Every October, National Disability Employment Awareness Month gives us an opportunity to recognize the skills, experience, creativity, leadership, and talent that people with disabilities bring to workplaces across America.
The 2026 theme for National Disability Employment Awareness Month, or NDEAM, is “Celebrating Value and Talent.” Led by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy, this year’s observance recognizes the contributions people with disabilities make to our workplaces, communities, and economy. Learn more about the 2026 observance from the U.S. Department of Labor.
At The Whole Person, we believe celebrating talent is important, but recognition is only part of the story. True inclusion means creating workplaces where people with disabilities can contribute their talents, pursue meaningful careers, grow professionally, and be recognized for what they can do.
NDEAM Is About Recognizing Talent—and Creating Opportunity
Conversations about disability and employment can sometimes begin with limitations. What can’t someone do? What accommodations might they need? Will employing someone with a disability be difficult?
NDEAM encourages us to ask different questions. What skills does this person bring? What are they interested in doing? What experience do they have? What could they contribute if unnecessary barriers were removed?
There is still a significant employment gap. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 22.8% of people with disabilities age 16 and older were employed in 2025, compared with 65.2% of people without disabilities. Those numbers do not tell us what any individual can or cannot do. They do remind us why access to employment remains an important conversation.
The goal is not to hire someone simply because they have a disability. It is to make sure disability is not the reason a talented person never gets the chance to show what they can do.
A Long History With a Continuing Purpose
NDEAM has roots stretching back more than 80 years. What began in 1945 as a week recognizing workers with physical disabilities eventually became the monthlong National Disability Employment Awareness Month we recognize today. While the observance has evolved, its purpose continues to center on recognizing the contributions of workers with disabilities and expanding opportunities to participate in the workforce.
The history matters, but NDEAM is also about what happens next: whether people with disabilities have meaningful opportunities not only to find work, but to build careers and succeed once they are there.
What Inclusive Employment Looks Like
Getting hired matters, but an inclusive workplace is not created simply because a person with a disability receives a job offer. Employees also need opportunities to learn, take on responsibility, develop new skills, build relationships, pursue promotions, and contribute in ways that reflect their abilities and goals.
For some employees, that may include a reasonable workplace accommodation. Accessibility can involve technology, communication, scheduling, equipment, physical spaces, or changes in how a particular task is performed. The Job Accommodation Network provides information about accommodations for a wide range of disabilities and workplace situations.
For employers, creating a more inclusive workplace can start with some straightforward questions:
- Is our application process accessible?
- Are our job descriptions focused on what is truly necessary to perform the job?
- Can applicants easily request accommodations during an interview?
- Do employees know how to request accommodations once they are hired?
- Do employees with disabilities have the same opportunities to learn, advance, and grow?
Inclusive employment is not about lowering expectations. It is about removing unnecessary barriers so qualified people have the opportunity to meet them.
Employment Is About More Than a Paycheck
Income is an important reason people work, but employment can provide much more. A job can create connection, confidence, purpose, new relationships, and opportunities to develop skills and participate more fully in the community.
For people with disabilities, employment can also be closely connected to Independent Living. Independence does not mean doing everything without assistance. It means having choices, pursuing personal goals, directing your own life, and participating in your community in ways that matter to you. Meaningful employment can be an important part of creating those choices.
We explored this idea more deeply in Employment Is About More Than a Paycheck, including the role work can play in independence, confidence, community participation, and opportunity.
How The Whole Person Supports Employment
For someone with a disability who wants to enter or return to the workforce, figuring out where to begin can be difficult. Through Employment Services at The Whole Person, individuals can receive support as they explore employment opportunities that fit their abilities, interests, and goals. Depending on the individual, that may include help with the job search, applications, interview preparation, job placement, workplace accommodations, and support after employment begins.
The Whole Person also works with employers seeking to create more inclusive workplaces and connect with qualified candidates with disabilities. That relationship matters because inclusive employment is not something job seekers can create on their own. Employers, coworkers, disability organizations, educators, policymakers, and communities all play a role in removing barriers and creating opportunities for people to succeed.
Celebrating Value and Talent All Year
“Celebrating Value and Talent” is a fitting theme because people with disabilities are already contributing their skills and abilities in workplaces and communities every day. NDEAM gives us a reason to recognize those contributions while also asking whether more people are being given the opportunity to do the same.
At The Whole Person, that idea connects directly to the philosophy of Independent Living. People should have opportunities to make choices about their lives, pursue meaningful goals, participate in their communities, and use their talents in ways that matter to them. Employment can be an important part of making those choices possible.
October gives us an opportunity to celebrate the contributions of workers with disabilities. Throughout the rest of the year, employers and communities can put that recognition into practice by creating workplaces where people have the chance to contribute, grow, lead, and succeed.
To learn more about employment assistance for people with disabilities or resources available to employers, visit Employment Services at The Whole Person.
The Whole Person
3710 Main Street
Kansas City, MO 64111
Phone: (816) 561-0304
