Contact Us

In order to quickly accommodate the needs of our employees and patrons of our services, the Departmental Office of Civil Rights for the Department of Transportation has provided frequently asked questions on the following subject areas:

Civil Rights Laws

For answers to any additional questions or concerns, please contact an EEO Counselor for the Department of Transportation, the Department of Transportation Agency, or the Departmental Office of Civil Rights. To further research laws, executive orders, or DOT policies, refer to the Civil Rights Library.

Disadvantaged Business Enterprise Eligibility

Any additional questions or concerns regarding disadvantaged business enterprises and their eligibility to participate on Department of Transportation funded projects can be addressed to the External Civil Rights Programs Division (ECRPD) within the Departmental Office of Civil Rights; or the Department of Transportation's Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization. The ECRP handles appeals by businesses that have been denied DBE certification from a state, local, or municipal agency or have had their certification removed.

Environmental Justice

Any additional assistance involving environmental justice can be addressed to the External Policy and Program Development department within the Office of Civil Rights.

Equal Employment Opportunity Process

Any additional concerns regarding equal employment opportunity can be addressed by an EEO Counselor.

Mediation

For answers to any additional questions or concerns, please contact an EEO Counselor for the Department of Transportation, the Department of Transportation Agency, or the Departmental Office of Civil Rights.

People With Disabilities

All Federal agencies, including the Department of Transportation, are required to have an affirmative action program for the employment of people with disabilities, especially those with “targeted disabilities.”  According to the EEOC, people with targeted disabilities (deafness, blindness, partial paralysis, missing limbs, partial paralysis, complete paralysis, epilepsy, severe intellectual disability, psychiatric disability and dwarfism), hold the Nation’s highest unemployment rate and, when employed, experience the most challenges to advancement.  DOT's Departmental Disability Program Manager is responsible for identifying and addressing barriers to full employment for individuals with disabilities.

EEOC requires Federal agencies to set goals for hiring individuals with targeted disabilities, and to monitor and report progress.  The annual hiring goal at DOT is 3% of all new hires.  All Federal agencies are required to compare their employment ratio of people with targeted disabilities with the ratio of the Federal agency with 500 employees or more that has the highest ratio for this group.  At the end of FY 2010, DOT's ratio for hiring permanent employees with targeted disabilities was 1.65% while the Federal high was 2.65%.

On July 26, 2010, President Obama issued Executive Order 13548, which directs Executive departments and agencies to improve their efforts to employ Federal workers with disabilities and targeted disabilities through increased recruitment, hiring, and retention of these individuals. The Executive Order adopts the goal set forth in Executive Order 13163 of hiring 100,000 people with disabilities into the Federal Government over 5 years, including people with targeted disabilities.  Pursuant to the Executive Order, the Department submitted its agency specific plan for implementing the goals of the Executive Order and promoting employment opportunities for people with disabilities to the Office of Personnel Management in April 2011.

For further information on DOT's Disability Employment Program, please visit our People with Disabilities web page.