New Jersey § 11a:7-13

§ 11a:7-13.

a. The Division of Equal Employment Opportunity and Affirmative Action shall, in consultation

with the Civil Service Commission, develop a State as a Model Employer of People with

Disabilities, SAME, program which shall be implemented by each State agency. The purpose of the SAME program shall be to increase awareness of employment opportunities

for persons with disabilities, provide appropriate avenues and remove barriers to

the application and hiring process, and create mechanisms to increase advancement

and retention rates for persons with disabilities employed in the State workforce. The Affirmative Action Officer of each State agency shall oversee the SAME program

for that State agency. Each State agency shall provide for sufficient and qualified staff and sufficient

resources and funding for the SAME program, including, as appropriate, the appointment

of a disability program manager, selective placement program coordinator, and stay-at-work

and return-to-work coordinator. b. At a minimum, and as appropriate, the SAME program shall: (1) review existing recruitment, hiring, advancement, and retention policies and procedures

applicable to persons with disabilities, including an analysis of barriers to employment; (2) establish goals for the hiring and recruitment of persons with disabilities, maintain

records of the progress towards achieving and maintaining the established goals, and

maintain and report on demographic data related to disability status for applicants

and employees; (3) use fast track hiring and advancement authority that permits State agencies to

consider disability status during the hiring and advancement process; (4) establish mentoring, internship, or similar work-based learning experiences for

persons with disabilities; (5) provide an opportunity for a qualified individual with a disability to request

a mandatory interview, which shall be kept confidential and separate from the agency

employment applications; (6) include a centralized accommodation program to consolidate subject matter expertise

necessary to assess, evaluate, and implement effective and meaningful accommodations

and funding streams for accommodations; (7) establish a recruitment and referral program that connects the State agency with

college students and recent graduates with disabilities; (8) utilize web-based application portals that are accessible to and usable by persons

with disabilities; and (9) provide for quarterly progress reports to the director of the State agency, the

Director of the Division of Equal Employment Opportunity and Affirmative Action, and

the Chief Executive Officer of the Civil Service Commission, which shall be publicly

available and posted on the division's website. c. For purposes of the records required to be maintained under paragraph (2) of subsection

b. of this section, an applicant or employee may be classified as a person with a

disability on the basis of the person's self-identification as a person with a disability

on a form created by the division for such purpose. The division may also classify an individual with a disability on the basis of records

relating to the individual's request for reasonable accommodation and records related

to the individual's appointment under a hiring authority that takes disability into

account. The form shall state that the information collected will be kept confidential, used

only for statistical purposes, and that completion of the form is voluntary. d. “ State agency ” means any State department, and any authority, commission, office, department, division,

bureau, board, or any other agency or instrumentality thereof, including institutions

of higher education.