Congress designates each October as National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM). As stated on the Office of Disability Policy (ODEP) Web site, this effort to educate the American public about issues related to disability and employment actually began in 1945, when Congress enacted a law declaring the first week in October each year "National Employ the Physically Handicapped Week." In 1962, the word "physically" was removed to acknowledge the employment needs and contributions of individuals with all types of disabilities. In 1988, Congress expanded the week to a month and changed the name to "National Disability Employment Awareness Month."
This year's NDEAM theme is Expectation + Opportunity = Full Participation.
Please click here to learn more about NDEAM and related activities that will be held during the month.
The American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD) sponsors Disability Mentoring Day (DMD) each year during NDEAM. This year, it falls on October 21st. DMD is a large-scale national effort to promote career development for students and job seekers with disabilities, through hands-on career exploration, on-site job shadowing, and ongoing mentoring leading to internship and employment opportunities. Please click the following hyperlink to find DMD Coordinators and activities in your area.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, people with disabilities experience disproportionate levels of unemployment and under-employment. In September 2009, the percentage of people with disabilities in the labor force was 22% compared with 70.5% for persons with no disability. The unemployment rate for those with disabilities was 16.2%, compared with 9.2% for persons with no disability. Events like NDEAM highlight this disparity and lead to efforts that will hopefully improve the recruitment and retention of people with disabilities into the workforce.
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