Employment of People with Disabilities

two people shaking hands in front of office window

Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood is committed to making the U.S. Department of Transportation a model employer of a diverse workforce that includes people with disabilities, especially those with targeted disabilities (deafness, blindness, partial paralysis, total paralysis, missing limbs, distortion of limbs or spine, mental illness, mental retardation, and convulsive disorders).

Federal agencies are required to set goals for the employment and advancement of people with targeted disabilities. The most recently reported Federal high ratio for the employment of people with targeted disabilities in a Federal agency is 2.65 percent. Currently, DOT is at 0.73 percent, as of March 2011.

Given the Department's current statistics, Secretary LaHood has established a goal that 3% of DOT's workforce will be persons with targeted disabilities. Hiring activities will be monitored until the goal is achieved. Qualified people with severe or targeted disabilities may be hired either non-competitively through the Schedule A Hiring Authority, or for FAA job opportunities using the On-The-Spot Hiring Authority. For more information about the FAA program, visit their People with Disabilities Program page. Applicants with disabilities can also choose to participate in the competitive hiring process. For more information about the Schedule A Hiring Authority, visit the OPM website on employment of people with disabilities.

This DOT DRC web page provides applicants with disabilities and hiring managers with information, resources, and tools that can be used toward achieving the DOT hiring goal.

View Memo: Our Commitment to Hiring Persons with Targeted Disabilities (PDF File)

Current Non-Competitive Employment Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities at the U.S. Department of Transportation

Mike used the Schedule A Hiring Program to land the perfect job at the Research and Innovative Technology Administration. Read about Mike's journey to employment success.

The Department of Transportation is committed to increasing our employment of qualified persons with disabilities. The Schedule A Hiring Authority is a regulation issued by the Federal government's Office of Personnel Management (OPM), that gives managers the flexibility to hire qualified persons with disabilities without competition.

Applicants should carefully read each non-competitive vacancy announcement and follow the application processes as indicated. There may be some slight variances among them.

See the listing of current non-competitive vacancy announcements in DOT

Information for Applicants with Severe/Targeted Disabilities

Tips for Applicants in Using Schedule A
Sample Schedule A Letters
Tips for Writing a Federal Resume

Information for DOT Managers

Four Steps to Filling Vacancies Fast with Qualified Individuals with Disabilities
Sample Non-Competitive Vacancy Announcements
Tips for Interviewing Applicants with Disabilities

Information for Students with Disabilities

The Workforce Recruitment Program

The Workforce Recruitment Program (WRP) is a recruitment and referral program that connects federal and private sector employers nationwide with highly motivated college students and recent graduates with disabilities who are eager to prove their abilities in the workplace through summer or permanent jobs.

The U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) and the U.S. Department of Defense Office of Diversity Management & Equal Opportunity (ODMEO) manage the program, which continues to be successful with the participation of many other federal agencies and sub-agencies. Since the program's expansion in 1995, over 6,000 students and recent graduates have received temporary and permanent employment opportunities through the WRP.

In 2011, the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) highlighted the WRP as a model strategy in its guidance to federal agencies regarding the recruitment and hiring of people with disabilities in response to Executive Order 13548, Increasing Federal Employment of Individuals with Disabilities.

Annually, trained WRP recruiters from federal agencies conduct personal interviews with interested candidates on college and university campuses across the country. Candidates represent all majors, and range from college freshmen to graduate students and law students, and with various levels of experience, even including some Veterans. Information from these candidate interviews is compiled in a searchable database that is available through this website to federal Human Resources Specialists, Equal Employment Opportunity Specialists, and other hiring officials in federal agencies. Information on WRP can be found here: https://wrp.gov.

US Department of Transportation Selective Placement Program Coordinators

Office of the Secretary, Departmental Office of Human Resource Management	Duronne Walker Departmental Selective Placement Program duronne.walker@dot.gov	Phone:	(202) 366-5305
Office of the Secretary, Human Resources Operations (OST, M-16)	Sabrina Lewis Human Resources Specialist sabrina.lewis@dot.gov	Phone:	(202) 493-0554
Federal Aviation Administration	Cesar Collantes Human Resources Specialist cesar.collantes@faa.gov	Phone:	(202) 267-3159
Federal Highway Administration (FHWA)	Juana Sosa Human Resources Specialist juana.sosa@dot.gov	Phone:	(202) 366-1753
Federal Motor Career Safety Administration (FMCSA)	Arlene Palmer Human Resources Specialist arlene.palmer@dot.gov Lisa Horne Human Resources Specialist Lisa.Horne@dot.gov	Phone:	(202) 366-0510 (202) 366-7515
Federal Railroad Administration (FRA)	Marcie Mullins Human Resources Specialist marcella.mullins@dot.gov	Phone:	(202) 493-6114
Federal Transit Administration (FTA)	Dorothy Easley Human Resources Specialist dorothy.easley@dot.gov Kimberly Stamps Human Resources Specialist Kimberly.stamps@dot.gov	Phone:	(202) 366-2517 (202) 366-0739
Maritime Administration (MARAD)	Martin Lis Human Resources Specialist martin.lis@dot.gov	Phone:	(202) 366-5116
National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA)	Terrance Webster Human Resources Specialist terrance.webster@dot.gov	Phone:	(202) 366-5544
Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA)	Jeffrey Scott Human Resources Specialist jeffrey.scott@dot.gov	Phone:	(202) 493-0153
Volpe Center	Elizabeth León Human Resources Specialist elizabeth.leon@dot.gov	Phone:	(617) 494-2214
Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation (SLSDC)	Julie Barnes Human Resources Specialist julie.barnes@sls.dot.gov	Phone:	(315) 764-3245
DOT Office of Inspector General (OIG)	Joanne Pittman Human Resources Specialist joanne.m.pittman@oig.dot.gov	Phone:	(202) 366-6239