The Perspectives on Employment of Persons with Disabilities will hold its 29th Annual Training Conference on December 8-10, 2010 at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Bethesda, Maryland.   The conference will include workshops developed to benefit Federal human resources specialists, EEO specialists, hiring managers, and others who oversee employment matters concerning persons with disabilities. The Perspectives on Employment of Persons with Disabilities Conference will provide the latest information on leading personnel policies and practices relating to disability employment, including developments in technology and legal updates.

On July 26, 2010, President Obama issued an Executive Order on Increasing Federal Employment of Individuals with Disabilities.  The Executive Order requires Federal agencies to increase the hiring of people with disabilities by 100,000 over the next five years.  OPM will issue model strategies for recruiting and hiring people with disabilities, and Agencies will have 120 days to develop a plan that will detail how they intend to recruit, hire, advance and retain employees with disabilities. The Perspectives Conference includes many outstanding workshops and plenary sessions that will provide detailed information on developing agency plans to support the requirement of the Executive Order and recruitment and retention strategies for people with disabilities, and to help agencies become model employers by ensuring accessibility and providing reasonable accommodations.  

The Conference will also highlight resources that can help agencies recruit, hire and retain qualified employees with disabilities. Through keynote addresses, general sessions, and workshops, participants will learn from key officials and experts in Federal disability employment issues.

The Annual Perspectives on Employment of Persons with Disabilities training conference qualifies as training in compliance with 5 U.S.C. Chapter 41.  The training is open to Federal employees, and will cover important topics such as Section 508 Compliance, Special Hiring Authority, and Strategic Planning and Working with Management.

Federal employees and managers are encouraged to review additional conference and training information when deciding to participate, such as course descriptions, costs, and schedules, at the following website:  perspectivesconference.org/.

Agencies are reminded that 5 CFR 410 governs the reporting of training.  A copy of this regulation may be found at ecfr.gpoaccess.gov/cgi/t/text/text-idx?c=ecfr&tpl=/ecfrbrowse/Title05/5cfr410_main_02.tpl.

cc: Human Resources and Equal Employment Opportunity Directors