As October passes, so too does National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM). As with many months of awareness, however, October didn’t start as a month of disability employment awareness.
According to the Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA), NDEAM originated from a declaration from Congress in 1945, making the first week of October “National Employ the Physically Handicapped Week.” This was changed to “National Employ the Handicapped Week” to reflect the wide range of disabilities in 1962. In the late 80s, this was lengthened to a month and changed to its current iteration, “National Disability Employment Awareness Month.”
Each month has a theme (2022 was “Disability: Part of the Equity Equation”) to highlight different aspects of disability employment. Within the US Department of Labor, the Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) posts videos, social media kits, resources, and a day-by-day NDEAM plan on their website. You can find a variety of video PSAs, posters, and activities both for use during the month specifically and year-round.
The Library of Congress also provides information about NDEAM and other resources for education and improved accessibility (note that their list of people starts with “despite their handicaps,” language now regarded as outdated). On their website, the Library of Congress says the month is observed by “paying tribute to the accomplishments of the men and women with disabilities whose work helps keep the nation’s economy strong and by reaffirming their commitment to ensure equal opportunity for all citizens.” However, disability should not only be acknowledged in reference to economic value.
This is why it is crucial to celebrate Disability Pride Month (July, the same month the ADA was passed). It is important to listen to and amplify the voices of those we intend to celebrate, which even the Library of Congress can benefit from, as evidenced by their dated language. Even the ADA National Network’s guidelines on writing about people with disabilities, hyperlinked above in reference to the Library of Congress’s language, have their flaws — person-first language is still a debated topic in many circles.
Employment can and should be accessible, but we must be careful not to place worth almost entirely on the ability to “reaffirm [the] commitment” of people without disabilities and strengthen the economy. Disability is something for people to be aware of year-round to improve accessibility for everyone everywhere, not just in the office. Not only is value outside of the workforce important for everyone in general, but many disabled people cannot work within the oftentimes inaccessible employment opportunities (such as the lack of remote working options).
Just as Congress has updated the language around disability employment from when it was only a week long, attitudes around disability also need to be updated. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 1 in 4 Americans have a disability as of 2018, which has likely only gone up with the rise of long COVID.
NDEAM is a starting point to encourage workplaces with relatively large reach to show that disabled existence is not something that can be ignored or avoided. This, however, does not mean that disability awareness stays in the office. The history of NDEAM shows the need for increased visibility, which individuals can take home in an opportunity to examine their own implicit biases. The existence of a month devoted to the contributions disabled people make toward the economy allows us all to ask the question — why are we holding so much worth in the ability of someone to work?
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