October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month or NDEAM. This article will answer the following questions:
What is National Disability Employment Awareness Month?
Why do we celebrate NDEAM in the US?
How can I participate?
Why do people with disabilities celebrate both NDEAM and Disability Pride Month (July)?
How can this year’s NDEAM theme (INCREASING ACCESS AND OPPORTUNITY) actually be implemented in the workplace?
The Presidential Debate on Tuesday night was embarrassing to watch as an American citizen for many reasons. But, almost more troubling than the screaming match itself was America’s response to the two candidates.
To the best of my ability, I intend for this article to be unbiased in nature. Many of you who follow me across multiple platforms most likely already know my political leanings. That said, I would like to use this space to comment on the response to the presidential debate, rather than the content of the debate itself.
As a digital marketing professional and lifestyle blogger, I spend a lot of time on social media. I love connecting with my community online, but when you’re scrolling, there is no telling what you will come across. Immediately following the debate on Tuesday night, I jumped on Facebook and Twitter to see what my friends, family, and favorite personalities had to say about the event.
I was appalled by what I saw.
Similarly to Bonkers, crazy has a long, historic connection with mental illness. Crazy is frequently used to discredit others and essentially gaslight them into thinking that they are burdensome in some way. Regardless of intention, anytime you use the word crazy to describe another human being you are attempting to diagnose that person, which is inherently ableist. This action feeds into the stigmatization of mental illness and further isolates those who do have severe mental health conditions.
When you talk about a group of people as being confined, you assess that they are not in control of themselves or their lives. You take away their voice and their worth. Essentially, you equate them to an object. Something that cannot think or motivate itself in any capacity.
I grew up in a small, farming community, so driver’s education is a part of the high school curriculum. The big question on the table was whether or not I would be participating in the behind-the-wheel portion of the class and learning how to drive with the rest of my peers.
Having zero neurological or mental deficits and being proficient at Mario Kart, I didn’t fully understand why the school even bothered asking. OF COURSE I WOULD BE DRIVING! HOW SILLY!
But, I quickly understood it was much more involved than I originally thought.
Raise your hand if you have heard or said any one of the following sentences in the past week.
“My friend set me up on a blind date this afternoon.”
“Are you blind? The remote is right in front of you!”
“Ugh, I swear I am blind without my glasses!”
Ableist language perpetuates the inferiority of people with disabilities. At its core, it is oppressive, derogatory, and hurtful, no matter the intention behind its usage.
I guarantee that you use ableist language every single day without even realizing it. It rolls off the tongue naturally because it’s hardly ever questioned.
Here on The Rolling Explorer, I am going to start questioning it.
Up until last fall, I hardly ever let my picture be taken sitting down. Part of the reasoning was my aversion to showing off my stomach rolls. I’ve always struggled with body image, and if I had nothing to block my tummy from view, I was guaranteed to be self-conscious.
The bigger and more problematic reason I avoided these types of photos, though, was my aversion to my mobility aids. I didn’t like the idea of “looking disabled.” There is such a stigma surrounding wheelchairs, crutches, canes, and prosthetics, not to mention bulkier medical equipment, that it’s hard for people who require these devices to not feel ashamed of needing them.
The Disability Power Movement is dedicated to one thing: bringing widespread awareness to the plethora of issues the disabled community faces every single day. Essentially, it is a continuation of the work I have been doing on my blog for the past year. The only difference is I am now trying to get more people to actively talk about and understand the topics I discuss daily.
Here on The Rolling Explorer, we have been celebrating the ADA’s 30th Anniversary for the entire month of July.
It’s been busy, but so, so fulfilling.
Of course, none of my efforts matter if they don’t inspire real change. I am thrilled to have a platform to speak out on, but at the end of the day, words can only do so much.
That’s why I created the list below.
Disability Pride Month is coming to an end and the ADA won’t have another significant anniversary for at least 5 years. I’ve been impressed that so many organizations have used this month to spread awareness. The real key, though, is what people do moving forward.