SACRAMENTO – Governor Gavin Newsom today issued a proclamation declaring October 2023 as Disability Employment Awareness Month.
The declaration and a copy of it can be found below.
declaration
declaration
California is proud to commemorate national Disability Employment Awareness Month this October, an opportunity to recognize the important contributions of people with disabilities to the workplace, economy and communities. This year’s theme, “Advancing Access and Equity,” highlights ongoing efforts to remove barriers for people with disabilities and enhance inclusion and inclusion in all aspects of life.
California is home to more than 7 million adults with disabilities, and we understand that people with visible and invisible disabilities play a vital role in a diverse and inclusive workforce. My Administration is committed to recruiting and retaining a workforce that reflects the diversity of Californians. Working with the Legislature, we are taking steps such as enacting new laws to help state agencies identify, hire and promote employees with disabilities; promoting reasonable accommodations for state employees with disabilities; and eliminating subminimum wage pay for workers with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
Our state is also taking steps to expand education and job training opportunities for all Californians, including groundbreaking special education reforms and a total investment of $3.5 billion to increase access and inclusion for students with disabilities. This August, my administration began developing a new Career Education Master Plan to guide our state’s efforts to promote equitable access to career pathways and hands-on learning for Californians of all backgrounds, including ability, age, income, geography, race, ethnicity, sex, gender, immigration status and justice involvement.
These efforts are more important than ever. Employment is a social determinant of health, and working people with disabilities have proven better physical and mental health and economic security. Employees with disabilities greatly enrich the workplace with their talents and unique perspectives, yet unemployment rates for people with disabilities have consistently hovered around 70 percent. California must lead the way by developing and implementing programs to hire people with disabilities and address this persistent inequity to improve employment outcomes for people with disabilities.
As we celebrate National Disability Employment Awareness Month and the many contributions people with disabilities make to the prosperity and vitality of our state, let us reaffirm our commitment to expanding access, equity, and opportunity for all Californians across the board.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, Gavin Newsom, Governor of the State of California, do hereby proclaim the month of October 2023 as Disability Employment Awareness Month.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereby put my hand in this behalf and affixed the Great Seal of the State of California this fifth day of October, in the year two thousand and twenty-three.
Gavin Newsom
Governor of California
Proof:
Dr. Shirley N. Weber
Secretary of State
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