National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM) 2023: Advancing Access and Equity

In August 2023, the employment-population ratio for disabled people hit 23.0%, surpassing its pre-pandemic level of 19.1% in February 2020. This is in part due to pandemic-prompted changes such as greater access to telework and other flexibilities, which are opening new doors for many disabled workers. Despite this positive trend, an unacceptable employment gap remains. It is about access and equity—two goals that form the foundation for the work at the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy. This resource reflects on how advancing access and equity for people with disabilities necessitates adapting to continual changes, many of which were unforeseen when the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 were passed. It offers a video on the impact of the Rehab Act that is accompanied by a resource guide and a blog series, as well as a dataset for people with disabilities in the skilled trades.