The Department of Energy is committed to fostering a culture of diversity. We recognize that individuals with disabilities are an untapped talent pool and possess the skills and competencies that the Department needs to remain competitive.

On July 26, 2010, President Obama issued Executive Order 13548. The Order emphasizes the Government’s role as a catalyst in becoming a model employer for individuals with disabilities to include recruitment, hiring, and retention. The Order also adopts the goal set forth in Executive Order 13163 signed on July 26, 2000 by President Clinton of hiring 100,000 people with disabilities into the Federal Government over 5 years, including individuals with targeted disabilities.

Key components of the Executive Order 13548 include:

  1. Senior level leadership commitment
  2. Establishing performance targets and numerical goals for employment of individuals with disabilities and sub-goals for employment of individuals with targeted disabilities consistent with law
  3. Increasing the use of Schedule A excepted service hiring authority
  4. Mandatory training on hiring people with disabilities for Human Resources personnel and hiring managers
  5. Improving, expanding, and increasing successful return-to-work outcomes for employees who sustain work-related and illnesses as defined under the Federal Employees Compensation Act (FECA) 
  6. Retaining Federal workers with disabilities through training and the use of centralized accommodation funds to provide reasonable accommodation. 

For more information on the Federal Government and the Department's commitment to hiring persons with disabilities, please follow the links below.