NOD Salutes Northrop Grumman, ‘Network of Champions,’ and Other Companies Who Are Leading the Way in Hiring Veterans and Others with Disabilities
March 24, 2014, Falls Church, Va. – On the day when significant new policy reforms affecting disability employment begin, the National Organization on Disability today invited federal contractors and other organizations to start working now towards the seven-percent hiring goal for people with disabilities suggested by the U.S. Department of Labor. While today represents the official effective date for the rule change, many companies will not be subject to the changes until early 2015. In an effort to assist employers who may find reaching these new goals challenging, NOD is adapting its services to help businesses to effectively recruit, hire, train and retain job-seekers with disabilities.
“While it never received the attention that came with the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) nearly a quarter century ago, the rule changes that go into effect today have the potential for far greater impact and scale than even the ADA in terms of employment,” said NOD President Carol Glazer, who addressed a conference hosted by global security company Northrop Grumman to share best practices on hiring and employing veterans with disabilities. “Federal contractors like Northrop Grumman and their ‘Network of Champions’ show the good work that can be done in hiring veterans with disabilities. We encourage federal contractors – and all employers – to embrace the historic opportunity before us. If they do, not only will more than 600,000 people with disabilities, veterans and non-veterans alike, soon have a job – but employers will reap the benefits of a more diverse, creative and engaged workforce.”