National Disability Employment Awareness Month

Some material shown is from the President's Committee on Employment of People with Disabilities.

Congress, in recognition of the tremendous potential of individuals with disabilities, and to encourage all Americans to work toward their full integration into the workforce, by Joint Resolution, approved August 11, 1945, as amended, designated October of each year as National Disability Employment Awareness Month. The new law replaced National Employ the Handicapped Week which had occurred annually since 1945 during the first week of October. The new law also recognized a change in terminology and replaced "handicap" with "disability".

Citing the technologies of the 21st century and the global marketplace, President Clinton noted that "people with disabilities have a major role to play in helping us to achieve a dynamic, productive work force in a united community." People with disabilities in all walks of life - from Franklin Delano Roosevelt as President to college presidents and scientists, world class athletes and physicians, from Main Street to Wall Street, have performed successfully at every level of business and government, demonstrating in large ways and small that they can meet the same challenges as everyone else.

Efforts to focus the nation's attention on National Disability Employment Awareness Month are spearheaded by the President's Committee on Employment of People with Disabilities, a small Federal agency in Washington, DC, that reports directly to the White House. The Committee's mission is to facilitate the communication, coordination and promotion of public and private efforts to enhance the employment of people with disabilities. The Committee provides information, training and technical assistance to America's business leaders, organized labor, rehabilitation and service providers, advocacy organizations, and families and individuals with disabilities. It also operates the Job Accommodation Network (JAN) a toll-free information service on the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and employment accommodations.

America's workforce is changing and rapidly growing more diverse, and the number of employees with disabilities will increase. The current generation of Americans with disabilities is well prepared to be tapped for the job market and able to provide an added solution for the labor shortages facing American business.

People with disabilities are the nation's largest minority, and the only one that any person can join at any time.  If you do not currently have a disability, you have about a 20 percent chance of becoming disabled at some point during your work life. People with disabilities cross all racial, gender, educational, socioeconomic, and organizational lines.

Companies that include people with disabilities in their diversity programs increase their competitive advantage. People with disabilities add to the variety of viewpoints needed to be successful and bring effective solutions to today's business challenges. The American economy is made stronger when all segments of the population are included in the workforce and in the customer base.

• Famous People with Disabilities

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