As an Equal Employment Opportunity and Affirmative Action employer, Argonne is required to collect some demographic information from employees in order to retain our status as a federal contractor, eligible to receive federal funds.

Due to a new regulation, Argonne will be inviting all Argonne employees to complete the voluntary Self-Identification of Disability questionnaire through Workday beginning the week of December 7.

The questionnaire has been prepared by the U. S. Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs. It asks employees to self-identify based on these three response options:

• Yes, I have a disability (or previously had a disability).
• No, I don’t have a disability.
• I don’t wish to answer.

The definition of a disability by federal agencies is broad and may apply to individuals who have chronic conditions that are in remission or only flare up from time to time if, when the condition is active, it would be substantially limiting if untreated.

“Disability,” for purposes of the government’s questionnaire, includes any physical or mental impairment that:

• Substantially limits any of your major life activities, such as caring for yourself, performing manual tasks, seeing, hearing, eating, sleeping, walking, standing, sitting, reaching, lifting, bending, speaking, breathing, learning, reading, concentrating, thinking, communicating, interacting with others and/or working

OR

• Substantially limits operation of any of your major bodily functions or organs, such as your digestive system, respiratory system, reproductive system, heart or brain

To learn more about the voluntary Self-Identification of Disability questionnaire and why your response is important, please watch this one-minute video Disability Inclusion Starts with You, available online.

Questionnaire responses will be kept confidential and will not be added to personnel files. The information will only be used to create summary data in order to comply with Federal reporting requirements and to measure the effectiveness of Argonne’s affirmative action programs.

If you have questions about the questionnaire, please contact Argonne’s Diversity Program Officer Alberto Camargo at ext. 2-3022 or acamargo@anl.gov.