Careers and Internships
Equal Opportunity
EPA is an equal opportunity employer. Selection for positions with the agency is based solely on merit without regard to race, color, religion, age, gender, national origin, political affiliation, disability, sexual orientation, marital or family status or other differences. On this page, you can learn:
- what we do to support a diverse workforce, and
- how we ensure equal opportunity in employment to individuals with disabilities
Ensuring Equal Opportunity to Individuals with Disabilities
EPA prides itself in our efforts to hire people with disabilities, and in our efforts to accommodate employees with disabilities.
How Do I Get Hired?
Related Federal Government Information
- Executive Order 13548 (July 2010) (PDF) directs federal agencies to develop plans to promote employment opportunities for individuals with disabilities.
- Memorandum of understanding between EPA and Gallaudet University (May 2012) announcing a collaboration to increase the number of qualified college graduates who apply for full time employment and internship positions at the EPA.
Through amendments to the Rehabilitation Act, we can hire individuals with disabilities two ways:
-
competitively through USAJobs.gov. If you also qualify for Schedule A hiring authority, you'll see a box you can check in one of the USAJobs application fields to indicate that you want to be considered under this authority. You can also indicate on your resume that you are applying under Schedule A.
You will need to provide documentation of your disability. You can upload the documentation into your application on USAJobs (just like you can upload your resume), but we recommend that you also send the documentation to the Human Resources Officer listed in the job announcement.
- non-competitively, through a number of special appointing authorities that agencies may use to fill jobs, including:
- a special appointing authority to hire 30-percent-or-more-disabled veterans, and
- Schedule A hiring authority. Job placements under Schedule A are limited to individuals with cognitive disabilities (mental retardation), severe physical abilities, or psychiatric disabilities. You will need to provide documentation from:
- a licensed medical professional;
- a licensed vocational rehabilitation specialist; or
- any federal agency, state agency, or agency of the District of Columbia or a U.S. territory that issues or provides disability benefits.
- Disability.gov
- USAJobs.gov:
- Department of Labor publication: The ABCs of Schedule A for Applicants with Disabilities: Tips for Getting Federal Jobs (PDF)
- U.S. Office of Personnel Management: Federal Employment of People with Disabilities
Reasonable Accommodation
The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 requires that federal government agencies provide reasonable accommodation for individuals with disabilities, unless it would cause undue hardship. A reasonable accommodation is any change in the work environment or in the way a job is performed that enables a person with a disability to enjoy equal employment opportunities.
Will EPA Accommodate My Disability during the Job Application Process?
EPA makes reasonable accommodations for all qualified applicants with physical or mental disabilities in accordance with law. If you need a reasonable accommodation to complete any part of the job application or at any point in the hiring process, please contact the human resources specialist listed on the vacancy announcement, or an EPA Human Resources Office at the location where you are seeking employment. The decision on granting reasonable accommodation during the hiring process is handled on a case-by-case basis.
Will EPA Accommodate My Disability When I'm Employed?
Although many individuals with disabilities can apply for and perform jobs without any reasonable accommodations, workplace barriers may keep others from performing jobs that they could do with some form of accommodation. These barriers may be physical obstacles (such as inaccessible facilities or equipment), or they may be procedures or rules (such as rules concerning when work is performed, or how job tasks are performed). Reasonable accommodation removes workplace barriers for individuals with disabilities.
Adaptive Technology. At EPA, we are committed to ensuring that our employees with disabilities have the adaptive technology necessary to do their jobs effectively, as well as equal access to electronic and information technology (E&IT) systems. Section 508 of the amended Rehabilitation Act requires that E&IT systems developed, maintained, used or procured by the federal government be accessible to people with disabilities. The provisions of Section 508 apply to a broad range of E&IT, from computer hardware and software to office equipment such as fax and copy machines.
Learn more at our Section 508: Accessibility website about Section 508, EPA support services available to employees who require assistive technology, and the software and hardware products available to assist EPA employees with disabilities. For more information regarding reasonable accommodation procedures for EPA employees and applicants with disabilities, contact Bill Haig, National Reasonable Accommodation Coordinator at 202-564-7959 or haig.william@epa.gov.
Related Federal Government Information- Disability.gov
- U.S. Office of Personnel Management: Federal Employment of People with Disabilities