Disability Awareness: What Companies Need to Know

EEOC Responds to 10 Questions

October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM) in the United States. However, you may not have noticed due to several other monthly observances nationwide.

NDEAM is sponsored annually in October by the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Disability Employment Policy, which says the observance dates back to 1945. The goal of NDEAM is to shine a spotlight on — and raise awareness about — disability issues in the workplace, including employer responsibilities and employee rights.

The employment population ratio for people without disabilities (65.7%) was more than triple that of people with disabilities (18.7%) in 2017, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Disability employment is a persistent problem, despite broad efforts by the federal government and disability rights groups to promote voluntary compliance with the landmark Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

One might think more progress had been made by now, nearly 30-years after the ADA’s enactment. This is especially true due to new and evolving Assistive Technology to help people with disabilities in the workplace and society.