People with Disabilities Portfolio Overview
The Office of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) strives to advance diversity, equity, accessibility, and inclusion (DEIA) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and ensure that the civil rights of all employees are protected. The People with Disabilities Employment Portfolio is directed at ensuring that this community remains a successful part of a broader DEIA strategy for NIH. This Portfolio is federally mandated, its authority grounded in Presidential Executive Orders dating back to 1998.
We recognize the talent that individuals with disabilities bring to the workplace and understand that by creating an inclusive environment for everyone, we provide a universal opportunity for success. Inclusion means we are committed to Equal Employment Opportunity, a workplace free of discrimination and harassment, and a workplace that supports reasonable accommodations.
From recruitment to recognition, from training to promotion, we are dedicated to the oversight of disability employment and actively promote the universal thinking that attracts and retains a skilled and diverse workforce. EDI works in partnership with the Office of Human Resources, the Chief Officer for Scientific Workforce Diversity, and NIH leadership across NIH to support the People with Disabilities Employment Portfolio. Together, we develop collaborations to advance the representation of our employees with disabilities in all occupations of the NIH workforce and to support this community in achieving their fullest potential.
At NIH, we understand that our responsibility to diverse groups extends well beyond federal mandates. We define diversity broadly to include all elements of our human identities and encompass every aspect of difference. Within EDI, we are interested in leveraging the ideas of each NIH employee to fuel innovation and drive health discovery. The disability community is a critical piece of our overall diversity strategy.
“Disability need not be an obstacle to success.” – Stephen W. Hawking
