Celebrating Disability Employment Awareness Month

October is Disability Employment Awareness Month.

This national observance dates back to 1945, when the United States Congress declared the first week of October a time to focus on disability employment, then termed “National Employ the Physically Handicapped Week.” Over the years, the name as well as the duration of this observance changed into what we now know as Disability Employment Awareness Month.

The purpose of this awareness month is to educate the public about the contributions, challenges, and victories of people with disabilities in terms of employment. This month is a time that’s intended to encourage both reflection on the past and growth in the future.

The Office of Disability Employment Policy has announced that the theme for 2023’s Disability Employment Awareness Month will be “Advancing Access and Equity.” In our blog this month, we will go over some background on disability employment, a few goals to focus on, and two examples of local businesses that are champions of this cause.

An Overview of Disability Employment

As with multiple aspects of disability rights, the greatest amounts of change took place following the introduction of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Signed in 1990, the ADA is the most comprehensive piece of disability legislation in the United States to date. You can read one of our other blogs for more information on how the ADA came to be.

In short, the ADA was signed into law to protect individuals with disabilities from being discriminated against. Among many other things, this applies to discrimination in employment. After this law was enacted, additional positive changes for people with disabilities were put into place. A few of these were:

• Workforce Investment Act (1998) – education, employment, and training services on a federal level for employers and job seekers alike, which included many provisions related to disabilities.
• Olmstead Decision (1999) – a Supreme Court case that ruled the segregation of people with disabilities when integration is possible is a form of discrimination under the ADA.
• Creation of the Office of Disability Employment Policy (2001) – a permanent government office dedicated to improving disability employment policy.
• Apprenticeship Equal Employment Opportunity Rule (2016) – an update to disability employment rules to include protections in Registered Apprenticeship programs.

Although there have been steady improvements in disability employment over the years, that doesn’t mean that discrimination and challenges are nonexistent.

In 2022, only about 21% of people with disabilities in the United States were employed. This is an increase from recent years, but it still indicates that there is progress yet to be made. That is one of the purposes of Disability Employment Awareness Month: to bring attention to the advancements we’ve made as well as the potential we can still strive to reach.

With these statistics come context behind why people with disabilities often have a more difficult time finding and retaining meaningful employment. A few examples of challenges that disabled workers might face are:

• Ableism in the workplace, in both subtle and not-so-subtle ways.
• Concerns about accessibility, such as a lack of necessary accommodations.
• Negative self-perceptions based on how the world seems to view people with disabilities.

Laws can be put into place to help those with disabilities face less barriers in employment, and many of them have affected positive change over time. However, it isn’t a completely foolproof way to eliminate discrimination against disabled people.

Disability Employment Awareness Month: Purpose and Goals

Disability inclusion at work goes further than simply employing people with disabilities. While this is the obvious first step, a challenge that people with disabilities can face with employment is retaining a quality job. That’s where more intentional, continuous inclusion practices are key.

Access to inclusive, meaningful, and gainful employment improves the lives of people with disabilities in many ways. For many people, steady work provides a comfortable amount of structure – and a sense of purpose in life. Not only that, but the confidence that comes with the ability to make a living for yourself is an important part of life that everyone deserves, including those with disabilities.

Along with the importance of inclusive employment for people with disabilities, there are some great benefits for everyone involved – employees and employers alike.

As Disability Employment Awareness Month continues, we want to highlight the improvements in disability employment that have already been made, as well as look toward the future of the workforce and consider how we can continue to grow. We’ll include some resources at the end of this blog to prompt some introspection on this topic.

Case Studies

Before we do that, though, we’d like to showcase a couple of businesses local to Denver (and friends of Adam’s Camp) that provide excellent examples of meaningful employment for people with disabilities.

Howdy Homemade Ice Cream

Howdy Homemade not only serves delicious ice cream to the community but is working toward a better future for people with disabilities. They employ adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities and strive to change both individual lives and societal perceptions.

We think that Howdy Homemade’s mission statement says it all:

“Through the power of our heroes’ smiles and our amazing ice cream, to hiring and training, to leadership and advancement, Howdy Homemade aims to change the way society treats individuals with special needs.”

Brewability

Brewability employs adults with disabilities to brew craft beer – and have tons of fun doing it! This is one of our team’s favorite places to visit, and we love what they do.

Aside from inclusive employment practices, Brewability also prioritizes accessibility in their physical space. They strive to create an environment where everyone, regardless of support needs, can have a great time with family and friends.

Supporting Meaningful Employment for People with Disabilities

We’ve compiled a short list of resources that will help employers and individuals alike begin working toward the goals of Disability Employment Awareness Month.

For Employers

• Year-round inclusion initiative ideas
• A disability inclusion starting point

For Individuals

• Know your rights when it comes to employment!
• General employment resources for people with disabilities from the U.S. Department of Labor

At Adam’s Camp, we know how valuable meaningful, inclusive employment can be for our community. This month, we invite you to reflect on the history of disability employment and prioritize ways that we can enact positive change in the coming years.

The Adam’s Camp mission is to realize the potential and develop the strengths of children, youth, and adults with disabilities. We do this through unique adventure and therapy programs with the help of committed counselors, therapists, and volunteers who all work together to create a safe, fun, and supportive environment for people with disabilities.

We are always open to starting a conversation – please reach out to us with any questions you may have about what we went over today, how we support our community, or how you can get involved.