October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month. The U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) has established “A Strong Workforce is an Inclusive Workforce — What Can YOU Do?” as the theme for 2012, and provides great ideas for how employers, employees, educators, students, associations, nonprofit organizations, and government agencies can participate here on its website.
Of course, the best way to participate is to provide employment opportunities for individuals with disabilities. Already we are seeing announcements about job fairs in communities like Tucson, Arizona, Rochester, New York, Biloxi, Mississippi, and Slidell, Louisiana. In his article about the Slidell fair for the New Orleans Times-Picayune, reporter Ramon Antonio Vargas says Louisiana’s Work Pay$ Coalition has organized similar events to take place in eight additional metropolitan areas during the month.
Many communities take time during NDEAM to honor employers who have provided job opportunities for people with disabilities and employees who exemplify how having a job has made life matter more for her or him. The Aberdeen Mayor’s Advisory Committee for People with Disabilities was accepting nominations for recognition of exceptional organizations and individuals all September long. These functions often present a chance to gain the ear of key political figures, as demonstrated by the Clermont County Business Community in Ohio, which has invited second district Rep. Jean Schmidt (R-Ohio) to speak at the organization’s Employer of the Year Awards luncheon on October 12 in Cincinnati.
Other communities get creative with ideas for drawing attention to the need for creating more career training and job opportunities for people with disabilities. If I lived anywhere near Mason City, Iowa, I would have definitely signed up for the Monopoly tournament fundraiser that NIVC Services, Inc. is hosting. Carson City, Nevada, is using the occasion to host a book launch party for Steve Browne’s, How to Raise a Rocket Scientist for Fun and Profit. The promo on CarsonNow.org says the book is a “creative memoir” about Browne’s daughter, Katie May, a woman with cerebral palsy whose real-life achievements definitely merit publication:
The book is […] a fictional retelling of the incredible tale of Katie May Browne, a Carson City girl who rose from being afflicted with cerebral palsy to graduating first in her class, Top Scholar in the College of Engineering at the University of Nevada Reno, attending the NASA Academy For Future Leaders, and then joining NASA as an employee dedicated to helping unlock the mysteries of the universe. Going through Carson City schools and graduating with honors from Carson High in 2006, Katie is truly a ‘local girl makes good’ story and an inspirational example to all of overcoming adversity and gaining success.
Share any ideas for, or links to, National Disability Employment Awareness Month events and activities in the comments section below.