The State Department is releasing a handbook aimed at prioritizing the rights and accessibility of people with disabilities — both in the workforce and in its diplomatic mission.

Secretary of State Blinken said Monday that the handbook is meant to show employees “how they can incorporate disability issues into their own work” and highlights how accessibility intersects with US foreign policy.

“History shows us that fair societies tend to be more stable, more resilient, more innovative. When our policies exclude people with disabilities, they actually fail us all,” Blinken said at department headquarters. “But when we incorporate the needs, the knowledge, of people with disabilities, we all benefit from their talents, their expertise, their leadership.”

The manual is available online for internal use. The department expects to release a public version of the manual next month.

About 1.3 billion people, or 16% of the global population, have at least one disability.

The department’s handbook would preserve some of the Biden administration’s work on diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility as it prepares for a change in administrations.

“These suggestions are simple. They are scalable, they are standardized, based on experience and lessons learned from the field. So to everyone at State, take a look at this handbook and look for ways you can do your part,” Blinken said.

The State Department, under the Biden administration, named its first chief diversity and inclusion officer — an increase from his previous role as chief diversity officer. The position now reports directly to Blinken’s office.

Blinken outlined some of the State Department’s efforts to become a more accessible workplace for employees with disabilities.

The Federal News Network first reported earlier this year that the State Department’s permanent switched to a virtual one application and evaluation for foreign service candidates.

At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, the department has come up with online alternatives to some in-person evaluations of Foreign Service candidates.

“That means candidates don’t have to travel here to Washington, DC for an interview,” Blinken said.

On the advice of his chief diversity and inclusion officer, Blinken said the department is also making the bidding process for senior positions, including deputy secretaries, more fair and transparent “to build a pipeline for leaders with disabilities.”

“We still have a lot of work to do to address the systemic barriers that exist for diplomats with disabilities,” he added.

The department also set a new medical clearance standard for prospective diplomats earlier this year as part of the settlement of a lawsuit spanning nearly two decades.

The State Department is implementing these changes — and has paid more than $37 million to settle disability discrimination claims — after denying or delaying the hiring of more than 230 people who could not obtain a medical clearance of “ Class 1″ or “Available Worldwide”.

About 8% of the department’s permanent full-time foreign service officers have a disability. Nearly 12 percent of foreign service professionals—including health care providers, IT workers, and diplomatic security personnel—have a disability.

The department is also taking steps to make its global real estate footprint more accessible.

As of January 2023, approximately 72% of Foreign Service facilities were either “substantially” or fully accessible to people with disabilities. About 56% of Foreign Service office buildings are also substantially or fully accessible.

Sara Minkara, the department’s special adviser on international disability rights, developed the handbook with staff at the US Embassy in Lima, Peru.

“Look at your work, look at your office, look at your embassy, ​​look at your office, do a full analysis and see where disability is not integrated and please commit to going this further, because it is important for diplomacy. It is important for foreign policy,” Minkara said.

“It’s important for diplomacy, it’s important for foreign policy. And it is not enough to say, “Bring a place to the table.” Let’s be honest, often the table, the room, is not physically accessible. It is not accessible from a communication point of view, from a technology point of view, from a narrative point of view. There are a lot of barriers that we still need to break down,” she added.

Minkara said people with disabilities “are too often excluded from critical conversations” within the State Department’s diplomatic mission — from shaping the rules and norms of emerging technology to growing the economy.

“We are not vulnerable because we are disabled. We are vulnerable because the system and society are not accessible to us and do not think about us,” said Minkara. “We are not vulnerable because we are disabled. We are vulnerable because we are an invisible or inaccessible population and we are left behind.”

Minkara said the State Department will develop a “thematic toolkit” as part of implementing the game guide next year.

“We will develop a handbook with our US government departments to illustrate how disability is cross-cutting. So we can take it a step further and our government counterparts can take this work forward with us,” she said.

Department of State opened its Access Center in 2020 to provide assistive technology to employees with disabilities. The facility, across the street from its Foggy Bottom headquarters, is the largest of its kind in the federal government.

Assistive technology at the Access Center ranges from ergonomic computer mice and keyboards to screen magnifiers, hearing aids and communication systems for the deaf.

At least 17 percent of the State Department’s civil service workforce has at least one disability.

The Center is also a resource for supervisors and managers to better understand the workplace needs of their employees.

However, Minkara said accessibility “shouldn’t just be on the shoulders of the disability office or community.”

“When you don’t include us or make the system accessible, it’s going to be expensive later,” Minkara said. “We’re becoming a burden on society, and you’re not taking advantage of the GDP we can contribute to… or our innovation. Why do we still see disability as an add-on, as an afterthought, as a special thing, as an expensive thing? We need to reframe this conversation.”

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