The Office of Civil Rights (OCR) coordinates the enforcement of equal opportunity and accessibility for Commerce employees, job applicants, and users of programs and services operated or funded by the Department.

Department Organizational Order 20-10 - prescribes the functions and organization of OCR.

Organizational Structure

• Office of the Director and Administration (ODA)
• Compliance Division (CD)
• Prevention Division (PD)

Understanding OCR’s Functions

Navigating the various channels within our office can present challenges. To better assist our stakeholders, OCR has introduced a Catalog of Services aimed at providing a comprehensive understanding of our office and the services we offer. This catalog showcases the three division-specific services provided by OCR, complete with essential points of contact for each service:

• OCR Catalog of Services 

Mission

The Office of Civil Rights (OCR) leads the Department of Commerce’s (DOC’s) statutory and regulatory efforts regarding equal employment opportunity (EEO), external civil rights, and federally conducted language services, including: (1) providing EEO counseling for employees who allege discrimination, (2) processing formal EEO discrimination complaints, (3) enforcing external civil rights statutes (4) analyzing and reporting employment data to meet statutory requirements for EEOC, OPM, and Congress and (5) processing reasonable accommodation (RA) requests for individuals with disabilities.[1]

Vision

To be an Office of Civil Rights that provides outstanding service to our customers through open communication, transparency, collaboration, and optimum use of our talents in order to ensure accessibility and the civil rights of all people.

Core Values

• RESPECT: We are professional, cooperative, and collaborative.
• INTEGRITY: We are honest, open, and accountable.
• CUSTOMER SERVICE EXCELLENCE: We are competent and knowledgeable professionals delivering high quality work products and services.
• ACCESSIBILITY: We strive to eliminate barriers to accessibility, ensuring that our services and programs are usable by all people, regardless of their abilities or backgrounds.

[1]See Title VI and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 [42 United States Code (USC) 2000d and 2000e et seq.], as amended by the Equal Employment Act of 1972, and all other statutes, Executive Orders, and regulatory provisions relating to equal employment opportunity, nondiscrimination, and civil rights, including the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission regulations at Title 29 Code of Federal Regulations Part 1614; OPM Memorandum on “Further Guidance Regarding Ending DEIA Offices, Programs and Initiatives,” p. 1-2.