National Disability Employment Awareness Month!

Happy National Disability Employment Awareness Month from the Accessibility Advisory Committee!

What is National Disability Employment Awareness Month?

National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM) is celebrated every October throughout the United States. NDEAM, headlined by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP), has a theme each year, the 2022 theme being, “Disability: Part of the Equity Equation.” This NDEAM theme is a great reminder to all in this country that the disability community is a large and greatly underserved population that is very much a part of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. While NDEAM is particularly recognized during the month of October, we can acknowledge and celebrate throughout the year the reality that people do have the potential to be employed, regardless of ability. 

Is National Disability Employment Awareness Month recognized as a federal event?

The President of the United States makes a Presidential Proclamation about NDEAM. Joe Biden made his proclamation on September 30, 2022, and the Department of Labor presented a news release related to disability and equity in the workplace. ODEP has a number of resources on their website (shared below). One these resources is a great page describing Year-Round Employer Strategies for Advancing Disability Inclusion. ODEP also shares videos and the ability to download 2022 posters also posters from previous years’ NDEAM celebrations.

Feel free to drop by the Student Accessibility Services office in Room 5226, or contact Miranda Levy if you would like some NDEAM posters, or posters about mental health in the workplace from ODEP for your department!

How can I support National Disability Employment Awareness Month?

NDEAM is an opportunity to recognize that individuals with disabilities are the same as those who do not have disabilities in that if they want to be employed, this is a possibility. Reflect on what you do and do not know, and seek resources to learn, such as checking out the What Can You Do Campaign. If you are an employee with a disability and feel that accommodations would assist you in your success at work, contact Human Resources. This is about reasonable accommodations under Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act at Shoreline Community College (SCC), given that we are not a federal agency. Also, don’t forget that SCC now has a Career Center for all students, located in the PUB. Feel free to post about National Disability Awareness Month on your social media with the hashtag #NDEAM2022 as well!

Resources

• NDEAM Social Media Kit
• NDEAM Drop-In Articles
• Sample NDEAM Proclamation
• Sample NDEAM Participation Press Release

How are we doing?

Please submit feedback about the information that the Accessibility Advisory Committee shares to Miranda Levy via email at mlevy@shoreline.edu so that the committee can review together and serve the campus community better.