The United States Department of Labor is a cabinet-level department of the U.S. federal government responsible for occupational safety, wage and hour standards, unemployment insurance benefits, re- employment services, and more. One of the policy agencies within DOL is the Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP), which aims to develop and influence policies and practices that increase the number and quality of employment opportunities for people with disabilities. ODEP's ePolicyWorks initiative hosted a series of online dialogues to enlist the public’s input on key policy issues related to the employment of people with disabilities. To date, ODEP has hosted more than ten of these ePolicyWorks dialogues utilizing the IdeaScale platform. Each has lasted approximately two weeks and followed an adaptable seven-step process. Learn about the process that produced these results: - ePolicyworks developed a seven-step process for idea curation that won recognition from the Secretary of Labor as part of the Innovation Awards and the Honor Awards for the Federal Partners in Transition and Employer National Online Dialogue Teams - more than 5,000 community members generated more than 600 ideas and 13,000 votes across all the dialogues - the online dialogues improved the efficiency of the policymaking process by allowing ODEP to gather nationwide stakeholder input virtually— cheaper, faster, and from more diverse perspectives, including from those with disabilities

1.
DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
CASE STUDY
IDEASCALE

2. The United States Department of Labor is a cabinet-level department of the U.S. federal
government responsible for occupational safety, wage and hour standards, unemployment
insurance benefits, re- employment services, and more. One of the policy agencies within DOL is
the Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP), which aims to develop and influence policies
and practices that increase the number and quality of employment opportunities for people with
disabilities.
ODEP's ePolicyWorks initiative is a Web-based approach to policymaking that engages
citizens and stakeholders in new and innovative ways. From online collaborative
workspaces to knowledge sharing activities, the initiative leverages the latest technology
to address barriers to employment for people with disabilities and fosters real-time
collaboration and communication around key issues. As part of the initiative,
ePolicyWorks has hosted a series of award-winning online dialogues to enlist the public’s
input on key policy issues related to the employment of people with disabilities.
To date, ODEP has hosted more than ten of these ePolicyWorks dialogues u5lizing the
IdeaScale pla:orm. Each has lasted approximately two weeks and followed an adaptable
seven-­‐step process.
1. Ar-cula-ng the Challenge. In this stage, administrators of the dialogue develop
language around the question they are asking and the ideas and input they are seeking
from their stakeholders.
2. Build the Team. In this stage, administrators identify all the key principals that will be
involved in the success of the online dialogue, from assigning moderators to identifying
those responsible for outreach.
3. Process Defini-on. In the third phase, the team works together to define the
registration process, create guidelines, develop communication materials and
determine a timeline for the dialogue.
4. Outreach. The dialogue is broadcast in a multichannel campaign in order to ensure
that target audiences are reached. Each dialogue utilizes multiple media sources
including press releases, social media, viral marketing efforts, and email outreach.
5. S-mulate the Dialogue. In this stage, moderators review the dialogue’s progress as
members participate. They get involved in the conversation, and redirect outreach
based on activity (including email reminders to return to the IdeaScale community to
vote). Depending on the engagement, ePolicyWorks sometimes allows a period of
voting-only activity.
2IdeaScale Case Studies
Department of Labor
Solving problems and raising awareness

3. 3IdeaScale Case Studies
6. Data Analysis. 1. The data from the IdeaScale dialogue is evaluated against various criteria
including level of impact and implementation feasibility.
7. Implementa-on. The ideas gathered are reviewed by policy makers and the ideas and input
are integrated into the policy making process.
After several highly successful dialogues, the ePolicyWorks team is proud to report the following
results:
• This strategy has won the ePolicyworks team recogni-on from the Secretary of Labor as part of
the Innovation Awards and the Honor Awards for the Federal Partners in Transition and Employer
National Online Dialogue Teams.
• More than 5,000 community members have generated more than 600 ideas and 13,000 votes
across all the dialogues.
• Every state in the U.S. has been represented in the dialogues, as well as the District of
Columbia.
• The online dialogues have improved the efficiency of the policymaking process. They allow
ODEP to gather nationwide stakeholder input virtually— cheaper, faster, and from more diverse
perspectives, including from those with disabilities.
Hundreds of ideas have been gathered that help solve all manner of challenges, including
improving accessibility in workplace social media, employer education about how to facilitate
and improve the hiring, retention and advancement of people with disabilities, veterans
transportation access, and much, much more.
“Our use of IdeaScale is ongoing, and we have numerous partners that are eager to host their
own online dialogues,” said Michael Reardon, Policy Advisor Team Lead for Employment-
Related Support Policy, Office of Disability Employment Policy, U.S. Department of Labor. “And
because IdeaScale has worked with us to create an accessible online platform, everyone can
participate in these important dialogues, including people with disabilities.”
ePolicyWorks continues to plan for an ongoing series of dialogues in 2015. Learn more about their
initiatives at ePolicyWorks.org.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
sales@ideascale.com
Global / Americas
+1 800-­‐549-­‐9198
New Zealand
+64-­‐080-­‐099-­‐5088
Australia
+61-­‐02-­‐9037-­‐8414
United Kingdom
+44-­‐0-­‐808-­‐189-­‐1476