October is Natl Disability Employment Month

[Guest guest]

Anyone planning a local community recognition of National Disability Employment

Month, here are some resources to get you started from the U.S. Dept. of

Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP).

Last year, in our town, we did a proclamation in City Council and many residents

with developmental disabilities signed up for public comment & spoke (or used a

device to communicate) in public forum about the benefits to them of working.

Another year, some of us spoke at our local School Board meetings about the

importance of hiring our own students into regular part-time paid positions.

Others chose this month to make presentations to their Chamber of Commerce,

local civic groups, business organizations, churches, etc.

The posters are free (our tax dollars hard at work!) and I encourage you all to

consider starting this dialogue with your local communities if it’s not

already happening. Good things can come from this!

Take care,

Laurie

Business Sense

Profit by Investing in Workers with Disabilities

October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM), and

businesses of all sizes and in all industries are encouraged to participate.

Held annually, NDEAM raises awareness about disability employment issues and

celebrates the many and varied contributions of America's workers with

disabilities.

NDEAM's true spirit lies in the many creative observances held at the grassroots

level every year, and the U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Disability

Employment Policy (ODEP) offers a variety of resources to assist employers and

organizations in planning activities based on this year's theme, “Profit by

Investing in Workers with Disabilities.â€

Ideas range from simple, such as putting up a poster, to comprehensive, such as

implementing a workplace disability education program. Regardless, all play an

important part in fostering a more inclusive America, one where every person is

rightly recognized for his or her abilities — every day of every month.

2011 posters are now available! They can be ordered, free of charge, in hard

copy in English/Spanish or downloaded in your choice of seven languages.

Here’s the link:

http://www.dol.gov/odep/pubs/ndeam2011poster.htm