Educate Yourself: National Disability Employment Awareness Month Edition

National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM) is here! This month is recognized to pay tribute to the accomplishments of men and women with disabilities who help to keep the United States economy strong. This month also serves to reaffirm the Federal Government's commitment to ensuring equal opportunity for all in the workplace.

Recognize National Disability Employment Awareness Month by utilizing these resources to help educate yourself (and your work fellows): 

Demystifying Disability by Emily Ladau serves as an introductory resource to being a thoughtful, educated ally to disabled people. The book highlights several important disability issues including etiquette, accessibility, and conquering ableism in society. Ladau stresses the importance of accessibility becoming a "standard practice", from everyday communication to special events such as work get-togethers. 

The podcast, hosted by Joyce Bender, dives into how people with disabilities can search for and secure career opportunities and how companies/organizations can best advocate and provide support for those with disabilities in the workplace. One of the latest episodes focuses in on hiring processes and how companies/organizations can utilize accessible tools to create a more diverse candidate pool. 

The ODEP provides NDEAM resources each year to help employers, educators, and federal agencies with assistance and ideas on planning NDEAM observances. This year, the ODEP has also provided the public with a Social Media Kit featuring selected spotlights of disability rights advocates and sample copy for LinkedIn and Twitter. 

Inclusively is a workforce inclusion platform that connects job seekers with employers who are committed to attracting and retaining talent. Their platform supports employers with accommodations, insights, and training to attract and retain underrepresented talent.