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  • Food Safety
    • Recalls & Public Health Alerts
      • Report a Problem with Food
        • Additional Recalls
      • Annual Recall Summaries
        • Summary of Recall Cases in Calendar Year 2012
        • Summary of Recall Cases in Calendar Year 2013
        • Summary of Recall Cases in Calendar Year 2014
        • Summary of Recall Cases in Calendar Year 2015
        • Summary of Recall Cases in Calendar Year 2016
        • Summary of Recall Cases in Calendar Year 2017
        • Summary of Recall Cases in Calendar Year 2018
        • Summary of Recall Cases in Calendar Year 2019
        • Summary of Recall Cases in Calendar Year 2020
        • Summary of Recall Cases in Calendar Year 2021
        • Summary of Recall and PHA Cases in Calendar Year 2022
    • Food Safety Stats
      • Consumer Research
    • Foodborne Illness and Disease
      • Illnesses and Pathogens
        • Campylobacter
          • Campylobacter En Español
        • Clostridium botulinum
        • Escherichia coli O157:H7
        • Parasites and Foodborne Illness
        • Salmonella Questions and Answers
      • Resources for Public Health Partners
        • State Departments of Public Health
      • Outbreaks
        • Outbreak Investigations: Prevention
        • Outbreak Investigations: Response
    • Safe Food Handling and Preparation
      • Food Safety Basics
        • Additives in Meat and Poultry Products
        • Appliance Thermometers
        • Asar a la parrilla y seguridad alimentaria
        • Cleanliness Helps Prevent Foodborne Illness
        • Cooking for Groups
        • Cooking with Microwave Ovens
        • Cutting Boards
        • Deep Fat Frying
        • Doneness Versus Safety
        • Food Allergies
        • Glossary of Packaging Terms
        • Grilling Food Safely
        • Grilling and Food Safety
        • High Altitude Cooking
        • How Temperatures Affect Food
        • How to Find the USDA Establishment Number
        • Importing Meat, Poultry & Egg Products US
        • Inspection for Food Safety: The Basics
        • Irradiation and Food Safety FAQ
        • Keeping "Bag" Lunches Safe
        • Keeping Food Safe During an Emergency
        • Kitchen Thermometers
        • Mail Order Food Safety
        • Meat and Poultry Labeling Terms
        • Meat and Poultry Packaging Materials
        • Natural Flavors on Meat and Poultry Labels
        • Safe Handling of Take-Out Foods
        • Slaughter Inspection 101
        • Slow Cookers and Food Safety
        • Smoking Meat and Poultry
        • Tailgating Food Safety Q & A
        • Understanding FSIS Food Recalls
        • Water in Meat & Poultry
        • Danger Zone 40F - 140F
        • Food Product Dating
        • Freezing and Food Safety
        • Leftovers and Food Safety
        • Molds on Food: Are They Dangerous?
          • Hongos en los Alimentos: ¿Son Peligrosos?
        • Refrigeration
        • Safe Temperature Chart
        • Shelf-Stable Food
        • Steps to Keep Food Safe
        • The Big Thaw — Safe Defrosting Methods
        • The Color of Meat and Poultry
        • Washing Food: Does it Promote Food Safety?
        • Food Safety While Hiking, Camping & Boating
        • Seguridad Alimentaria Durante Caminatas, Campamentos y Paseos en Bote
      • Meat
        • Bacon and Food Safety
        • Bagre de la Granja a la Mesa
        • Beef From Farm To Table
        • Bison from Farm to Table
        • Carne de res ablandada mecánicamente
        • Catfish from Farm to Table
        • Color of Cooked Ground Beef as It Relates to Doneness
        • Corned Beef
        • Door-to-Door Meat Sales
        • Fresh Pork from Farm to Table
        • Goat from Farm to Table
        • Ground Beef and Food Safety
        • Hams and Food Safety
        • Hot Dogs & Food Safety
        • Jerky
        • Lamb From Farm to Table
        • Mechanically Tenderized Beef
        • Rabbit From Farm to Table
        • Roasting Those "Other" Holiday Meats
        • Sausages and Food Safety
        • Veal from Farm to Table
        • Yersiniosis and Chitterlings Tips
      • Poultry
        • Chicken From Farm to Table
        • Chicken Liver
        • Duck and Goose from Farm to Table
        • Hock Locks and Other Accoutrements
        • Is Pink Turkey Meat Safe?
        • Let's Talk Turkey Roasting
        • Poultry Processing: Questions & Answers
        • Poultry: Basting, Brining, and Marinating
        • Stuffing and Food Safety
        • The Poultry Label Says "Fresh"
        • Turduckens Require Safe Food Handling
        • Turkey Basics: Handling Cooked Dinners
        • Turkey Basics: Safe Cooking
        • Turkey Basics: Safe Thawing
        • Turkey Basics: Stuffing
        • Turkey from Farm to Table
        • Turkey: Alternate Routes to the Table
      • Eggs
        • Egg Products and Food Safety
        • Shell Eggs from Farm to Table
      • Emergencies
        • A Consumer's Guide to Food Safety: Severe Storms and Hurricanes
        • Fires and Food Safety
        • Keep Your Food Safe During Emergencies
        • Removing Odors from Refrigerators and Freezers
      • USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline
      • Brochures & Publications
    • Food Defense and Emergency Response
      • Emergency Response
      • Continuity of Operations (COOP)
      • Food Defense
        • Risk Mitigation Tool
        • Food Defense Considerations for Transportation of FSIS-Regulated Products
        • Food Defense Tools, Resources and Training
        • Functional Food Defense Plans
        • International Food Defense
  • Science & Data
    • Research Priorities
    • Data Sets & Visualizations
      • Microbiology
        • Baseline Microbiology Data Reports
        • Microbiological Testing Program for RTE Meat and Poultry Products
          • Tables & Results Microbiological Testing Program for RTE Meat
          • Tables & Results: Microbiological Testing Program Pasteurized Egg Products
          • Aggregate Salmonella Categorization of Raw Chicken Parts, NRTE Comminuted Poultry, Young Chicken Carcass and Young Turkey Carcass Establishments Using Moving Windows
          • Salmonella Initiative Program Criteria
            • Quarterly Sampling Reports on Antimicrobial Resistance
            • Quarterly Sampling Reports on Raw Beef Products
            • Quarterly Sampling Reports on Ready-to-eat Products and Egg Products
            • Quarterly Sampling Reports on Salmonella
            • Salmonella Action Plan: A One and Two Year Update
            • Salmonella Categorization of Individual Establishments for Poultry Products
        • Microbiological Testing Program for Escherichia coli O157:H7 and non-O157 Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC)
          • Year-to-Date Totals: Testing of Raw Ground Beef Component (RGBC) Samples for E. coli O157:H7 and non-O157 Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC)
          • Annual Report for STEC in Raw Ground Beef or Veal and Raw Ground Beef or Veal Components
          • Individual E. coli Positive Results for Raw Ground Beef (RGB) and RGB Components 2017
          • Individual E. coli Positive Results for Raw Ground Beef (RGB) and RGB Components 2018
          • Individual E. coli Positive Results for Raw Ground Beef (RGB) and RGB Components 2016
          • Individual E. coli Positive Results for Raw Ground Beef (RGB) and RGB Components 2015
          • Year-to-Date 2018 Totals: Results of Raw Ground Beef Component (RGBC) Samples for E. coli O157:H7 and non-O157 Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC):
        • National Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring System (NARMS)
        • Salmonella Verification Testing Program Monthly Posting
      • Chemical Residues and Contaminants
      • Humane Handling Data
      • Laboratory Sampling Data
        • Egg Product Testing, Years 1995-2017
      • Inspection Task Data
    • Scientific Reports
      • Public Health Regulations (PHR)
        • FSIS Data Analysis and Reporting: Public Health Regulations FY 2022
        • FSIS Data Analysis and Reporting: Public Health Regulations FY 2021
        • FSIS Data Analysis and Reporting: Public Health Regulations FY 2016
        • FSIS Data Analysis and Reporting: Public Health Regulations FY 2017
        • FSIS Data Analysis and Reporting: Public Health Regulations FY 2018
        • FSIS Data Analysis and Reporting: Public Health Regulations FY 2019
        • FSIS Data Analysis and Reporting: Public Health Regulations FY 2020
        • FSIS Data Analysis and Reporting: Public Health Regulations FY 2023
      • Interagency Food Safety Analytics Collaboration (IFSAC)
    • Laboratories & Procedures
      • Accredited Laboratory Program
        • Key Facts: ISO Accreditation
      • FSIS Laboratories
        • Requesting Bacterial Isolates from FSIS
    • Risk Assessments
    • Sampling Program
      • Raw Pork Products Exploratory Sampling Program
      • Sampling Results for FSIS Regulated Products
    • Journal Publications
  • Policy
    • Food Safety Acts
      • Federal Meat Inspection Act
      • Poultry Products Inspection Act
      • Egg Products Inspection Act
      • Humane Methods of Slaughter Act
    • FSIS Guidelines
    • Directives & Notices
      • FSIS Notices
      • FSIS Directives
    • Petitions
    • Federal Register & Rulemaking
      • Federal Register Notices
      • Federal Register Rules
      • Executive Orders, Small Business Protection Laws & Other Guidance
      • Regulatory Priorities
    • Advisory Committees
      • National Advisory Committee on Meat and Poultry Inspection (NACMPI)
      • National Advisory Committee on Microbiological Criteria For Foods (NACMCF)
        • 2021-2023 National Advisory Committee on Microbiological Criteria For Foods (NACMCF)
        • NACMCF 2022 Subcommittee
        • 2018-2020 National Advisory Committee on Microbiological Criteria For Foods (NACMCF)
  • Inspection
    • Inspection Programs
      • Inspection of Meat Products
        • Humane Handling Ombudsman
        • Modernization of Swine Slaughter Inspection
      • Inspection of Poultry Products
        • Reducing Salmonella in Poultry
          • Pilot Projects: Salmonella Control Strategies
          • Proposed Regulatory Framework to Reduce Salmonella Illnesses Attributable to Poultry
            • Component 1
            • Component 2
            • Component 3
          • Salmonella By the Numbers
          • Salmonella KPI
          • Salmonella Risk Assessments
        • Modernization of Poultry Slaughter Inspection
      • Inspection of Egg Products
      • Inspection of Siluriformes
    • Compliance Guidance
      • Significant Guidance
      • HACCP
        • HACCP-Based-Inspection Models Project
          • New Poultry Inspection System (NPIS)
          • HIMP Redesign Achievement of Performance Standards Young Chicken Plants
          • List of HIMP Participating Plants
        • HACCP Validation
      • PHIS
        • PHIS: Historical Information
      • Retail Guidance
      • Small & Very Small Plant Guidance
        • Appealing Inspection Decisions
        • Food Safety Resources for Small and Very Small Plant Outreach: Order Form
        • Small Plant Help Desk
        • Small Plant Help Desk Form
      • Microbial Risk
        • Listeria Monocytogenes
        • Salmonella
        • Shiga Toxin-Producing E.Coli (STEC) and E. Coli O157:H7
        • Specified Risk Material
          • BSE Rules Being Strictly Enforced
        • Guidance for Controlling Listeria monocytogenes (Lm) in Retail Delicatessens - Best Practice Tips for Deli Operators
      • Specified Risk Material Resources
      • Food Safety Assessments Tools
      • Recall Process
      • Sanitation Performance Standards Compliance Guide
      • Labeling
        • Basics of Labeling
        • Claims Guidance
        • Nonfood Compounds
          • Compounds Used for Construction and Repair in Federally Inspected Meat and Poultry Plants
          • Criteria Used by the Former Compounds and Packaging Branch for Evaluating Nonfood Compounds and Proprietary Substances
        • Ingredients Guidance
        • Label Submission and Approval System (LSAS)
          • Integration of Paper Label Applications into the Label Submission and Approval System (LSAS)
        • Labeling Policies
          • Human Food Made with Cultured Animal Cells
          • Regulations for Package Dating
          • Comprehensive List of Reasons for Label Modifications and Returns
        • Labeling Procedures
          • Information Required For Requesting a Temporary Approval
          • 10 Most Common Mistakes And How to Avoid Them
          • Label Submission Checklist
          • Labeling Situations That Can Not Have a Temporary Approval
          • Labeling and Establishment Responsibilities
          • Ten Most Commonly Asked Labeling Questions
          • Trans Fat Declarations in the Nutrition Facts Panel on Product Labeling
      • New Technology
        • Cooperative Agreements FY 2003
        • Cooperative Agreements FY 2004
        • Cooperative Agreements FY 2005
        • Food Safety Technologies FY 2003
        • Food Safety Technologies FY 2004
        • Food Safety Technologies FY 2005
        • NOL for Non-O157 STEC Test Methods
        • New Technology Information Table
      • Humane Handling
    • Import & Export
      • Import & Export Library
        • Eligible Foreign Establishments
        • U.S. Establishments by Country
          • Australia Eligible Establishments
          • Brazil Export Eligible Establishments
          • Egypt Export Eligible Establishments
          • Gibraltar Export Eligible Establishments
          • Israel Export Eligible Establishments
          • Japan (Casings) Export Eligible Establishments
          • Japan (Cold Storage Facilities) Export Eligible Establishments
          • Mexico Export Eligible Establishments
          • Russia (Beef) Export Eligible Establishments
          • Russia (Pork) Export Eligible Establishments
          • Russia (Poultry) Export Eligible Establishments
          • Russia (Prepared Products) Export Eligible Establishments
          • South Africa Eligible Establishments
      • Import Guidance
        • FSIS Import Procedures for Meat, Poultry & Egg Products
        • FSIS Import Reinspection
        • Sourcing Egg Products and Shell Eggs From Foreign Countries
      • Export Guidance
      • Equivalence
      • PHIS Components
      • International Reports
        • Foreign Audit Reports
        • Import and Export Data
    • Regulatory Enforcement
      • Humane Handling Enforcement
      • Quarterly Enforcement Reports
        • Quarterly Enforcement Reports (Narrative, Archived v1)
        • Quarterly Enforcement Reports (Narrative, Archived v2)
        • Quarterly Enforcement Reports (Narrative, Archived v3)
        • Quarterly Enforcement Reports (Narrative, Archived v4)
      • FSIS Policies on Regulatory Decisions
    • Inspection Training & Videos
      • Inspection & Mission Training
      • Meat, Poultry and Egg Product Inspection Videos
      • Regulatory Education Video Seminars
    • Apply for Grant of Inspection
      • Grants & Financial Options
    • State Inspection Programs
      • Cooperative Interstate Shipping Program
        • Cooperative Interstate Shipment (CIS) Establishments
      • Guidance Documents for State and Local Agencies
      • States With and Without Inspection Programs
      • Reviews of State Programs
    • Establishments
      • FSIS Inspected Establishments
      • Meat, Poultry and Egg Product Inspection Directory
    • Inspection Forms
  • About FSIS
    • History
    • Leadership & Organizational Structure
    • Strategic Planning
      • FSIS Enterprise Governance Decision Making Process
    • Core Values
    • Food Safety & Agency Partners
      • Memoranda of Understanding (MOU)
    • Freedom of Information Act (FOIA)
      • FSIS Adjudications
      • FSIS FOIA Reading Room
      • Frequently Requested Records
      • Making a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Request
    • Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey (FEVS)
  • Contact Us
    • FSIS Offices
      • Office for Food Safety (OFS)
      • Office of the Administrator (OA)
      • Office of Field Operations (OFO)
      • Office of Investigation, Enforcement, and Audit (OIEA)
      • Office of Public Health Science (OPHS)
      • Office of Policy and Program Development (OPPD)
      • Office of the Chief Financial Officer (OCFO)
      • Office of International Coordination (OIC)
      • Office of Employee Experience and Development (OEED)
      • Office of the Chief Information Officer (OCIO)
      • Office of Management (OM)
      • Office of Public Affairs and Consumer Education (OPACE)
      • Internal Affairs (IA)
      • Office of Planning Analysis Risk Management (OPARM)
      • Civil Rights Staff
    • FSIS Department Emails
    • State Contacts
    • askFSIS
      • Having Trouble with the Webform
    • Pregúntele a Karen
  • Careers
    • Apply for a Job
    • Job Opportunities
    • Who Works for Us
      • Dr. Summer Addo — an Unexpected Career Path
      • Dr. Jeanetta Tankson Shares Her Passion for Science and Food Safety
      • Micheall Myrie - Visual Information Specialist and AAFE Award Winner
      • DDM Jeffery Jacobsen Ensures Meat is Safe and Cooks it, Too!
      • CSI Sherri Rodriguez: Thankful for FSIS and Friends
      • Stephen Whatley Celebrates 50 Years of Federal Service
      • Stevie Hretz Enjoys Putting “Humans First!”
      • Archives
    • Career Profiles
      • Administrative Positions
      • Compliance Investigator Positions
      • Consumer Safety Inspector
      • Food Inspector
      • Professional Positions
      • Public Health Veterinarian (PHV)
      • Scientific Positions
    • Incentives
      • Federal Employee Benefits Summary
    • Employment Programs
    • Food Inspector Apprenticeship Programs
    • Professionals with Disabilities
  • News & Events
    • Events & Meetings
      • Officials' Calendar of Meetings
      • Food Safety Education Month
    • News & Press Releases
      • News Feeds & Subscriptions
    • Publications
    • Branding & Toolkits
  • Employees
    • HR Policies & Systems
      • Forms
      • Performance Management
      • Understanding Your Benefits
        • Emergency Backup Dependent Care (EBDC) Program
    • FSIS Safety
      • COVID-19 Pandemic Resources
        • Information about Face Coverings/Masks and Face Shields
      • Workplace Violence
    • Onboarding
      • New Hire Training
    • Agency Awards & Achievements
    • Professional Development Opportunities
      • OFO Workforce Investment Initiative Pilot Program
    • Employee News & Stories
      • FSIS Snapshots
        • March 2023 Snapshots
        • February 2023 Snapshots
        • January 2023 Snapshots
        • December 2022 Snapshots
        • September 2022 Snapshots
        • August 2022 Snapshots
        • November 2022 Snapshots
        • July 2022 Snapshots
        • October 2022 Snapshots
        • June 2022 Snapshots
        • May 2022 Snapshots
        • April 2022 Snapshots
        • March 2022 Snapshots
        • February 2022 Snapshots
        • January 2022 Snapshots
        • December 2021 Snapshots
        • November 2021 Snapshots
        • October 2021 Snapshots
        • September 2021 Snapshots
        • August 2021 Snapshots
        • July 2021 Snapshots
        • June 2021 Snapshots
      • Submit Your Stories
      • Black History Month — Resistance Through Agricultural Innovations
      • Tiffanie Newman: Versatility at FSIS and in Daily Life
      • Meet Pickle-Eating Champ, CSI Joe Smith
      • Supervisors Make All the Difference!
      • Disability: Part of the Equity Equation
      • Archives
        • ARCHIVE: National Preparedness Month - Cyber Security for Remote Work
        • ARCHIVE: National Preparedness Month: Occupant Emergency Planning
        • ARCHIVE: Message from Leadership — Women’s Equality Day
        • ARCHIVE: Managing Heat Risk in Hot Weather
        • ARCHIVE: New Netflix Show Features USDA and FSIS
        • ARCHIVE: Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month — Advancing Leaders Through Collaboration
        • ARCHIVE: Thank You for Your Public Service
        • ARCHIVE: World Veterinary Day — Recognizing the Resilience of FSIS Veterinarians
        • ARCHIVE: Two Hero Inspectors Provide Potentially Life-Saving CPR to a Plant Employee
        • ARCHIVE: Hero Inspector Saves a Life While on the Road
        • ARCHIVE: Administrative Professionals Day — Thank You
        • ARCHIVE: Chief Information Security Officer Marvin Lykes Recognized for Operational Excellence
        • ARCHIVE: Women’s History Month: Women Providing Healing, Promoting Hope
        • ARCHIVE: Alameda District Awards Petaluma Circuit Inspectors Recognition Coins
        • ARCHIVE: Collaborating in the Caribbean — Bringing Awareness About African Swine Fever
        • ARCHIVE: Message from Leadership — Be an Advocate for Public Health
        • ARCHIVE: Message from Leadership — Honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
        • ARCHIVE: In Their Own Words: The 2021 Administrator’s Awards for Excellence Winners Speak Out
        • ARCHIVE: CSI Koffi Hoenou – From Togolese Teacher to U.S. Citizen
        • ARCHIVE: Dearborn, Mich., Circuit Inspectors Receive Collaborative Coins
        • ARCHIVE: Don’t Invite Foodborne Illness to the Party
        • ARCHIVE: Inspection for Ritual Meat and Poultry Slaughter
        • ARCHIVE: Thanksgiving Message from Leadership
        • ARCHIVE: Make a Difference for You and Your Colleagues – Respond to FEVS by Dec. 3
        • ARCHIVE: American Indian/Alaskan Native Heritage Month — Together Towards Tomorrow
        • ARCHIVE: Federal State Audit Staff Twice Honored for Supporting Military Staff
        • ARCHIVE: Veterans Day Messages from FSIS Leadership
        • ARCHIVE: Food Inspector Apprenticeship Programs for Veterans
        • ARCHIVE: Disability Employment Awareness Month — America’s Recovery: Powered by Inclusion
        • ARCHIVE: Helping Today’s Inspectors Be Tomorrow’s Leaders with Tuition Reimbursement
        • ARCHIVE: Dr. Geraldine Vidal-Covas Embraces Her Hispanic Heritage, Encourages All
        • ARCHIVE: National Preparedness Month – Home Go Kits & Pets
        • ARCHIVE: Mask Requirements Updated for FSIS Employees
        • ARCHIVE: Modernizing Egg Inspection
        • ARCHIVE: FSIS Recognized Twice for 2020 Food Safety Education Efforts
        • ARCHIVE: Four Steps to Good Mental Health
        • ARCHIVE: Building Relationships at Work
        • ARCHIVE: Pride Month and USDA’s Commitment to Inclusion
        • ARCHIVE: Honoring the Dedicated Public Servants of FSIS
        • ARCHIVE: Asian American and Pacific Islander Contributions to Our Nation’s History
        • ARCHIVE: USDA Vaccination Heroes Do Their Part for America
        • ARCHIVE: Remembering Their Sacrifice: Jean Hillery, Tom Quadros and Bill Shaline
    • Facilities and Services
    • Employee Bargaining
    • Civil Rights

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Participate in Creating Standards

FSIS invites the food safety community to participate in establishing standards for our food safety policies and services. Join us for public meetings or respond to comment requests.
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Professionals with Disabilities

The Professionals with Disabilities (PWD) Outreach and Recruitment Program strives to advocate for PWD by promoting awareness, inclusion and equality for all members of this constituent group; identifying barriers to equality for PWD; providing recommendations for avoidance, mitigation and elimination of these barriers; and ensuring that PWD have equal access and opportunity for hiring, training, development and promotion.

See the Person Not the Disability 

A disability is any condition that makes it more difficult to do certain activities or effectively interact. These conditions, or impairments, may be cognitive, developmental, intellectual, mental, physical, sensory, or a combination of multiple factors. Disability-causing impairments may be inherited or acquired over the course of a lifetime.

Mission:  Collaborate with Management, the Office of Human Resources (OHR) and the Civil Rights Staff (CRS) to relay the concerns and needs of Professional with Disabilities (PWD) and to ensure equality in hiring, training, developmental and promotional opportunities.

Objectives:

  • Coordinate employment workshops and recruitment efforts with CRS, Special Emphasis Program Managers and Human Resources to assist PWD in resume writing, enhance interview skills; participate in recruitment and outreach and build a data bank of job recruitment sources, thereby increasing the quantitative and qualitative aspect of hiring PWDs  a force multiplier for diversity

  • Build support and instill pride for PWD by establishing support groups, conducting seminars and assisting with celebratory activities for National Disability Employment Awareness Month which is held in October

  • Provide Disability Intelligence Training for Managers to increase awareness of the value of PWDs in a diverse and inclusive workforce.

Program Manager:  Shonda Moore, provides oversight and support to the constituent group by promoting the mission, goals and objectives of the PWD program. Please contact Shonda Moore at Shonda.Moore@usda.gov or at 202-937-4064.

Upcoming Events

Upcoming events and workshops to help the FSIS with its efforts to hire people with disabilities.

  • Virtual Diversity and Inclusion Conference.  Presentation on Hidden Disabilities on August 30, 2023 at 2:30pm EST
  • Disability Intelligence Training will be conducted on April 4, 2023 at 10:00am EST for Philadelphia District Frontline Supervisors.

Strategies for Recruiting, Hiring, Retaining and Advancing Professionals with Disabilities

Schedule A Tips for Hiring Managers

  • The ABCs of Schedule A Tips for Hiring Managers on using the Schedule A Appointing Authority

  • The Hiring Manager Handbook

  • Non-competitive Hiring Authority – the OHR Fact Sheet

  • The Workforce Recruitment Program (WRP)

    • WRP  is the primary pipeline bringing students and recent graduates with disabilities into federal employment and the largest database of Schedule A candidates in the federal government. Please sign up as an employer to utilize this database.

Recruitment Resources for PWD

  • Schedule A Letter Template

  • The Workforce Recruitment Program (WRP)

    • WRP is the primary pipeline bringing students and recent graduates with disabilities into federal employment and the largest database of Schedule A candidates in the federal government.  Please register as a student.

  • The ABCs of SCHEDULE A Tips for Applicants with Disabilities on Getting Federal Jobs

  • Individuals with disabilities USAJOBS Webpage

  • Individuals with Disabilities Office of Personnel Management Webpage

  • Online Guide to Scholarships and Resources for Students With Disabilities

The Disability Intelligence Training Library contains a catalogue of currently released and upcoming training material.  If you would like to request a training session, please submit your request to  shonda.moore@usda.gov 

  • National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM)
    • 2021 NDEAM
    • 2022 NDEAM

  • Leveraging Schedule A  Authority

  • Workforce Recruitment Program

  • Nobody Left Behind: Emergency Preparedness for PWD and Mobility Impairments

  • Hidden Disabilities

  • Health Risk Factors for PWD- Coming Soon

  • Breaking Barriers: Removing Stigmas and Stereotypes- Coming Soon

  • Use of Schedule A Hiring Authority
    • A Schedule A Letter is completed by your medical provider and serves as certification that you are an individual with a severe physical, intellectual, or psychiatric disability that qualifies you for hiring consideration under 5 CFR 213.3102 (u), Schedule A hiring authority, appointment for Professionals with Disabilities.

    • Schedule A Letter template

    • The ABCs of Schedule A Tips for Hiring Managers on using the Schedule A Appointing Authority

 

  • Self-Identification of a Disability

    • Each agency in the Federal government has established programs to facilitate the hiring, placement, and advancement of individuals with disabilities. Self-identification of disability status is essential for effective data collection and analysis of the Federal government’s efforts. Self-identification of a disability is voluntary and kept in the strictest of confidence.  Self-identification Standard Form-256 is the form used to self-identify your disability.  An individual with a disability is defined as a person who (1) has a physical or mental impairment which substantially limits one or more major life activities; (2) has a record of such an impairment; or (3) is regarded as having such an impairment. This definition is provided by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended (29 U.S.C. 701, et seq.). 

    • Standard Form 256: Self Identification of a Disability.

 

  • Assistive Technology: USDA TARGET Center

    • Assistive technology (AT) is any item, piece of equipment, software program, or product system that is used to increase, maintain, or improve the functional capabilities of professionals with disabilities. AT can be low-tech: communication boards made of cardboard or fuzzy felt. AT can be high-tech: special-purpose computers.

    • The USDA TARGET Center is the point of contact for USDA employees wishing to request assistive technology at no cost through the USDA/CAP Partnership.

    • The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) established the Technology & Accessible Resources Give Employment Today (TARGET) Center in 1992 to utilize the power of technology and provide impactful services related to improving accessibility and contributing to the complete employment experience of individuals with disabilities.

    • Visit the TARGET Center

    • Watch video about the importance of assistive technology

 

  • Reasonable Accommodations

    • Please forward all reasonable accommodation request and inquiries to the Reasonable Accommodation inbox at reasonableaccommodations@usda.gov 

 

  • 508 compliance- In 1998 the US Congress amended the Rehabilitation Act to require Federal agencies to make their electronic and information technology accessible to professionals with disabilities. Section 508 was enacted to eliminate barriers in information technology, to make available new opportunities for people with disabilities, and to encourage development of technologies that will help achieve these goals. The law applies to all Federal agencies when they develop, procure, maintain, or use electronic and information technology. Under Section 508 (29 U.S.C. § 794d), agencies must give employees with disabilities and members of the public access to information that is comparable to the access available to others.

    • Section 508 Tools | Section508.gov

    • Section508.gov

    • United States Department of Agriculture- TARGET Center

NOTE: Additional Program Focus Areas and Challenges may be identified by constituent group and will be updated as required.

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Our History

USDA's Food Safety Inspection Service has a long, rich history of improving and protecting America's food supply.
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Core Values

Our team is full of dedicated public servants who embody our core values.
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Who Works for Us

"Faces of Food Safety" introduces you to the men and women who play a role in making our food safe.
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Learn More About FSIS
Last Updated: Mar 30, 2023
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