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By Kelly Mack, Public Affairs Specialist at ACL
All month ACL has been
celebrating National Disability Employment Awareness Month
(NDEAM) with a variety of events and by sharing resources. NDEAM
offers us a chance to recognize the many contributions of workers with
disabilities and recommit ourselves to increasing employment opportunities
for all people with disabilities.
Julie Hocker, who joined ACL
this month as Commissioner of the Administration on Disabilities, traveled
to San Diego to meet with job seekers with disabilities as well as leaders
from a number of State Councils on Developmental Disabilities. Commissioner
Hocker also toured the 19th Annual Jobtoberfest hosted by the San Diego
Committee on Employment of People with Disabilities.
“The energy in the room fueled
me in a way few events could,” Commissioner Hocker wrote. “It reminded
me: we must strive every single day to not just remove physical barriers in
the workplace (like hard-to-open doors)—but invisible ones, too.”
Funding from ACL helps Councils
across the country develop collaborative partnerships with vocational
rehabilitation agencies, employment service providers, and the business
community to promote competitive integrated employment for people with
disabilities. These partnerships have created new opportunities for people
with disabilities, including many with significant disabilities, to obtain
and sustain community employment of their choosing.
One field in which the
perspectives of people with disabilities are especially necessary and
valuable is medicine. On October 24, ACL hosted a webinar featuring medical
professionals with disabilities who are working to ensure that more people
with disabilities can join the healthcare field. Presenters included Lisa
I. Iezzoni, MD, MSC, Harvard Medical School; Neera Jain, PhD Candidate,
University of Auckland; Karen McCulloh, RN, Founder, National Organization
of Nurses with Disabilities; and Michael McKee, MD, MPH, University of
Michigan. They discussed the importance of cultural competency and
understanding the experiences of people with disabilities, accessibility
and inclusion in medical education, and challenging the stigma that
surrounds the employment of medical professionals with disabilities. The webinar transcript and slides are available.
Stay tuned for a webinar replay soon.
At HHS, we believe in leading
by example, which is why ACL Administrator Lance Robertson spoke at an
event celebrating NDEAM for HHS staff. The event highlighted the importance
of accessible workspaces and reasonable accommodations, and previewed some
important collaborations with federal partners to knock down barriers to
employment for people with disabilities.
Thanks for helping to celebrate
National Disability Employment Awareness Month!
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