Congress has designated that the month of October be recognized as National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM) each year. The Office of Disability Employment Policy is responsible for planning NDEAM activities and materials with the intent to increase the public’s awareness of the contributions and skills of American workers with disabilities. The theme for NDEAM 2011 is Profit by Investing in Workers with Disabilities, which promotes the valuable contributions people with disabilities make to America’s workplaces and economy.
Throughout the month of October, various programs will highlight employment barriers that still need to be addressed and/or corrected.
The effort to educate Americans about the value of workers with disabilities, as well as the various obstacles that they face, began back in 1945. At that time, just the first week of October was earmarked for the observance. In 1988, the observance was expanded to encompass the entire month of October.
For more information on National Disability Awareness Month, please click here.