Workforce Equity Is More Than a WIOA Metric
Workforce development agencies and boards are expected to prove equity and access in their reporting. But behind the demographic check boxes is the guiding principle that everyone should have equal access to good jobs, and workforce representation should be representative of the population.
With the the latest data continuing to show the importance of equity, workforce leaders are recognizing their unique position to help level the playing field. The first step is to define the problem: WIOA calls on agencies to focus on “equity in service delivery and educational programming” and to look to the communities they serve when identifying underserved groups.
We can do better when it comes to equity and representation. It comes down to improving access and client experiences, using smarter tools to track outcomes, and collecting data to prove the need for services. Let’s dive in.
The Digital Divide and 508 Compliance: The Need for Equity in Access
Caseworkers and managers work diligently each day on behalf of their clients. But the technology some organizations use can actually create barriers to employment. According to a 2023 study, visually impaired candidates had a 30% lower employment-to-population ratio compared to their sighted peers. Even worse, participants with visual impairments are routinely asked to use digital systems that weren’t designed with them in mind.
Here’s a stat few workforce development leaders may know but should be aware of: “95% of adults with disabilities will abandon a website if it isn’t accessible.” And they’ll spend less than 5 minutes trying to work around the poor design. The same no doubt applies to your case management system or CMS, with higher stakes than most website abandonments.
The Impact of 508 Noncompliance in Workforce Development
Noncompliance doesn’t just come back to haunt you at reporting time; it impacts your caseworkers’ ability to get through to participants. Here are a few common examples.
Example 1: Incomplete Application
- A color-blind jobseeker logs in to your workforce development software to complete eligibility documentation.
- The system displays required form fields in light red text with a light gray background. The participant can’t distinguish between filled and unfilled sections and misses required inputs.
- Impact: Their application is flagged as incomplete, delaying access to training or services.
Example 2: Missed Training Opportunity
- A visually impaired user accesses the portal using a screen reader like JAWS to check their caseworker’s uploaded resources.
- The caseworker attaches a flyer as an image showing an upcoming resume workshop. The image has no alt text or description.
- Impact: The screen reader says “image.jpg,” providing no helpful information. The participant misses the workshop and a valuable opportunity for support.
Example 3: Missed Appointment
- A participant with limited mobility uses only a keyboard to navigate their case management dashboard.
- The “Schedule Appointment” button is only clickable with a mouse. It’s not reachable with the Tab key or has no visible focus indicator.
- Impact: The participant cannot schedule appointments independently, delaying progress toward employment goals and increasing reliance on staff assistance.
Just as equity is not just about checking boxes, achieving 508 compliance should be a starting point and not an end goal. The true gold standard for workforce development software—whether it be your CMS or separate client communication software—should be a design that’s truly usable to all.
Usability vs. Accessibility: An Important Distinction
While accessibility allows your organization to be 508 compliant, “Usability focuses on how easy and efficient it is for users to achieve their goals with a product or system.” It requires software to be developed with diverse needs in mind and tested across demographic groups. Good software should ensure everyone can not only muddle through, but truly succeed, while being able to: Submit the finished application, attend the workshop, or book the appointment—with ease.
Barriers to Employment
In addition to providing a usable experience for all, your workforce development software must accurately and consistently collect PIRL-compliant demographic and barrier data. Participants with disabilities are just one underserved group who experience barriers to employment and can be further hindered by poorly designed technology.
Other groups who experience barriers to employment include those with:
- Disability
- Low income
- Basic skills deficiency
- English language learners
- Ex-offenders
- Homelessness
- Foster care youth or aged out of the system
- Long-term unemployed
When clients can’t interact with your workforce development software or CMS, you’re excluding them from opportunities while working hard to achieve the opposite result.
TEGL 04-23: Following Compounding Barriers for Youth
Workforce development leaders are also tracking compounding barriers to employment for youth participants, which is an interagency effort. From the Training and Employment Guidance Letter (TEGL) 04-23: “Through this State Plan process, state and local workforce development boards, VR agencies, and educational agencies should coordinate and complement agency-specific services with each other, as well as other systems that serve students with disabilities, such as state Medicaid/Medicare agencies, Centers for Independent Living, and Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (I/DD) agencies.” Understanding how disability status intersects with other factors—like housing insecurity, foster care involvement, or parenting status—is critical for WIOA equity analysis and service planning.
Technology Reduces Friction for Staff and Participants
Another important factor for equity, access, and client experience is reducing friction and making your caseworkers’ jobs easier. We love this video from The National Deaf Center because it’s a reminder of the impact caseworkers can make, but those caseworkers are often short-staffed and often burned out. Technology bridges the gap between staff and clients. It cuts down on friction from miscommunication and missed opportunities. This helps caseworkers and clients overcome barriers from both sides.
Workforce Software That Tracks, Complies, and Improves Equity.
SaraWorks workforce development software automates the manual lift your caseworkers do each day from mass communication to compliance. Our software is built from the ground up with usability—not just accessibility—in mind.
It can be fully integrated to augment your current CMS or used independently to boost client engagement and staff capacity right away.
How SaraWorks Helps You Track and Reduce Barriers to Employment:
- SaraWorks supports 508 compliance, ensuring screen-reader compatibility, alternative text, and keyboard navigation.
- Our accessibility and usability were assessed in partnership with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) as well as the Texas Workforce Commission’s accessibility teams.
- Tools like self-scheduling, real-time updates, and forms in English and Spanish allow clients to engage on their terms.
- SaraWorks makes it easy for your team to communicate and collaborate with other agencies to track program eligibility and compounding barriers.
- WIOA’s PIRL (Participant Individual Record Layout): The platform makes documenting and reporting equity and compliance automatic.
Are your tools helping your team reduce manual lift and friction and achieve more positive outcomes across the board?
Request a free demo of SaraWorks today. We’d be honored to show you what a better experience looks like.
Related:
VR: Sara helps agencies for the Blind & Visually Impaired
Continual improvement: How The VA used SaraWorks to improve its participant survey response rate by 15%-20%
