HISTORY OF NATIONAL DISABILITY EMPLOYMENT AWARENESS MONTH

National Disability Employment Awareness Month was created to educate the general public on the issues that workers with disabilities face and how employers can be more inclusive in their hiring practices.

This celebration’s history started decades ago in 1945 when Congress enacted Public Law 176, which birthed what we know today as the National Disability Employment Awareness Month (N.D.E.A.M). It was only for a week then and called National Employ the Physically Handicapped Week. In 1962, the word ‘physically’ was removed to make the celebration inclusive of individuals with disabilities that were not physical. 26-years later, the celebrations were extended to a whole month by Congress and renamed National Disability Employment Awareness Month in 1988.