered several tips for employers related to "usable accessibility." You can join the conversation by commenting on our recap, or the archived video.
Save the Date
April 21, 2pm-2:30pm ET WEBINAR
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We are pleased to welcome Denis Boudreau, senior web accessibility consultant for Deque. Denis will be talking about why accessible eRecruiting tools make sense and the simple steps that web developers and designers can take to ensure that job seekers with disabilities are not excluded from employment opportunities.
May 19, 2pm-2:30pm ET WEBINAR
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During this special installment of our monthly speaker series, the winners of the WWW+W4A Accessibility Hackathon will present their innovations to help us mark Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD). The event, sponsored by Google Montreal and PEAT, challenged participants to take a popular web-based product used widely in workplaces and schools and make it accessible to all users.
In Focus
As businesses compete to attract talented, skilled employees, it’s important to make sure that artificial barriers aren’t blocking their path. In this cautionary tale, Sassy Outwater explains how employers may be missing out on top candidates when their online hiring and recruiting systems aren't accessible.
While new technologies have broken down countless barriers for individuals with disabilities, job hunting online continues to be fraught with accessibility-related obstacles that the general population may not even realize exist. And as GettingHired's Gabrielle Nagle discusses, inaccessible eRecruiting doesn’t just affect the job seeker, but also the employer. Because when your eRecruiting applications don’t work for everyone, you may be missing out on some of the most seasoned, motivated talent in the marketplace.