National Small Business Week: Workplace Inclusion Just Works

The advanced manufacturing company FALA Industries runs a high-tech 50,000-sq.-ft. plant requiring a highly skilled workforce. Even in a county with low unemployment, FALA has continued to recruit new workers and grow its talent pipeline. One critical factor: a pre-apprenticeship program for people with disabilities that offers training, education and a pathway to skilled employment.

April 30, 2024

Source: Department of Labor Office of Disability Employment

This National Small Business Week (April 28–May 4, 2024), ODEP celebrates disability inclusive practices such as those adopted by FALA Industries and the many other small businesses across the country that also seek innovative ways to build talent pipelines of skilled workers, strengthen ties within their community and promote access and inclusion in their workplace.

ODEP supports these goals. On May 1, 2024, at 1 PM ET, the ODEP-funded Employer Assistance and Resource Network on Disability Inclusion (EARN) will host a webinar to help inform small businesses about financial supports for disability hiring—such as tax incentives or reimbursements for the cost of accommodations—funded by state and local governments. We encourage small business owners, people who work with small businesses and their employees, and others interested in workforce disability inclusion to attend.

Get inspired by FALA: FALA Technologies Case Studies

Register for the webinar: Local and State Disability Inclusion Incentives and Resources for Small Businesses

ODEP also relies on the firsthand experiences of small business owners and employees to guide our work. Through May 6, 2024, we invite you to share your thoughts about your own challenges and successes in increasing disability inclusion. Register for ODEP’s national online dialogue “Advancing Disability Inclusion in Very Small Businesses” and submit your insights on current policies and disability-inclusive practices, share new ideas or comment on ideas submitted by others. Your ideas will inform our development of policies, guidance and other resources. Join the conversation: Advancing Disability Inclusion in Very Small Businesses