On Nov. 5-6, 2018, Steve Shih, NASA’s Associate Administrator for Diversity and Equal Opportunity, visited the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) to engage MSFC leaders (including MSFC Center Director Jody Singer, EEO Director Loucious Hires, and Diversity & Inclusion Director Susan Cloud) and personnel on Diversity & Inclusion and Equal Employment Opportunity. During his visit, Steve gave a keynote address at MSFC’s Career Readiness Mentoring Day event, and delivered anti-harassment training to MSFC leaders.
Free Resources for Disability Workplace Accommodations
The Job Accommodation Network (JAN) provides free, expert and confidential guidance on workplace accommodations to employers as well as to employees, job seekers, family members and service providers. Beyond accommodations, JAN provides information and assistance to individuals with disabilities who may find that self-employment is their best career choice. It also provides easy-to-understand technical assistance and training to employers on the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and other disability employment-related laws and regulations.
JAN annually responds to more than 40,000 individual requests for assistance via phone, email and/or chat services. Sixty percent of the requests are from employers. JAN also conducts nearly 100 trainings per year for employers, employer organizations, Federal, State and local governments, and service providers in person, via webinar, and/or by teleconference. More than 8 million visitors use JAN’s comprehensive website, www.AskJAN.org, to access publications, tools, and online training on job accommodations and the ADA. JAN conducts the ongoing study, “Workplace Accommodations: Low Cost, High Impact,” to demonstrate that the benefits employers receive from making workplace accommodations far outweigh the low costs of the accommodations.
Finally, JAN continues to share information on best practices on accommodations and the ADA through its outreach campaigns.
National Native American Heritage Month
National American Indian Heritage Month is observed from November 1 – 30 of each year. The observance month recognizes American Indians for their respect for natural resources and the Earth, for having served with valor in our Nation’s military, and for their many distinct and important contributions to the United States.
What started at the turn of the century as an effort to gain a day of recognition for the significant contributions Native Americans have made to the establishment and growth of the United States has resulted in an entire month for that purpose.
In 1990, President George H. W. Bush approved a joint resolution designating November 1990 “National American Indian Heritage Month.” Similar proclamations, under variants on the name (including “Native American Heritage Month” and “National American Indian and Alaska Native Heritage Month”) have been issued each year since 1994.
The 2018 Native American Heritage Month theme, “Sovereignty, Trust, and Resilience,” is a time to recognize, remember, and reflect on the many contributions of Native Americans, and also educate Americans about the various Native American tribes that have graced U.S. land while raising awareness about the many challenges Native Americans have faced.
Native Americans have contributed much to science. Some of the best examples come to us from the world of food science. Native Americans cultivated and bred some of the most popular and economically important foods today, including corn, beans, potatoes, peanuts, and many others. Over the centuries, Native Americans also contributed much to medicine. Their medical systems were quite complex and included the use of narcotics, anesthetics, enemas, psychotherapy, and much more. Perhaps the best examples of Native American contributions to modern medicine include medications based on:
• Quinine, used for the treatment of malaria
• Ipecac, which has been used to cause vomiting in cases of poisoning
• Curare, derivatives of which have been used in anesthesia
Besides food and medicine, Native American science has contributed in many other ways. For example, in engineering, the way Native Americans had constructed their Pueblo (adobe) homes has been found to decrease temperatures inside the home in times of extreme heat by a significant amount and make the heating of such homes, in cold weather, very efficient.
As we recognize the many contributions of Native Americans, I want to take this opportunity to reinforce our commitment to equal opportunity, diversity, and inclusion and thank the many talented Native Americans of NASA at all levels of the organization, whose diligent leadership and commitment help us accomplish NASA’s mission.
I invite all employees to frequent the ODEO blog to get information on various activities across NASA and to view the new Native Americans at NASA poster. I also encourage you to participate in events in your communities.
Stephen T. Shih, Esq.
Associate Administrator
Office of Diversity and Equal Opportunity
Disability Etiquette Video: Non-Obvious Disabilities
According to the Centers for Disease Control, nearly 50% of Americans have some form of chronic medical condition. Often, these conditions are not readily apparent, and a lack of awareness can lead to misunderstandings in the workplace.
A training video available from the Federal Computer/Electronic Accommodations Program (CAP) provides guidance on interacting with individuals who have non-obvious disabilities. CAP (http://www.cap.mil/) provides assistive technology and services free of charge to DoD and civil service customers with hearing, visual, dexterity, cognitive, and communication impairments to make their work environments more accessible.
To access the CAP video:(http://www.cap.mil/NewsEvents/TrainingVideo.aspx?enc=67OWaA2nH+T8tEnNwvkLGg== ).
For questions about NASA Reasonable Accommodations process, please contact NASA Disability Program Manager Rebecca Doroshenk at 202-358-0038 or Rebecca.D.Doroshenk@nasa.gov.
Providing Reasonable Accommodation Solutions
NASA is committed to creating a workplace environment that supports reasonable accommodations and accessible tools and technology so our employees with disabilities can continue to fully contribute to mission success. Learn what a reasonable accommodation solution is, who Computer/Electronic Accommodations Program (CAP) accommodates, what a needs assessment involves, and the how to initiate the request process.
CAP (http://www.cap.mil/) provides assistive technology and services free of charge to DoD and civil service customers with hearing, visual, dexterity, cognitive, and communication impairments to make their work environments more accessible.
To access the short CAP video: (http://www.cap.mil/NewsEvents/TrainingVideo.aspx?enc=Pzgh9sJhEGLcH8pb1aQZVg== ).
For questions about NASA’s Reasonable Accommodations process, please contact NASA Disability Program Manager Rebecca Doroshenk at 202-358-0038 or Rebecca.D.Doroshenk@nasa.gov.
Excellent American Indian and Alaskan Native Infographic
Thank you once again, Patrick Feeney, for a fantastic visual representation of NASA employee data – this time, of American Indians and Alaska Natives (AIANs), both here at NASA and Nationwide!
https://infogram.com/aian-infographic-1h7z2lkj5d3y6ow?live
Alternative Dispute Resolution
Differences of opinion happen and there are many expectations as to how conflicts should be addressed. With an effective conflict resolution mechanisms in place, we can continue to promote healthy working relationships and open communication among employees and managers to ensure unity and inclusion.
NASA’s Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) Program is designed to resolve EEO complaints at the Center level (as an informal EEO process) and at the Agency level (as a formal EEO process) through facilitation by a neutral third party.
NASA’s EEO ADR Program primarily uses mediation, one of the most common and effective methods of ADR, as one way to resolve EEO complaints at the lowest possible level.
NASA Anti-Harassment Campaign
NASA announced its ongoing Agency-wide Anti-Harassment Campaign on February 1, 2018 with a video from former Acting Administrator Robert Lightfoot (accessible at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VXIEyzhLo1c&feature=youtu.be), highlighting NASA’s strong commitment to a harassment-free workplace. As Administrator Jim Bridenstine stated at his first NASA Town Hall meeting, “This is an agency where we want to make sure that inclusion and diversity continue… as long as I’m at the helm of this agency, there will be no discrimination based on race, religion, sexual identity, sexual orientation, ethnicity, national origin, or anything else.”
The Campaign, in the words of Steve Shih, the Agency’s Associate Administrator for Diversity and Equal Opportunity, is “to support the safety and success of NASA’s workforce and mission by maintaining a harassment-free workplace that provides Equal Employment Opportunity and Diversity and Inclusion, where employees are fully empowered to be heard and to contribute to the Agency.”
The Campaign has two main strategic objectives, to proactively prevent harassment at NASA and to correct promptly harassment when it occurs. Employees can assist efforts to ensure a harassment-free workplace by familiarizing themselves with NASA’s Anti-Harassment Policy and Procedures (see the program FAQS at: https://vmvenus.ndc.nasa.gov/office/odeo/documents/AntiHarassment_FAQs.pdf);
“The success of NASA’s mission critically depends on having a safe and effective workforce,” says Mr. Shih. “A safe and workplace include familiarizing themselves with and following NASA’s Anti-Harassment Policy and Procedures.
An effective workforce requires a workplace with equal employment opportunity, diversity and inclusion. This will enable our employees to perform to the best of their ability and fully contribute to the success of their organizations and missions. This will empower our employees to feel safe and valued, and able to carry out their duties, voice their ideas about correction and innovation, and report risks, problems and wrongdoing.”
To learn more about the Agency’s Anti-Harassment Campaign and Program, visit the ODEO website at: https://www.nasa.gov/offices/odeo/home. To contact a NASA Center Anti-Harassment Coordinator, visit: https://odeo.hq.nasa.gov/documents/NASA_CAHCs.pdf.
Disability Etiquette Video
The Computer/Electronic Accommodations Program’s (CAP) disability etiquette training video is targeted to supervisors and coworkers of individuals with disabilities. This training is intended to provide basic tips that can serve as a guideline when interacting with an individual who has a disability. Proper disability etiquette creates a comfortable work environment and supports equal access and advancement for all.
CAP (http://www.cap.mil/) provides assistive technology and services free of charge to DoD and civil service customers with hearing, visual, dexterity, cognitive, and communication impairments to make their work environments more accessible.
Access the CAP video: (http://www.cap.mil/NewsEvents/TrainingVideo.aspx?enc=e/kValfIEwJOlyfR5ciqmg== )
For questions about NASA Reasonable Accommodations process, please contact the NASA Disability Program Manager Rebecca Doroshenk at 202-358-0038 or Rebecca.D.Doroshenk@nasa.gov.
Resources for Disability Self-Identification Efforts
The U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM)and the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) have issued a joint memo containing resources for disability self-identification efforts. A 508-conformant version of this joint memorandum is available online for the benefit of readers with disabilities at: https://chcoc.gov/content/resources-disability-self-identification-efforts.
If you have any questions, please email diversityandinclusion@opm.gov or ofo.eeoc@eeoc.gov.
Resources for Disability Self-Identification Efforts
Tuesday, October 23, 2018
MEMORANDUM FOR:
CHCOs EEO DIRECTORS AND DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION DIRECTORS
From:
MARGARET M. WEICHERT, OPM ACTING DIRECTOR
VICTORIA A. LIPNIC, EEOC ACTING CHAIR
Subject:
Resources for Disability Self-Identification Efforts
The Federal government continues to develop new strategies to attract, develop, and retain a world class, high quality workforce that can deliver results for the American people. We are committed to identifying strategies that foster fairness and inclusion for people with disabilities within the workforce. Through this memorandum, the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) are providing information on the updated form for self-identification of disability, which can assist agencies in their efforts to monitor the hiring, development and retention of Federal employees with disabilities, including targeted disabilities. An individual’s disability status can change during the employee’s tenure in the Federal government and these changes, in turn, affect the number of employees with disabilities in the Federal workforce.
In October 2016, OPM modified the SF-256, Self-Identification of Disability Form, to reflect changes to terms used to describe targeted disabilities, serious health conditions, and other disabilities; simplifying the descriptions of conditions; and providing respondents with the option of identifying that they have a medical condition without specifying a diagnosis. While completion of this form remains voluntary, the collection and/or update of this information will assist agencies in gaining a broader understanding of their diverse workforce.
On January 3, 2017, the EEOC issued a final rule to amend the regulations implementing Section 501 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, which became effective on January 1, 2018. Under the Section 501 regulation, agencies are required to take steps designed to move toward a target workforce participation rate for employees with disabilities of 12 percent, both above and below the GS-11 grade, as well as a target rate of 2 percent for employees with targeted disabilities, both above and below the GS-11 grade. Agencies have been determining their baseline participation rates of individuals with disabilities and individuals with targeted disabilities at those grade levels as part of this year’s reporting requirements.
The updated SF-256 is an excellent tool for measuring workforce participation of people with disabilities within your agency. We are pleased to remind agencies that resource is available for your use. Both of our agencies are available to assist you in efforts within your agency to help employees to self-identify as people with disabilities and people with targeted disabilities, as appropriate. The Federal Employee Exchange on Employment & Disability (FEED) that brings together staff from equal employment and human capital offices also is a valuable resource. For resources to promote self-identification, please visit https://community.max.gov/x/lQtpT for materials designed for your use by OPM, in collaboration with Federal disability employment managers.
If you have any questions, please contact diversityandinclusion@opm.gov at OPM or ofo.eeoc@eeoc.govat the EEOC.