Whittemore Library: October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month: Home

A Brief Introduction and History of National Disabilities Employment Awareness Month

Held each October, National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM) is a national campaign that raises awareness about disability employment issues and celebrates the many and varied contributions of America's workers with disabilities.

NDEAM's roots go back to 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." Upon its establishment in 2001, the Office of Disability Employment Policy assumed responsibility for NDEAM and has worked to expand its reach and scope ever since.

- found at the Office of Disability Employment Policy's NDEAM webpage.

Official NDEAM Poster

Visit the National Disability Employment Awareness Month website to view archived posters from previous years.

The ADA Explained

An Introduction to the Americans with Disabilities Act

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is a federal civil rights law that prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities in everyday activities. The ADA prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability just as other civil rights laws prohibit discrimination on the basis of race, color, sex, national origin, age, and religion. The ADA guarantees that people with disabilities have the same opportunities as everyone else to enjoy employment opportunities, purchase goods and services, and participate in state and local government programs.

- found at ADA.gov

Words Matter

Disable the Label: Communicating with and about People with Disabilities

Words have power! The words we use to describe people can either be uplifting and encouraging or degrading and dehumanizing. Words shape the attitudes and beliefs of society and influence our world. Brault (2008) reported that more than fifty million people in the United States have a disability. That translates to one out of every five people having a disability. People with disabilities constitute the largest minority group in the United States. It is the only minority group comprised of all genders, races, age groups, socioeconomic levels, and religions. This minority group is not exclusive; anyone can join this group at any time.

Historically, individuals with disabilities have been portrayed as weak individuals who are to be feared, ignored, pitied, assisted, or institutionalized. Society has had two distinct responses to individuals with disabilities: to protect and contain or to be charitable (Smart, 2009). These responses to individuals with disabilities have determined the language used to describe this group of people.

Similarly, the words used to describe individuals with disabilities have not been accurate or representative of the person. Previously, words such as retard, disabled, handicapped, schizophrenic, and crazy were acceptable terms used to depict individuals with disabilities. These old, inaccurate, and inappropriate descriptions perpetuate the negative stereotypes and attitudinal barriers toward individuals with disabilities. When described by medical diagnoses, we devalue and disrespect people as individuals. These outdated terms have led to beliefs that have been reinforced by legislative policy, society's language and treatment, and environmental and attitudinal barriers. In recent years, there has been a push to create legislative policy to protect the rights of and to provide more access for individuals with disabilities. While this has been a great move in the right direction, progress to address attitudinal barriers has been slow.

- found in Encyclopedia of Diversity and Social Justice

Books Available from the Minuteman Library Network

Disability Rights Movement by Amy Hayes
ISBN: 9781499428506
Publication Date: 2016
People with disabilities have faced and still face great struggle and inequality. This volume explores the ways in which people with disabilities have fought for their right to equal access, equal opportunities, and equal treatment. Key figures and events are highlighted to give readers a well-rounded sense of the movement. Photographs and primary sources bring the equality movement into sharp focus. Readers are challenged to think about what could be changed now and in the future to help people with disabilities live a fair life, in a world that is just as much theirs as it is anyone else's.
Understanding Disability by Paul T. Jaeger; Cynthia Ann Bowman
ISBN: 0275982262
Publication Date: 2005
Disability is rarely considered a social issue. Scholars tend to discuss it in the abstract; medical personnel view it as a health issue; and legal concerns for the disabled focus on how to advocate or protect organizations against demands for accommodation. As a result, disabled individuals are seen as bits and pieces of everyone's constituency but their own. The writers of this work, both having long personal experiences with disabilities, offer a holistic understanding of the lives of disabled individuals from representations in the media to issues of civil rights. Written to educate and inform readers about the social roles of disability, this accessible and informative work addresses: social classifications of disability; social reactions to disability; legal rights and classifications of persons with disabilities; issues of accessibility to information and communication technologies; representations of disability in a range of media, including literature, painting, film, televsion and advertising; and major issues shaping the comtemporary social roles of persons with disabilities. By examining the social roles of disability in the past and present from a range of perspectives and disciplines, this book reveals a portrait of the social place, limitations, and rights of persons with disabilities.
A Disability History of the United States by Kim E. Nielsen
ISBN: 9780807022023
Publication Date: 2012
The first book to cover the entirety of disability history, from pre-1492 to the present Disability is not just the story of someone we love or the story of whom we may become; rather it is undoubtedly the story of our nation. Covering the entirety of US history from pre-1492 to the present, A Disability History of the United States is the first book to place the experiences of people with disabilities at the center of the American narrative. In many ways, it's a familiar telling. In other ways, however, it is a radical repositioning of US history. By doing so, the book casts new light on familiar stories, such as slavery and immigration, while breaking ground about the ties between nativism and oralism in the late nineteenth century and the role of ableism in the development of democracy. A Disability History of the United States pulls from primary-source documents and social histories to retell American history through the eyes, words, and impressions of the people who lived it. As historian and disability scholar Nielsen argues, to understand disability history isn't to narrowly focus on a series of individual triumphs but rather to examine mass movements and pivotal daily events through the lens of varied experiences. Throughout the book, Nielsen deftly illustrates how concepts of disability have deeply shaped the American experience-from deciding who was allowed to immigrate to establishing labor laws and justifying slavery and gender discrimination. Included are absorbing-at times horrific-narratives of blinded slaves being thrown overboard and women being involuntarily sterilized, as well as triumphant accounts of disabled miners organizing strikes and disability rights activists picketing Washington. Engrossing and profound, A Disability History of the United States fundamentally reinterprets how we view our nation's past- from a stifling master narrative to a shared history that encompasses us all.
The ABC-CLIO Companion to the Disability Rights Movement by Fred Pelka
ISBN: 0874368340
Publication Date: 1997
Since the nineteenth century, Americans with disabilities have fought for a range of personal and civil rights. The ABC-CLIO Companion to the Disability Rights Movement chronicles this struggle during the last 150 years. It presents biographies of pivotal individuals and groups in the movement, including Justin Dart, Judy Heumann, Ed Roberts, Frank Bowe, and such organizations as the American Coalition of Citizens with Disabilities and Americans for Disabled Attendant Programs Today. Other entries, many of them illustrated, cover legislation, programs, litigation, historic events, and concepts.
What We Have Done by Fred Pelka
ISBN: 9781558499188
Publication Date: 2012
Compelling first-person accounts of the struggle to secure equal rights for Americans with disabilities.
Job Search Handbook for People with Disabilities by Daniel J. Ryan
ISBN: 9781593578138
Publication Date: 2011
This complete career planning and job search guide for people with physical and mental disabilities has been completely updated to reflect the newest job search technologies and techniques. It will help readers identify their strengths; explore career options; find job openings; explore the hidden job market; write resumes, cover letters, and follow-up letters; and perform well in interviews. The author shows readers how to tell potential employers about their disabilities and ask them for reasonable accommodations, and helps readers understand and navigate employment law as it applies to them.
No Pity by Joseph P. Shapiro
ISBN: 0812924126
Publication Date: 1994
"A sensitive look at the social and political barriers that deny disabled people their most basic civil rights."-The Washington Post "The primer for a revolution."-The Chicago Tribune "Nondisabled Americans do not understand disabled ones. This book attempts to explain, to nondisabled people as well as to many disabled ones, how the world and self-perceptions of disabled people are changing. It looks at the rise of what is called the disability rights movement-the new thinking by disabled people that there is no pity or tragedy in disability and that it is society's myths, fears, and stereotypes that most make being disabled difficult."-from the Introduction

More Resources

Framingham State University's Center for Inclusive Excellence
In support of Framingham State University’s commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and antiracism, the Center for Inclusive Excellence (CIE) fosters a campus community where all individuals feel seen, heard, and valued. The CIE operates from an intersectional approach to diversity and social justice that fosters meaningful student engagement, academic success, and personal growth.
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
From answers to common questions to official legal documents, ADA.gov has everything you need to understand your rights and responsibilities under the ADA.
ma.gov - Helping Workers With Disabilities Find Employment
Through the One-Stop Career Centers, job seekers can access information about federal, state and local programs that assist individuals with disabilities in gaining employment.
The National Disabilities Employment Awareness Month homepage
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.”
The Campaign for Disability Employment
Every day, people with disabilities can and do make important contributions to America’s businesses. They have the drive to succeed in employment, and the skills and talent they need to deliver value and results for their employers. These are messages that bear repeating far and wide. And that’s what the Campaign for Disability Employment (CDE) is all about.
The Office of Disability Employment Policy
The Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) is the only non-regulatory federal agency that promotes policies and coordinates with employers and all levels of government to increase workplace success for people with disabilities.
The National Organization on Disability
The National Organization on Disability (NOD) increases employment opportunities for Americans with disabilities. Our programs and services enable companies to realize the competitive advantages of hiring people with disabilities.
TED Talks: Ideas about Disability
A collection of TED Talks on topics relating to disabilities.

Henry Whittemore Library

October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month

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