New federal contractor hiring guidelines could make qualified workers with disabilities popular candiates.
In recent years, anyone who has been out of work more than six months has had trouble finding a job, and returning to work has been even more difficult for people who have been out of work because of an illness or injury that affects their ability to concentrate or handle the activities of daily living, such as walking.
But the U.S. Labor Department may have changed the picture in August, when it issued "Section 503″ regulations that require most government contractors to set a goal of having at least 7 percent of their workers be disabled workers.