National Disability Employment Awareness Month
About NDEAM
The American Bar Association (ABA) is actively participating in National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM), an annual awareness campaign that takes place each October and celebrates the contributions of workers with disabilities and educates them about the value of a diverse workforce inclusive of their skills and talents. In recognition of the contributions lawyers and judges with disabilities make to the legal profession and to encourage law firms, judiciaries, and other legal employers to make disability diversity and inclusion a priority, the ABA’s Board of Governors recognized October as National Disability Employment Awareness Month. This year’s NDEAM theme is "Inclusion Drives Innovation.”
Throughout the month, lawyers with disabilities and disability rights advocates will share their thoughts on this year’s theme. The ABA's Commission on Disability Rights (CDR) invites legal employers to promote this year’s theme by joining our 200 signatories—corporations, law firms, law schools, municipalities, judiciaries, and nonprofit organizations that have pledged to increase disability diversity throughout the legal profession—and signing our Pledge for Change: Disability Diversity in the Workplace. Signatories are encouraged to share their stories about how signing the Pledge has increased disability awareness and inclusion in their law firm, which CDR will feature on our website.
Resolution on NDEAM
WHEREAS, the American Bar Association has as one of its four Goals to promote full and equal participation in the Association, our profession, and the justice system by all persons and eliminate bias in the legal profession and the justice system.
WHEREAS, each October, National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM) is a national campaign led by the U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL) Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) that raises awareness about disability employment issues and celebrates the many and varied contributions of America's workers with disabilities.
NOW, THEREFORE, IT IS, RESOLVED, that in recognition of the contributions lawyers and judges with disabilities make to the legal profession and to encourage law firms, judiciaries, and other legal employers to make disability diversity and inclusion a priority, the Board of Governors of the American Bar Association proclaims October the National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM).
NDEAM 2019 Event
Inclusive Technology: Enabling Accessibility at Work and in Our Digital Lives
Technology is an essential tool in making the workplace and the world accessible for people with many types of disabilities - yet many of us are only aware of these issues in passing. This practical training from two experts explains how accessible technology works, why it is so essential, and how to ensure that nobody is left out when you assemble your programs, websites, workspaces, and content. Click here to see the training.
NDEAM 2019 Infographic
To commemorate October as National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM), the Commission on Disability Rights (CDR) has created this infographic to highlight the disparity between the employment of people with disabilities and those without.
Click here to view the Infographic (Accessible PDF format)
(Statistics via US Department of Labor)
Click here to read President Judy Perry Martinez's statement for NDEAM 2019
