October: Disability Employment Awareness Month

National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM) pays tribute to the accomplishments of individuals with disabilities whose work helps keep the nation’s economy strong and by reaffirming employers’ commitment to ensure equal opportunity for all citizens. In 1945 Congress first passed a law to celebrate 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. Some 25 years later, Congress expanded the week to a month and changed the name to National Disability Employment Awareness Month. This year the Department of Labor has named the theme NDEAM is “access to good jobs for all”, with the recognition that it not only matters what percentage of disabled workers are able to find a job, but that all workers, whether disabled or not, can find and participate in a quality job. According to the US Department of Labor, the unemployment rate for individuals with disabilities being twice as high as those who are not disabled. This month and all year we must work to increase both the quantity and quality of jobs that are accessible to people with disabilities.

Equitable Well Being Activity

Disability Employment Awareness Month with LinkIt, Zoom, October 22, 12-1p

Join Equitable Well-Being and Human Resources on Tuesday, October 22nd from 12-1pm on Zoom to learn from LinkIt about the importance of Disability Employment Awareness month, common misconceptions about disabled employees, and how teammates and supervisors can support employees with disabilities. Watch the recording below.

Connect

It is everyone’s job to make sure that our workplace is accessible and fair for employees with disabilities. Check out some amazing organizations that specifically support disabled employees and learn how they promote best practices that all employers and employees can learn from.

Learn

Disability Etiquette (askjan.org) - Disability management should include etiquette strategies that foster inclusion of people with disabilities in employment settings. Appropriate disability etiquette allows all employees to be more comfortable and productive. For employers wanting to successfully integrate people with disabilities into their organizations, the following etiquette strategies may be useful.
Disability:IN North Carolina 2024 FAll Conference | October 2, 2024 – Disability:IN North Carolina (di-nc.org) - Join Us for the 2024 Fall Conference. Discover innovative approaches in product development, service delivery, talent acquisition and technology to advance your disability access strategies.
Accessibility and inclusion for disabled employees is more than just a moral imperative; it increases our bottom line and helps us achieve our organizational goals! Check out some of the top research in the nation around organizations that do accessibility well.
- Companies that Lead in Disability Inclusion Outperform Peers Financially, Reveals New Research from Accenture - Accenture News
- Disability as a Source of Competitive Advantage (hbr.org) - Harvard Business Review
- Seven Reasons Why Hiring People With Disabilities Is Good For Business (forbes.com) - Forbes
- Costs and Benefits of Accommodation (askjan.org) - Job Accommodation Network

Do

This month we are launching a brand-new disability focused Employee Resource Group at DCo! Join us at the ERG Open House on October 2 from 11a-2p in the Innovation Lab in the Admin I building or visit us online at ERGs at DCo | Durham County (dconc.gov) to learn more about how you can get involved in and support this new ERG!
Did you know in the City of Durham we have a Mayor's Committee for Persons With Disabilities | Durham, NC (durhamnc.gov) ? Get involved today!
Advocate with Disability Rights North Carolina - Current Campaigns - DRNC (disabilityrightsnc.org)

Discuss

Here are some questions to start conversations with others about Disability Employment Awareness Month. For leaders, try building in time in supervisions or team meetings to prompt staff conversations about Disability Employment Awareness Month. Options could include:

Did you learn anything new about employees with disabilities this month?
Have you made any new personal or professional connections this month that can help you support disabled teammates and employees?
Did you learn anything new about specific disabilities or the experience of disabled workers this month?
How did you participate in Disability Employment Awareness Month?
How can things you learned or did for Disability Employment Awareness Month impact how you do your job?