The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) has released its annual report on the employment of people with disabilities in the federal executive branch.
- By the end of FY 2012, total permanent federal employment for people with disabilities had increased from 203,694 in FY 2011 to 219,975, an increase from 10.97 to 11.89 percent.
- New hires who were people with disabilities totaled 16,653, an increase from 14.65 percent in FY 2011 to 16.31 percent in FY 2012.
- Full-time permanent employment by people with “targeted disabilities” (a category which includes intellectual disability and other significant disabilities) rose from 17,845 in FY 2011 to 18,319 in FY 2012.
- However, new hires who were people with “targeted disabilities” fell from 1,122 in FY 2011 to 1,101 in FY 2012.
The Arc strongly supports increasing employment for people with disabilities, including within the federal government. While OPM’s new report shows overall progress, the reduction in new hires with “targeted disabilities” highlights the need for continued leadership and advocacy to realize the vision of the President’s goal of hiring 100,000 people with disabilities in 5 years (Executive Order 13548 (PDF), “Increasing Federal Employment of Individuals with Disabilities”).