October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month, or NDEAM. According to folks in the Office of Disability Employment Policy at the U.S. Department of Labor, our first full month of autumn is a time to “Except. Employ. Empower.” This national, annual campaign “raises awareness about disability-employment issues and celebrates the many and varied contributions of America’s workers with disabilities.”
NDEAM has roots almost 70 years deep — all the way back to 1945 when Congress
declared the first week in October “National Employ the Physically Handicapped Week.” Seventeen years later, in 1962, the word “physically” was taken out, as a way to acknowledge the specific employment needs and contributions of individuals with all types of disabilities. In 1988, Congress expanded this special week to a month. That’s also when the name was changed to National Disability Employment Awareness Month.
During October, the American Association of People with Disabilities also coordinates Disability Mentoring Day. Speaking of websites:
- The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) website features additional information for you.
- Also, you can click Disabled World for a “List of Health and Disability Awareness Days, Weeks and Months.”
- Further, you will find that this Disability Rights Washington website features still more information.
- Not satisfied? Click Disability statistics, a website that features, well, you guessed it: disability statistics.