Jessica PingOctober 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 (America’s Recovery: Powered by Inclusion) actually be implemented in the workplace?
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1. What is National Disability Employment Awareness Month?
NDEAM is a time for both people with disabilities and non-disabled individuals to educate themselves on the continued struggles and problems surrounding disability employment.
History
National Disability Employment Awareness Month has origins going back 75 years. The first week of October was deemed “National Employ the Physically Handicapped Week,” by Congress in 1945. About 20 years later, the word “physically” was removed from the title in an attempt to be more inclusive of the entire disability community. In 1988, NDEAM was born when Congress decided to expand the previous week-long awareness efforts across the entire month.
What NDEAM Looks Like Today
Every October, US employers are called upon to host observances of NDEAM. The Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) within the Department of Labor (DOL) declares a theme each year to help companies and organizations plan their celebrations. This year’s theme is “Increasing Access and Opportunity.” On their website, they provide a plethora of ways employers can get involved in the observations. You can view their 31 Day Plan here: https://www.dol.gov/agencies/odep/initiatives/ndeam/ideas.
October Book of the Month
Conversation and Review coming on October 20th
Disability Visibility: First-Person Stories from the Twenty-First Century
2. Why do we celebrate National Disability Employment Awareness Month in the US?
There are 3 main purposes of NDEAM:
Education
According to the DOL, the September 2020 unemployment rate for people with disabilities was 12.5% compared to 7.5% for people without disabilities. Now, keep in mind, that number only includes people who are unemployed AND who are or have actively sought out work opportunities within the past 4 weeks. Perhaps what is more telling of the actual discrepancy that still exists between disabled and non-disabled individuals is the Labor Force Participation Rate. The DOL lists the September 2020 LFPR as 20.3% for people with disabilities and 66.7% for people without disabilities.
Now, obviously Covid-19 has drastically impacted these numbers over the past year, but the striking ratio between people with disabilities and people without disabilities is not new. At it’s core, NDEAM is all about education. Employers need to be aware of these discrepancies and be provided with adequate resources to ensure that people with disabilities that want to and are able to work, are able to find employment. Additionally, people with disabilities may require extra assistance in the job-hunting process. Resources and programs designed with this in mind are also vital to the mission of NDEAM.
Celebration
Obviously, from the statistics above, you can see that the US is far from perfect when it comes to equity within the workplace. That said, since 1945, the United States has grown immensely in its efforts to help people with disabilities obtain employment. Changing the official title from “National Employ the Physically Handicapped Week,” to National Disability Employment Month serves as proof of the mentality shift that has helped get us to where we are today. Therefore, NDEAM is also a celebration of the progress we have made collectively as a nation.
Promise
This final purpose is the most important because it combines the previous two and forms something unique: hope for the future. When you take the time to appreciate progress while still remaining critical of the situation, you open your mind and heart to change, which is exactly what people with disabilities need. The ADA may have been passed 30 years ago, but there is still much work to be done. These annual awareness efforts serve as a promise to people with disabilities that they have not been forgotten about by the government and that work is still being done to create a world where they have the same opportunities as their non-disabled counterparts.
September Book of the Month
You Are a Badass: How to Stop Doubting Your Greatness and Start Living an Awesome Life
https://amzn.to/2EyvyLc
3. How can I celebrate/support people with disabilities during NDEAM?
Great news! By simply reading this blog post, you’re doing more than most people. Education is the foundation for change, so any time you could donate to learning more about the disabled lived condition would be the best support you could possibly give. That said, there are other ways you can get involved.
Even if you’re not an employer, there are multiple ways you can support people with disabilities during NDEAM. I wrote an article about this a few months ago entitled “5 Ways You Can Help Improve Disability Representation in the Workplace.” If you’re currently employed by a company or organization, I highly encourage you to check out that article. Below, I will list some ways you can help regardless of your employment status.
Hire Disabled Freelancers
When people with disabilities struggle to find accessible work opportunities, many turn to freelancing to help pay their bills, myself included.
I personally offer freelance services in writing, editing, speaking, content production, diversity consulting, and all things digital marketing with a specialty in social media management. If you are in need of any of these services, I encourage you to reach out to me for information regarding my rates and availability.
Support Disability Advocates and Content Creators Financially
Consistent education and entertainment are emotionally, intellectually, and physically exhausting to create. Showing the people you follow you appreciate their efforts through a financial donation is a great way to show your support during this educational period. If you cannot afford a financial contribution at this time, know that engaging with people’s content, whether that be through likes, comments, or shares, is also an incredible FREE way to help make a difference.
Support Small Businesses Owned By People With Disabilities
Similarly to the freelance section above, many people with disabilities are forced into an entrepreneur role due to their inability to find accessible work opportunities. From Etsy artists to those with their own stores and agencies, I encourage you to do some research this month before making a purchase to see if you can find what you’re looking for from a disabled business owner.
4. Why do people with disabilities celebrate both National Disability Employment Awareness Month and Disability Pride Month (July)?
The very simple answer to this question is that they serve different ends. NDEAM is all about providing equity in the workplace for people with disabilities whereas Disability Pride Month is much more general than that. Earlier this year, I wrote an informative article about the history and importance of Disability Pride Month, so if you’d like more information, I encourage you to check out that piece: https://therollingexplorer.com/everything-you-need-to-know-about-disability-pride-month-in-2020/
But, as a short summary, Disability Pride Month is a community building celebration within the disability community that encourages people with disabilities to love themselves. Additionally, it is a time where many advocates find their voices and share their stories with the world, hoping to inspire change in others’ understanding of disability.
Both months are vital to the continued inclusion of people with disabilities in all facets of life.
5. How can this year’s NDEAM theme (America’s Recovery: Powered by Inclusion) actually be implemented in the workplace?
My initial thought when I read the title of the 2021 theme for NDEAM was this: obviously!
Increasing access and opportunity should be a given regardless of our current events. People with disabilities are not equal members of society without either of these two important things.
Post Covid-19 life is going to look different. Hopefully not as different as it currently is in this present moment, but different nonetheless. One thing that’s already changing for the better as far as people with disabilities are concerned is the normalization of working from home. Having the ability to work from home full-time would provide thousands of individuals who do not have access to accessible transportation or those with conditions too unpredictable to stick to an intense travel schedule the opportunity to join the labor force. Additionally, the increased use of technology across departments will only strengthen opportunities for those with disabilities once life returns to normal.
Ensuring that both of these remain intact post-Covid-19 is vital if we want to truly increase access and opportunity. Other necessary changes include making your business park/office space more accessible (ramps, accessible bathrooms, working elevators, etc), educating yourself on the disabled lived condition, and providing disability-inclusive diversity training seminars for both executives and employees.
There is much work to be done regarding disability employment, but that is precisely why NDEAM is so important. That said, the ideas crafted from NDEAM should be implemented throughout the year. Like all forms of advocacy and activism, the fight never truly ends until the problem is fully resolved. True resolution is decades away, but if we all take some time this month to learn and grow, we will be one step closer.
Let’s Connect!
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