Six years ago, President Barack Obama set an ambitious goal to ramp up hiring of people with disabilities. Now, the administration says it has surpassed even its own expectations.

The U.S. Office of Personnel Management said this week that the federal government added more than 154,000 employees with disabilities between fiscal years 2011 and 2015, including 109,575 permanent part-time or full-time hires.

That’s above and beyond what Obama pledged in 2010 as he honored the 20th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act. At that time, Obama issued an executive order calling on the U.S. government to be a model employer by hiring an additional 100,000 people with disabilities within five years.

With the gains announced this week, total federal employment of people with disabilities is at 264,844, a figure that accounts for 14.41 percent of the government’s workforce, according to an annual report produced by the Office of Personnel Management.

That means there are now more people with disabilities working for the federal government — the nation’s largest employer — than at any other time in the last 35 years, officials said.

“This administration has consistently demonstrated a commitment to providing equal employment opportunities for Americans with disabilities,” said Beth Cobert, acting director of the Office of Personnel Management. “We remain committed to supporting the federal government’s efforts to be a model employer for people with disabilities, and I look forward to continue building on our progress.”

Read more stories like this one. Sign up for Disability Scoop's free email newsletter to get the latest developmental disability news sent straight to your inbox.