National Disability Employment Awareness Month
D
id you know that the month of October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month? Well, if you didn’t know, now you know.
From the Department of Labor, Office of Disability Employment Policy, “The theme for NDEAM 2021, ‘America’s Recovery: Powered by Inclusion.” This year’s theme is quite resounding and I believe there is a strong reason behind it. We are just coming out of the temporary recession, and right now it is so easy for people with disabilities to be forgotten in the mix. Additionally, the theme reflects the importance of ensuring that PWDs have full and equal access to employment opportunities and that they are equally engaged in community efforts to recover from the Covid-19 Pandemic.
“NDEAM is held each October to commemorate the many and varied contributions of people with disabilities to America’s workplaces and economy. Browse our website for ideas and resources for employers, community organizations, state and local governments, advocacy groups and schools to participate in celebrating NDEAM through events and activities centered around the theme of ‘America’s Recovery: Powered by Inclusion.’ ” So let’s talk about the Pandemic and how it has changed lives for the marginalized communities. Its been 50 years since disability activists in San Francisco took over a federal building just to air their 136 l
grievances. The activists took over the building for 28 days forcing the signing of the Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act. This is a critical piece of legislation as it seeks to establish the rights of the people iith disabilities who for a long time have been discriminated against especially in programs where they are to receive federal funding. By the 90s, disability activists were still in some sort of tag of war with the US Capital demanding civil rights legislation for disabled people. And soon enough, this paid off as the Americans with Disabilities Act passed. It celebrated its 31st anniversary on July 2021. The journey to equality and the fight for freedom for the people living with disabilities hasnt been an easy one, yet even with these laws and the many drafted protection legislations, the lack of access and equity for the people with disabilities, especially those who are multiply marginalized was brought forth by their treatment during the Covid-19 pandemic. We all know that the pandemic has been indiscriminate, but despite this fact, the impacts have been disproportionate. The pandemic killed thousands of people mostly because ofthe vulnerabilities created in the system as a result of continued inequities in the distribution of resources and services especially for the marginalized groups. That being the case, you would expect that by now there have been changes in the system to address these disparities, well, little has been done to make permanent changes to decrease these fatalities and better and more equitably protect the people with THE POWER IS NOW MAGAZINE | OCTOBER 2021
