Promoting a Disability-Inclusive Workforce

A person in a wheelchair surrounded by a circle of disability icons such as noise cancelation headphones, low vision, the brain, hard of hearing, a fidget spinner, ASL hands and more.

It is estimated that one in four U.S. adults has a disability, and it is important to recognize that not all disabilities are apparent or long-term. Many individuals you engage with daily—including coworkers, students, friends, or family members—may experience a short or long-term disability at some point in their lives.

National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM)

Every October, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) promotes and encourages businesses and organizations nationwide to participate in National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM). October also aligns with the University of Michigan’s Disability Community Month creating a month-long opportunity for all members of our university community to participate in disability education and awareness activities.

NDEAM Series Workshops

In celebration of NDEAM, the Disability Equity Office will host the 2nd Annual NDEAM kickoff event and resource fair followed by a series of workshops and community engagement activities throughout October. The series will begin on Thursday, October 3, with a meet-and-greet and resource fair in Weiser Hall from 10 A.M. to 3 P.M. This will be followed by a keynote address from Deaf transdisciplinary artist and Crip*: Cripistemology and the Arts program co-founder Liza Sylvestre, a Research Assistant Professor at the College of Fine and Applied Arts at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

Throughout October, the Disability Equity Office will host a wide range of educational workshops and events on a variety of topics including disability employment processes, best practices, and creating a disability inclusive workplace environment. There will be numerous interactive opportunities for community members to share their experiences and concerns directly with members of the office including the ADA Coordinator. Additionally, a highly interactive workshop will help participants understand how disabled and non-disabled employees manage their energy and address the many competing interests we all face in daily life, including in the workplace. 

Workshop topics include: 

  • Strategies for ensuring effective communication between colleagues with varying disability types and the importance of multiple modalities of communication and collaboration. 
  • Information about the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the history of the disability rights movement.  
  • Communication techniques and best practices for employees and supervisors to ensure a productive and positive interactive process to identify reasonable accommodations.  
  • Common (and not so common) types of reasonable workplace accommodations that can support individuals who experience different barriers in the workplace.
  • The evolution of American Sign Language (ASL), its unique linguistic characteristics, the variations within the language, and the nuances of Deaf culture.
  • Identifying and addressing common digital accessibility challenges in Word documents and Google Documents.

Every member of our community plays a crucial role in creating a more accessible and disability inclusive workplace—one that values the unique abilities of all individuals every day. We encourage you to register for an NDEAM workshop to discover how you can actively contribute to advancing disability inclusion at U-M.

NDEAM 2024 Schedule

Published on Sunday September 8, 2024