The Educational Kit will not be published this year in the booklet format that it has been in past years. The material that was to be in the Educational Kit may be published or placed on our website in some format at a later date. Please visit our web site at www.dol.gov/odep for information and resources that can be used to heighten awareness of issues related to employment of persons with disabilities. All materials on the site can be downloaded and duplicated for your use.  To order a copy of the President's Proclamation, call the White House Proclamation and Messages office at 202-456-5917.

 The Theme for NDEAM 2002 is New Freedom for the 21st Century. 

THEME BACKGROUND
During the last 30 years laws were passed to break through many of the barriers that have kept people with disabilities out of the mainstream. The challenge for the 21st century is to build on what has been accomplished and create opportunities for persons with disabilities to be fully integrated into the workplace.

Too many Americans with disabilities remain trapped in bureaucracies of dependence, denied the tools they need to fully access their communities and the workplace. The unemployment rate for Americans with disabilities is much greater than that of the general workforce. President Bush is committed to tearing down the remaining barriers to equality that face Americans with disabilities. The programs carried out under his New Freedom Initiative will increase access to assistive technologies, expand educational opportunities and increase the ability of Americans with disabilities to integrate into the workforce.

As never before, American employers are seeking a skilled, dedicated workforce to cement the employers’ leadership role in the ever expanding and changing global economy. The New Freedom Initiative will assist the business community in harnessing the skills and talents of Americans with disabilities for their workforce.

Working together, government, employers, labor unions, service providers, educators and persons with disabilities will create New Freedom for the 21st century and see the final wall inhibiting full integration of persons with disabilities come tumbling down.
 

SAMPLE ACTIVITIES
Listed below are examples of activities designed to promote the employment of individuals with disabilities that were carried out in 2001.

* Independence First, a non-profit independent living center in Milwaukee, WI, launched a two-year traveling exhibition entitled "Working: Ten Years and Counting," a photographic and oral history project featuring persons with disabilities in the workforce. The exhibit was funded in part by the Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design (MIAD), the Wisconsin Division of Vocational Rehabilitation, the Wisconsin Humanities Council with funds from the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the Marshall & Ilsley Corporation. A calendar featuring photos and personal histories was produced and distributed in association with the exhibit.

* The American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD), with support from the Office of Disability Employment Policy and the Presidential Task Force on Employment of Adults with Disabilities, served as the National Host of Disability Mentoring Day: Career Development for the 21st Century. Disability Mentoring Day is a national effort that promotes the employment of students with disabilities through personal mentoring. With assistance from AAPD, local communities organized activities that brought students and employers together for informational sessions about career opportunity and one-on-one mentoring with volunteers from the public and private employment community. For example, the East Texas Workforce Development Board conducted their program on October 24, 2001. Board members and businesses from the 14 counties served by the board provided mentoring opportunities for 28 youth with disabilities that currently participate in workforce programs facilitated by the board under the Workforce Investment Act of 1998. The participants were provided with labor market information to give them insight into the demand and salary range for specific jobs in the area, as well as other areas. The 2002 National Disability Mentoring Day is scheduled for October 16, 2002.

* The Educational Task Force of the Iowa Persons with Disabilities Commission, in coordination with the Des Moines and Tama County Boards of Supervisors, Burlington, IA, radio stations KKMI, KBUR and KQ92, the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation, the Department of the Blind, the Iowa Rehabilitation Association, the Iowa Workforce Investment Board and Southeastern Community College, conducted a month-long educational program entitled "Win with Ability," which promoted employment of people with disabilities. Among the activities carried out were the distribution of more than 1,600 badges created by using excerpts from the 2001 ODEP Win with Ability Educational Kit; radio appearances that covered disability employment issues and promoted the concept of "let’s win with ability and put qualified people with disabilities to work"; newspaper articles; distribution of the Educational Kit to employers throughout the state and utilization of educational kit materials in professional development classes at Southeastern Community College.

* Monster.com, a global careers website headquartered in Maynard, MA, conducted "Monster.com Disability Awareness Virtual Career Fair." The interactive career fair allowed job seekers with disabilities from anywhere in the United States to connect with potential employers, to be informed about existing jobs in today's marketplace, and to obtain information and access to disability employment experts. This endeavor resulted in employers having greater access to a pool of talented individuals and served as an online platform for educating employers and sharing information on a multitude of topics and issues regarding the workplace of the 21st century.

* The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) published, as part of the program book for National Disability Employment Awareness Month, short vignettes on DOL employees with disabilities representing all employment levels.

* Vocational Guidance Services, Cleveland, OH, together with the Cuyahoga County Board of Commissioners, the Ohio Bureau of Worker's Compensation and a host of local service providers, conducted a job fair and employer workshop. Topics covered at the workshop included myths about hiring people with disabilities, community supports and financial incentives for hiring people with disabilities. 

SAMPLE PROCLAMATIONS and IDEAS FOR PROCLAMATION

NATIONAL DISABILITY EMPLOYMENT AWARENESS MONTH 2002
1. We have reached the 21st century. As we move forward in the new century and look ahead, we must consider how we can build on the accomplishments of the 20th century and on our state's strengths . Key to (name of state/city) prosperity and growth during the 21st century will be ensuring that every citizen has the opportunity to contribute his or her skills and ingenuity to our economy. If we don't harness the abilities of all our citizens, American business and industry's leadership and competitiveness in the ever expanding global economy will evaporate.

Employment figures for persons with disabilities show that only 32% of people with disabilities of working age (18-64) work full or part-time. To stay competitive, both public and private employers must seek quality employees from non-traditional employee pools, including the 54 million Americans who have disabilities.

Over the last decade we have passed the Americans with Disabilities Act and other laws that have begun to break through many of the barriers which have kept Americans with disabilities out of the workforce. That is a beginning, but it is not enough. We must do better. Keeping individuals with disabilities on welfare, social security and other benefit programs, instead of in jobs, is not cost effective for (name of state) or our nation nor does it help (name of state/city) economy prosper.

Our (name of state/city) future prosperity hinges on our young people's successful transition into the workforce. We must ensure that talented young adults with disabilities discover their leadership potential, develop their skills through work experience, and profit from mentoring opportunities.

Employment is the key to economic security for Americans. And it is up to all of us -- employers, labor leaders, community leaders, people with disabilities, rehabilitation professionals and government -- to break down the attitudinal barriers and open our doors to let employees with disabilities in. We must all think ability and encourage others to do the same.

Employees with disabilities have demonstrated their abilities in executive, administrative and managerial fields. They have been successful in public and private businesses. People with disabilities have worked for companies and established their own businesses. People with disabilities have abilities that our (name of state/city) employers can bank on. Let's put them to work.

NOW, THEREFORE I, --------------------------------------------------------- do hereby proclaim October 2002 as (State) Disability Employment Awareness Month. I call upon government officials, educators, labor leaders, employers, and the people of the United States to observe this month with appropriate programs and activities that reaffirm our determination to create equal employment opportunities for people with disabilities in the 21st Century.

2 . NATIONAL DISABILITY EMPLOYMENT AWARENESS MONTH 2002
We must make certain that every citizen of (State name) has the opportunity for full employment. To continue (Name of Sate) leadership and competitiveness in the ever expanding global economy, American business and industry will need the talents and skills of all Americans. Persons with disabilities can and must be an important part of the workforce of the 21st century. They have demonstrated their abilities to work in both the private and public employment sectors. Yet, people with disabilities are woefully under-represented in the workplace. We must expand opportunities for every American who is willing to take responsibility for making the most of his or her abilities. Our Nation’s prosperity in the new millennium hinges on the strength of our workforce.

Over the last decade we have passed the Americans with Disabilities Act and other laws that are breaking through many of the barriers which have kept Americans with disabilities out of the workforce. Attitudinal barriers, however, remain the greatest challenge to employment for persons with disabilities. Unfortunately, we cannot legislate attitudes. Working together we must wipe out negative attitudes and stereotypical images, so that millions of Americans with disabilities still waiting to prove themselves in the workplace can have that opportunity.

Employment is the key to economic security for Americans. And it is up to all of us -- employers, labor leaders, community leaders, people with disabilities, rehabilitation professionals and government -- to break down the attitudinal barriers and open our doors to let employees with disabilities in. We must all think ability and encourage others to do the same.

NOW, THEREFORE I, --------------------------------------------------------- do hereby proclaim October 2002 as (State) Disability Employment Awareness Month. I call upon government officials, educators, labor leaders, employers, and the people of the United States to observe this month with appropriate programs and activities that reaffirm our determination to create equal employment opportunities for people with disabilities in the 21st Century.

3. NATIONAL DISABILITY EMPLOYMENT AWARENESS MONTH 2002
Each year, during the month of October, Americans acknowledge the employment accomplishments and potential of America’s 54 million persons with disabilities. The United States enjoys one of the strongest economies in the world, supported by a workforce that is notable for its diversity. In order to maintain and strengthen the ability of American business to compete in the increasingly global economy, we must strive to ensure that all Americans, including those with disabilities, have the opportunity to reach their full potential.

With the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act in 1990, this nation promised that we will no longer underestimate the abilities of Americans with disabilities. Rather, we will work to liberate the energies and talents of Americans with disabilities to help us build a stronger, more productive nation. As attitudes change and new technologies become available, employers are providing a wide range of which facilitate employment of persons with disabilities.

While we have made much progress since the ADA signing, significant challenges still exist. People with disabilities still experience an unemployment rate of about 70 percent, the highest of any group in the nation. Yet polls conducted by the National Organization on Disability and others continue to show that persons with disabilities are eager for an opportunity to contribute their skills and abilities to the nation’s employers. Studies by Sears, Dupont and others have shown that employees with disabilities have a positive impact on the workplace.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, do hereby proclaim October, 2002 as "(State) Disability Employment Awareness Month". I call upon government leaders, labor leaders and employers to share in the mission of ensuring the full participation of the nation’s persons with disabilities in the workforce.

This response is for information purposes only and does not constitute an official communication of the U.S. Department of Labor. For an official response, please write: Assistant Secretary for Disability Employment Policy, U.S. Department of Labor, 200 Constitution Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20210

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