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NDEAM/Employer Challenge

National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM) and Employer Challenge

Commit to Hiring and Retaining People with Disabilities

Colorado Department of Labor and Employment (CDLE) and DVR challenge employers to commit to hiring and retaining individuals with disabilities by recognizing that this untapped talent pool is key to achieving an equal and open workplace. 

DVR is committed to partnering with you to achieve these goals and meet the individualized needs of your business. 

We offer a variety of resources for disability in the workplace, trainings, and services to support your business, including customizable workshops available at no cost.  Contact our Business Relations Team now to get started!

The 2025 Employer Challenge is now live!  

In 2025, a changing workforce landscape is inevitably towering over employment decisions, and understanding the best strategies for meeting this challenge can be overwhelming. Implementing changes for equal and open opportunities for People with Disabilities (PWDs) in your recruitment efforts and hiring practices can feel daunting, much like climbing a mountain. But with education, preparation, tools, and the right guides, you can learn the ways to commit to the climb with the help of DVR’s Business Relations Unit (BRU). 

This virtual 3-part workshop series will help your company:

  • Build knowledge and understanding of the current challenges when implementing initiatives around the hiring of People with Disabilities;
  • Gain a better understanding of the ADA and create positive interactions around Reasonable Accommodations in the workplace;
  • Discover best practices for creating successful hiring strategies for PWDs through the use of Skills-based hiring practices, Universal Design, and other trends.

Interested in joining this cohort of committed Employers across the State, who are focused on empowering their workplaces through equal opportunities?  Register now and let's get to work!

we're committed to hiring and retaining people with disabilities

Why Make a Commitment?

Individuals with disabilities are an untapped labor pool, with only 34.4% of adults currently employed compared to an estimated 75% of adults without disabilities currently employed (nTIDE, July 2022).

Businesses who actively pursue hiring and retaining people with disabilities financially outperform businesses that do not, with an average of 28% higher revenue and 30% higher profit margins (Disability:IN, 2018).

When people with disabilities are part of your workplace, they help to drive innovation, culture change, and positively contribute to the economic, social and governance (ESGs) impacts businesses, yielding positive returns for both the business and its' customers.

October is NDEAM

Held annually in October, National Disability Employment Awareness Month is led by the U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Disability Employment Policy and it's true spirit lies in the many observances held at the grassroots level across the nation every year. Employers of all sizes and in all industries are encouraged to participate in NDEAM. The theme for 2024 is "Access to Good Jobs for All."

The most recent data available (2022) from the American Community Survey (ACS) estimates 35.1% of people age 16 and over with disabilities in Colorado are employed whereas 71.8% of Coloradans without a disability were employed, a gap of 36.7 percentage points. This is down from a gap of 41 percentage points in 2017.  We are making progress!

 

Why this is important to us at DVR:

  • We believe in the importance of employment and that it is a social determinant of health.
  • We believe in the employability of all people with disabilities, and
  • We believe that disability is an integral component of Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Accessibility (EDIA)

Governor's Proclamation

DVR NDEAM Media Kit

Resources and Events

Check out these videos: