This October, the Office of Disability Employment Policy from the United States Department of Labor is celebrating 70 years of observing Disability Employment Awareness Month. The purpose of National Disability Employment Awareness Month is to educate about disability employment issues and celebrate the many and varied contributions of America’s workers with disabilities. This year’s theme is “My disability is one part of who I am.”
The history of National Disability Employment Awareness Month traces back to 1945, when Congress enacted a law declaring the first week in October each year “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. In 1988, Congress expanded the week to a month and changed the name to National Disability Employment Awareness Month.
Today, Americans with disabilities make up almost one-fifth of our population. In 2014, the employment rate of person with disabilities in the US was 17.1% (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics). In contrast, the employment-population ratio for those without a disability was 64.6%.
If you are a UW-Green Bay employee with a disability and would like to have a reasonable accommodation consider, please review our ADA policy. Please contact Human Resources for additional information on this at 920-465-2390.
As we celebrate the ways individuals with disabilities strengthen our workforce, let’s all think of what you can do to strengthen our work force and community for people with disabilities.