Seven Steps, Seven Dialogues

The United States Department of Labor is a cabinet-level department of the U.S. federal government responsible for occupational safety, wage and hour standards, unemployment insurance benefits, re- employment services, and more.

ePolicyWorks is a special initiative launched by the Department of Labor which empowers web-based policymaking that engages citizens in order to address barriers to employment for people with disabilities and foster employment success for those living with disabilities. The initiative is also the award-winning host of an important series of online dialogues that enable ODEP (Office of Disability Employment Policy) to enlist the public’s input on key policy issues related to the employment of people with disabilities.

After nearly a year of online dialogues, ODEP has launched more than seven campaigns treating a number of subjects, including improving accessibility in workplace social media, employer education about how to facilitate the hiring, retention and advancement of people with disabilities, veteran transportation access, and much, much more. And in that time, they’ve created a format for success that includes seven steps and a four-week public dialogue.

The seven steps include:

1. Articulating the Challenge
2. Building the Team
3. Process Definition
4. Outreach
5. Stimulating the Dialogue
6. Data Analysis
7. Implementation

And the real success lies in the fact that the dialogue not only serves as an opportunity for problem-solving, but also an outreach tool that publicizes work that ODEP is doing in service of those living with disabilities. And because every state in the US has been represented across the challenge, that means that every issue that ODEP has addressed has achieved national reach.

For a more detailed understanding of each step and information about the ePolicyWorks initiative, download the case study here.