Ideas for Governors, Legislators, and other policymakers
Policymakers play a key role in promoting the spirit of National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM).
The ideas below are just a few of the ways governors, state legislators, and other policymakers can get involved throughout October and throughout the year.
Take Your Legislator to Work Day (TYLTWD)
Tour our disability workplace and experience the power of local inclusion. TYLTWD is an extension of NDEAM, emphasizing the importance of employment-first policies and laws. Georgia was one of the first states to join and has a great model to follow.
Legislative Disability Awareness Day
A Legislative Disability Awareness Day is set aside each year to consider bills that will help improve the employment situation for people with disabilities. For example, the New York State Assembly has used the day to highlight the rights of people with disabilities and passed a series of bills aimed at improving the rights of people with disabilities.
Make an NDEAM declaration or statement
Issue a declaration or statement recognizing NDEAM and reaffirming your state’s commitment to creating an inclusive workplace culture for job seekers and employees with disabilities. ODEP provides sample language for NDEAM declarations.
“States are Exemplary Employers” Executive Order Signed
The Governor may sign an executive order to establish a task force to review state policy and study workforce development for people with disabilities. For examples of proposed policies, see the Employer Assistance and Resource Network’s (EARN) model framework for disability employment, “Joint Resolution or Executive Order for States as Model Employers of People with Disabilities.”
Creating a Display
NDEAM is a great opportunity to refresh the bulletin boards in break areas and other areas frequented by your staff with positive messages about your office’s disability employment efforts. Start by displaying this year’s NDEAM poster (English | Spanish). Additional display materials include the “What can you do?” poster series.
Staff training
It is important for offices that are committed to disability inclusion to effectively and regularly communicate and demonstrate that commitment to their staff. NDEAM provides opportunities to do this through informal educational events such as disability trainings and bagged lunch discussions. Ready-to-use resources such as disability etiquette materials and “I Can” public service announcements and accompanying workplace discussion guides can help facilitate these efforts. Another option is to contact local disability organizations to see if they have workplace training programs.
Introduce NDEAM in your social media activities
Similarly, NDEAM provides interesting hooks for social media platforms such as Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, etc. For Twitter, organizations are encouraged to include the hashtag #NDEAM, and sample key messages are provided to help incorporate NDEAM into social media and other activities.
Issue an NDEAM press release
Policymakers can also announce their involvement in NDEAM by issuing a press release to local media and distributing it through email lists. We provide “fill in the blank” templates that policymakers can easily customize and pitch to local media.
Post a NDEAM web link
An NDEAM link on your website helps keep your website dynamic and up to date while informing stakeholders and other visitors of information of interest. To create a link, use a thumbnail image of the NDEAM poster (English | Spanish) or a simple text headline to link to the article on your website.
Development of a webpage for employment of people with disabilities
NDEAM is a great opportunity to launch a web page dedicated to disability employment. This page will feature tools and resources to help visitors understand relevant issues and take steps to foster a disability-inclusive workplace. Two examples of resources to include are the Job Accommodation Network (JAN) and EARN. For additional ideas on what to include on such a page, check out the ODEP website.
Launch or sponsor a state apprenticeship, internship, or fellowship program
Governors and state and local legislators can sign executive orders or pass laws or resolutions establishing apprenticeship, internship, or fellowship programs for students with disabilities within state or local agencies. State and local officials can also hire interns with disabilities onto their staffs.
Participate in a Disability Mentoring Day
Disability Mentoring Day promotes the career development of young people with disabilities through hands-on programs, job shadowing and ongoing mentoring. The national commemoration is the third Wednesday of October each year, but policymakers can hold the event on any day of the month (or year).
Reach out to local media
NDEAM provides an opportunity for organizations to increase awareness through local television, radio and print media. Ideas include writing an op-ed or letter to the editor about the value and talents that people with disabilities can offer in the workplace and in the community, or encouraging local television and radio news to air a feature on one or more local employers celebrating Disability Month.