ePolicyWorks Initiative

Launched by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP), ePolicyWorks utilizes interactive technology to better coordinate the flow of ideas and information between federal policymakers and key stakeholders and has become a model for national policy-building efforts. The centerpiece of this initiative is an accessible crowdsourcing tool that enables federal agencies, non-governmental organizations, business organizations, provider and advocacy organizations, workers and job seekers with disabilities, and other stakeholders to participate in online dialogues. These “virtual town halls” enable citizens to share information, best practices and collaborative ideas for removing barriers and effecting change in policies and programs that support the employment of people with disabilities. This functionality is also more engaging and interactive, easier to navigate, less costly, more efficient, more flexible and more accessible than traditional input tactics such as in-person listening sessions or qualitative research studies. To date, ePolicyWorks has hosted online dialogues on a number of important topics around disability employment, including workplace accommodations, advancing state policy, careers in the arts, accessible autonomous vehicles, racial and social equity, and hiring and retaining people with disabilities. To date, ePolicyWorks has hosted 57 interactive online dialogues, engaging more than 25,000 individual registrants who contributed more than 5,600 ideas, 11,000 comments, and 39,000 votes.