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National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM)

Overview

Each October is designated National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM) by Congress. For more background, refer to: History of NDEAM.

2011 NDEAM

The NDEAM 2011 Theme "“Profit by Investing in Workers with Disabilities” focuses on improving employment opportunities that lead to good jobs and a secure economic future for people with disabilities — and America. This theme emphasizes the rich diversity and talent that workers with disabilities bring to the workplace, and the dividend we all gain by increasing employment opportunities for workers with disabilities."

The theme also serves to inform the public that workers with disabilities contribute to the output of any organization. According to Kathy Martinez, assistant secretary of labor for disability employment policy, “Return on investment means hiring the right talent. Workers with disabilities represent all skill sets and are ready to get the job done.”

FREE Posters for 2011 NDEAM can be downloaded or ordered online in English and Spanish plus additional languages such as: Arabic, Chinese, Russian, French, and two Native American languages: Navajo, Lakota.

Resources

BBI Initiatives for NDEAM

Screening of "Dolphin Boy," an award-winning disability documentary at Syracuse International Film Festival
October 12, 2011 – 7:00 p.m. ET

Palace Theater, Syracuse, NY
Sponsored by: Burton Blatt Institute (BBI) in collaboration with SU Humanities Center, and LeMoyne College.

Syracuse Stage production "The Boys Next Door " and panel discussion about group homes for people with developmental disabilities
October 30, 2011 – 2:00 p.m. ET

Archbold Theatre at Syracuse Stage,
820 East Genesee Street, Syracuse, NY
Sponsored by: Burton Blatt Institute (BBI), The Dorothy and Marshall M. Reisman Foundation, Syracuse University Humanities Center, POMCO Group, and Arc of Onondaga (celebrating its 60th anniversary)

BBI Project & Partner Activities for NDEAM

Mentoring Day and Career Expo at Nesbit Elementary School in Gwinnett County, Georgia - October 12, 2011

In celebration of Disability Mentoring Day (DMD) held each year on the third Wednesday of October during National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM)...

The Southeast ADA Center announces the pilot project, I Have a Dream: Creating your Life Portfolio, to focus on prevention efforts as it will introduce and expose students with disabilities and their parents, through the arts and music, to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) along with the myriad of education and career options available to them beyond their K-12 educational years.

The pilot project consists of three components:

  1. Career Expo and Mentoring Day (October 2011)
  2. Parent Engagement Week (February 2012)
  3. Exceptional Children's Week (May 2012)

All project activities will be systematically documented and placed into a curriculum format to share across the region and nationally. The curricula will include resource materials with relevant and current information in best-practices, capacity building, resource development, and coalition building.

For more information, dreams4mylife.org and contact: L. Elaine Sutton Mbionwu, NDEAM/DMD Coordinator at (404) 541-9001 [voice/tty] or .

BBI Presentations & Other Events


History of NDEAM

The National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM) effort to educate the American public about issues related to disability and employment actually began in 1945, when Congress enacted a law declaring the first week in October each year “National Employ the Physically Handicapped Week.” In 1962, the word “physically” was removed to acknowledge the employment needs and contributions of individuals with all types of disabilities. In 1988, Congress expanded the week to a month and changed the name to “National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM).”

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