National Disability Employment Awareness Month: Fact Sheet (CRS Report for Congress)
| Release Date |
Revised Oct. 25, 2024 |
| Report Number |
R47272 |
| Report Type |
Report |
| Authors |
Gary Sidor |
| Source Agency |
Congressional Research Service |
| Older Revisions |
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Summary:
National Disability Employment Awareness Month is observed annually in October. It celebrates
the contributions of people with disabilities to America’s workplaces and the economy, and
“reaffirms the commitment to ensure equal opportunity for all citizens.” Each year, the month is
celebrated with a theme chosen by the U.S. Department of Labor. For 2024, the theme was
“Access to Good Jobs for All,” which was designed to reinforce the commitment to expand the
number of employment opportunities for people with disabilities and the quality of those
opportunities.
As a precursor to National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM), in 1945,
Congress established “the first week in October of each year as National Employ the Physically
Handicapped Week” (Public Law 176, 79th Congress). In 1962, to bring more attention to those
with all types of disabilities, Congress dropped the word “Physically” through the adoption of
P.L. 91-442, resulting in the condensed National Employ the Handicapped Week. In 1988, P.L.
100-630 expanded the commemoration to a month and altered its name to the current National
Disability Employment Awareness Month. National Disability Employment Awareness Month is
codified at 36 U.S.C. §121.
CRS has prepared reports that explain or address working with a disability. Some of these include
the following:
• CRS In Focus IF10506, Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI), by William
R. Morton and Emma K. Tatem
• CRS Report R43255, The Mental Health Workforce: A Primer, by Elayne J.
Heisler
• CRS Report R43468, Special Minimum Wages for Workers with Disabilities:
Frequently Asked Questions, by Benjamin Collins
• CRS In Focus IF12366, Reasonable Accommodations for Employees with
Disabilities, by Abigail A. Graber
CRS also has a report on the process of observing commemorative days, weeks, and months:
• CRS Report R44431, Commemorative Days, Weeks, and Months: Background
and Current Practice, 113th to 115th Congress, by Jacob R. Straus
