DOL Sponsors Disability Employment App Challenge

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Published on Saturday, 26 May 2012 10:15

The US Department of Labor (DOL) announced this week their newest initiative to improve employment of those with disabilities. Disablity employment is becming more important as the country becomes more accessible and more persons with disabilities are coming out trying to improve their quality of life. Unfortunately, even 39 year after the passing of the Rehabilitation Act and 22 years after the passing of the Americans with Disabilities Act the employment rate remains low.

To assist in combating this issue DOL is sponsoring a disability employment app challenge. Though DOL has sponsored app challenges before, this is the first that is disability related. The challenge seeks to generate innovative tools that will improve employment opportunities and outcomes for people with disabilities.

To assist in combating this issue DOL is sponsoring a disability employment app challenge. Though DOL has sponsored app challenges before, this is the first that is disability related. The challenge seeks to "generate innovative tools that will improve employment opportunities and outcomes for people with disabilities."

The app should be designed to:

  • promote recruitment resources for employers

  • develop job training and skill-building tools for job seekers

  • facilitate employment-related transportation options

  • expand information communication technology accessibility

The more specific requirements are:

  • provide access to important data and resources;
  • attract users with different skill sets and language preferences;
  • be accessible (that is, compatible and interoperable with assistive technology commonly used by individuals with disabilities, such as screen reading and speech recognition software);
  • consider partnerships that will ensure sustainability of the app;
  • targeted toward a variety of audiences such as students, teachers, employers, career counselors and workforce professionals, as well as individuals with disabilities working or seeking work at all levels in a variety of salaried and hourly jobs;

Three winners will be chosen. The grand prize Innovation Award, the second prize People's Choice Award, and the third prize Above and Beyond Accessibility Award.  The winners will receive a combined total of $10,000. They will also be prominently featured on The Office of Disability Employment Policy's (ODEP) website.

"I am thrilled to announce the Labor Department's first disability employment app challenge. Using today's technology, we hope to inspire creative and innovative solutions to the pressing employment-related problems faced by people with disabilities," said Kathy Martinez, assistant secretary of labor for disability employment policy.

Submissions must be entered between May 23 at 12 a.m. EDT and Aug. 23 at 11:59 p.m. EDT. Register for the contest on the Challenge.gov website by creating an account at http://challenge.gov/users/login . Each registrant will receive a confirmation email and may then enter a submission via the "Post a Submission" tab at http://disability.challenge.gov .  Late entries will not be eligible for prizes.

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