National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM) and Employer Challenge
Commit to Hiring and Retaining People with Disabilities
This October, the 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 equitable, diverse, inclusive, and accessible (EDIA) workplace. We are kicking off the challenge in October in recognition of NDEAM and plan to continue the challenge throughout the year.
DVR is committed to partnering with you to achieve your EDIA goals as well as 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. Contact our Business Relations Team now to get started!
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.
Employer Challenge and Commitment
We commit to hiring and retaining people with disabilities through implementing practices related to equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility (EDIA) by:
- Recognizing that people with disabilities are essential to achieving financial and culture success within my business
Intentionally reviewing our policies, practices, and workplace culture to identify opportunities for positive change and promoting a culture that values the contributions of all perspectives
Striving to implement the best practices of accessibility within all aspects of our work and workplace
Working to eliminate attitudinal barriers and bias that may be present within our recruitment and retention practices by promoting skills-based strategies within our business practices when appropriate
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. This year's theme is "Advancing Access and Equity."
The American Community Survey data from 2021 indicates that 50.8% of Coloradans with a disability aged 21-64 are working, while 81.6% of those without a disability are actively working. We want to greatly improve this percentage for those with disabilities, providing services, access and education to employers and the community to change the stigmas that still exist about people with disabilities.
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)
Resources and Events
Check out these videos:
- "Hidden Disabilities in the Workplace: How to be fully inclusive." CDLE Executive Director, Joe Barela, interviews DVR's Sandy Sharp, Business Outreach Specialist.
- "What Disability Inclusion Means to Me" CDLE members of the OneCDLE Affinity Group, Disability Affinity Team, share their perspectives of an inclusive workplace.
- Alia Andrews, with the Office of Behavioral Health, shares her career path and recovery.