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Every October, National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM) celebrates the value and talent of workers with disabilities. NDEAM also reaffirms a year-round commitment to ensuring workers with disabilities have access to meaningful jobs and the supports and services they need to stay employed and advance their careers.
This year, we invite you to join TCDD as we engage with disability advocates in Texas and across the country on the official 2024 NDEAM theme: Access to Good Jobs for All. To help, we’ve compiled a selection of upcoming events, activity ideas, and resources.
Get Involved
Here is a non-comprehensive list of upcoming events and activity ideas to raise disability employment awareness throughout the month and beyond.
The Lex Frieden Employment Awards and the HireAbility Employment Forum take place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. CT on Wednesday, Oct. 30, at Dallas College at the Cedar Valley Campus in Lancaster. Bob Phillips, well-known for his Texas Country Reporter program, will emcee the event, which is co-hosted by the Texas Governor’s Committee on People with Disabilities and the Texas Workforce Commission. Tickets cost $45 and include lunch. You can find more information and register online.
The annual Lex Frieden awards, named for disability rights champion Lex Frieden, honors Texas employers that lead the way in disability employment and recognizes local organizations and people for their service to Texans with disabilities.
The HireAbility forum offers training on best practices for employing people with disabilities. Forum participants can earn continuing education units. The forum is part of the Texas HireAbility Campaign, which raises awareness about the benefits of hiring people with disabilities and their contributions in the workforce.
The U.S. Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) has activity ideas and suggestions for employers and employees to participate in NDEAM and promote disability employment all year-round. Here are a few examples:
- Review your workplace policies to ensure they reflect a commitment to inclusion and accessibility for workers with disabilities.
- Help your employees and supervisors understand the importance and process for providing reasonable accommodations for workers with disabilities.
- Host NDEAM discussion groups or other informal seminars or panel presentations for local employers on the topic of disability employment and the benefits of an inclusive and integrated workplace.
- Feature NDEAM in your social media, websites, and newsletters.
Visit the ODEP’s official NDEAM 2024 webpage to find more ideas and resources to help you organize activities.
Share Resources
Here are a few resources you can use to start advocating and raising awareness for meaningful, inclusive employment for people with disabilities
The Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service, in partnership with TCDD, offers a course for facilitators working with learners with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The course equips facilitators with knowledge, skills, and resources to prepare young people with disabilities to find meaningful employment as they transition into adulthood. The training provides facilitators with PowerPoints, scripts, handouts, activities, and resources on:
- resilience and managing anxiety;
- team skills;
- resume writing;
- workplace professionalism; and
- interview skills.
The course is eligible for three hours of continuing professional education credits from the Texas Education Agency for Texas teachers of students from early childhood through 12th grade.
You can register for the course online. Registration costs $10. If you are an educator or work directly with students transitioning into adulthood, you can sign up for a scholarship for the training course.
You can also check out these recorded training sessions that cover practical job-seeking strategies for people with disabilities, including resume writing, interview preparation, and workplace skills:
These webinars cover tools and strategies for people with disabilities seeking meaningful employment as well as family members, friends, employers, and support professionals who help people with disabilities in their job searches.
The U.S. Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) has compiled information and resources for supporting workers experiencing ongoing health problems after contracting COVID-19. This range of health problems is also referred to as “post-COVID conditions” or “Long COVID.” On the ODEP website, workers with post-COVID conditions and employers can find information on job accommodations, returning to work after illness, employee rights and benefits, and more.
These videos answer questions and provide information about work incentives in Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI). The videos also cover advocacy, employment networks, and benefits counseling to assist people with disabilities seeking jobs.
- SSDI and SSDI Work Incentives: This webinar was developed in English and translated into Spanish.
- SSI and SSI Work Incentives: This webinar was developed in English and translated into Spanish.
- Answering the Big Question – If I Go to Work, Will I Lose My Medicaid or Medicare: This short video was developed in English and translated into Spanish.
- Debunking the Three Biggest Myths About SSI and Work: This short video was developed in English and translated into Spanish.
Texas HireAbility raises awareness about the benefits of hiring people with disabilities and highlights their contributions in our workforce. The initiative is a partnership between the Texas Workforce Commission, Texas Workforce Solutions, and the Texas Governor’s Committee on People with Disabilities.
On the Texas HireAbility webpage, you can find employer resources for interviewing and hiring people with disabilities; learn about services to help employers with recruiting, hiring, retaining, and accommodating employees with disabilities; and more.
Workplace bullying happens when someone is mean toward a coworker on an ongoing basis. Some people with disabilities are bullied at work and aren’t sure what to do. Others are bullied and don’t know it’s happening. If you or someone you know is being bullied, there are laws and resources to protect you. TCDD has information on how to know when bulling happens and what people can do to protect themselves and get legal help. Visit our Workplace Bullying page to learn more.
Stay Connected
Throughout October, you can connect and share ideas on social media with disability advocates from around the country by using the hashtag #NDEAM. You can also receive TCDD updates on inclusive employment and other important disability issues by subscribing to our newsletter and following us on Facebook, X, and Instagram.
