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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.
- Learn what we do to support a diverse workforce
- Learn how we ensure equal opportunity in employment to people with disabilities
Supporting a Diverse Workforce
At the Environmental Protection Agency, diversity is our strength - and a vital element in bringing a balance of perspectives to bear on every challenge we face. We are committed to employing people as diverse as the nation we serve.
The following are a few examples of the initiatives that support the professional and personal development of a diverse workforce at the Environmental Protection Agency.
Asian American and Pacific Islander Initiative
EPA is working to implement the goals of Executive Order 13125, to increase opportunities and improve the quality of life of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs). Its long-term strategy is to promote opportunities for community partnership, economic development, education, and employment.
Hispanic Initiatives at EPA and Beyond
EPA's National Hispanic Outreach Strategy sets forth a comprehensive and detailed approach to promoting greater access to economic and employment opportunities, increasing support, facilitating access to environmental information, and improving the delivery of programs and services of importance to the Hispanic community.
Hispanics are the largest and fastest growing diversity group in America. According to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and the U.S. Department of Labor, Hispanic and Latino Americans are identified as one of two "severely under-represented diversity groups" in the federal government in terms of employment. At EPA, this endeavor is taken seriously. In the summer of 2007, EPA helped to author, establish, and lead a new and special partnership through a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the largest and oldest Hispanic civil rights organization in America - the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), to address critical issues paramount to Hispanics.
Affinity Group Initiatives
The following are non-labor employee constituency groups:
- Gay, Lesbian, or Bisexual Employees (GLOBE)
- Federal Older Workers League (Fed OWL)
- Asian Pacific American Council (APAC)
- Federal Managers Association (FMA)
- Blacks in Government (BIG)
- African American Male Forum (AAMF)
- Hispanic Advisory Council (HAC)
Office of Civil Rights
EPA's Office of Civil Rights is responsible to provide leadership, direction and advice to managers and supervisors in carrying out their equal opportunity and civil rights responsibilities and to ensure that recipients of EPA financial assistance and others comply with the relevant non-discrimination requirements under federal law.
Ensuring Equal Opportunity to People with Disabilities
Commitment
The federal government has a statutory obligation to engage in affirmative action with respect to the hiring, placement and advancement of people with disabilities. We are doing our part to ensure equal opportunity in employment is afforded to people with disabilities. Through the Americans with Disabilities Act, we can hire through traditional competitive hiring processes or by means of a noncompetitive, or special appointing authority. In addition, we are committed to providing reasonable accommodation throughout the hiring process and employment.
Learn more about:
To be considered an individual with a disability, you must meet one of the following criteria:
- You have a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more of your major life activities.
- You have a record of such an impairment.
- You are regarded as having such an impairment.
Special Appointing Authorities
The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) has established special appointing authorities for people with disabilities. These authorities allow EPA to hire:
- readers, interpreters and personal assistants for employees with severe disabilities
- people with cognitive disabilities (mental retardation). They may qualify for conversion to permanent status after two years of satisfactory service.
- people with severe physical disabilities who have demonstrated satisfactory performance through a temporary appointment, or have been certified as likely to succeed in performing the duties of the job. After two years of satisfactory service, they may qualify for conversion to permanent status.
- people with psychiatric disabilities who have demonstrated their ability to perform satisfactorily under a temporary appointment or who are certified as likely to be able to perform the essential functions of the job, with or without reasonable accommodations, by a state vocational rehabilitation counselor, a U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Veterans Benefits Administration psychologist, vocational rehabilitation counselor, or psychiatrist. After two years of satisfactory service under this authority, they can be converted, at the discretion of the agency, to competitive status.
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Reasonable accommodation for job applicants with disabilities. If you need a reasonable accommodation to complete any part of the job application or at any point in the hiring process, and you meet the eligibility requirements listed above, 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.
- Reasonable accommodation for employees with disabilities. 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.
Related Federal Government InformationAlthough 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, when breaks are taken, or how job tasks are performed). Reasonable accommodation removes workplace barriers for individuals 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.
- U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission information for employees and job applicants
- U.S. Office of Personnel Management: Federal Employment of People with Disabilities
For additional information on the employment of people with disabilities within the federal government, please visit the Office of Personnel Management Web site: www.opm.gov/disability.