QC employers encouraged to advance disability inclusion in October and beyond

October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM), and in alignment with the 30th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), this year’s theme is “Increasing Access and Opportunity.”

Administered by the U.S. Department of Labor, NDEAM celebrates America’s workers with disabilities and reminds employers of the importance of inclusive hiring practices. Employers of all sizes and industries, as well as community organizations, advocacy groups and schools, are encouraged to participate.

Employers and employees can find a list of ways to participate and advance disability inclusion during October – and all year long – on the Department of Labor’s website. Doing so demonstrates a commitment to delivering on the ADA’s promise.

Authored and sponsored by former U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin of Iowa, the ADA was signed into law July 26, 1990, by President George H.W. Bush. The important civil rights law prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities in all areas of public life, including employment. It was landmark legislation then, and it remains so today, as it ensures all people who want to work can work, laying the groundwork for a fully inclusive American workforce and economy.

"Whether you are a small business, hardware store, a dry cleaner, or ice cream shop, pledge to hire your first employee with a disability. If you already employ a worker with a disability, pledge to double the number and to consider advancement for your current employees with disabilities," Harkin said in a video message commemorating the 30th anniversary of the ADA. "Small changes by those on Main Street, and big changes by those on Wall Street, can make the goal of economic self-sufficiency for people with disabilities a reality ... If we all do this, then 30 years from now, we can say with pride that everyone in America, every person with a disability, has access to the same rights, the same dreams and the same opportunities as everyone else to make those dreams come true.”