As per the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, new regulations will take effect on January 3, 2018 to clarify federal agencies’ affirmative action role and obligations as employers under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (Section 501).

The new regulations, which will not affect private businesses and state/local governments, move to consolidate affirmative action requirements including procedures for providing reasonable accommodations.  In addition to current action items, there will be two additional items included in the regulations.

Federal agencies must take specific steps to gradually increase the number of employees they hire who have a disability as defined under Section 501, as well as to increase the number of employees who have what the government defines as a "targeted" disability—including autism, blindness, deafness, mental illness, paralysis and convulsive disorders. Targeted disabilities are thought to pose the greatest barriers to employment.

These regulations say, in layman’s terms, that agencies should aim for employees with disabilities to make up over 10 percent of their workforce.  Employees who have a targeted disability should make up another two percent of each agency’s workforce.  These should also apply to workers at all ends of the pay spectrum, high and low.

One human resource expert explained that in the United States there are about 1.2 million people with a targeted disability who are unemployed and actively seeking work.  These new regulations are working for more equality in the workplace when it comes to those with disabilities. These new rules provide some sort of accountability.