What you need to know about National Disability Employment Awareness Month

October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month. Here’s what you need to know about the month and how you can help foster an inclusive workplace.

⚠️ Pyn note to HR: Update this message to reflect any available events or ERGs.

What is National Disability Employment Awareness Month?

Every October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM), which is an observance led by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy.

The purpose of this month is to commemorate the diverse contributions of disabled people to America’s economy, while also encouraging companies to ensure equal, inclusive opportunities for all workers—including those with disabilities. 

How to observe National Disability Employment Awareness Month

Understand that disabilities come in many forms

It’s important to be aware of the fact that disabilities come in many forms—this can include physical impairment, sensory impairment, cognitive impairment, intellectual impairment, mental illness, and chronic disease. And every disability is experienced differently. 

For example, some conditions are referred to as “invisible disabilities” because they’re not immediately apparent to others. In cases like this, employees may find that their colleagues have a hard time understanding—or, sadly, even believing—the severity of their condition and don’t receive the support they need in the workplace.

Participate in our educational events

To demonstrate our support during NDEAM, we’re hosting several events to help educate our workforce on issues related to disability in the workplace:

• [Event 1]
• [Event 2]
• [Event 3]

Join us when you can! If you’re a disabled employee and want to share your experience, host a separate discussion, or circulate valuable resources, please let us know and we’d love to amplify your voice. 

Also, don’t forget that we have an ongoing Employee Resource Group (ERG) for our disabled employees, where we [insert overview of ERG].

Use preferred disability terminology

Language is powerful. It has the ability to make someone feel welcomed or excluded; accepted or rejected; understood or marginalized.

That’s why we encourage all our employees to familiarize themselves with preferred disability terminology and etiquette, so you can be mindful of using ableist language or behaving in ways that inadvertently isolate disabled people.

For instance, there are ongoing discussions about whether to use “people-first” language (i.e., people with disabilities) or “identity-first” language (i.e., disabled people). The preferred language to use can vary regionally or even by individual, so practice inclusivity by tailoring the language you use to reflect the language used by the disabled community in your region or to the individual.

Take the time to familiarize yourself with the preferred terminology and learn how you can ask individuals the terminology they use with this Disability Language Guide.