This October is the first National Disability Employment Awareness month. (Yes, we know it's a mouthful.) President Obama has declared it so. Our government defines disability in the following way:
- A person may be disabled if he or she has a physical or mental condition that substantially limits a major life activity (such as walking, talking, seeing, hearing, or learning).
- A person may be disabled if he or she has a history of a disability (such as cancer that is in remission).
- A person may be disabled if he is believed to have a physical or mental impairment that is not transitory (lasting or expected to last six months or less) and minor (even if he does not have such an impairment).
A number of organizations provide support for
disability employment. This support can take a number of forms:
- Federal law requires that employers make reasonable accommodation for disabled employees. This means that any accommodations that do not cause significant expense or difficulty for the employer must be made for employees or potential employees who have a disability.
- Training and education is provided by many organizations for individuals with disabilities. This may be to help them seek employment for the first time or to re-train to obtain or return to employment after incurring a disability in some way.
- Some organizations work to match individuals with jobs that they will find suitable and fulfilling. These programs are generally non-profits, and may either work one of two ways. One way is to help connect employers and employees for a traditional work arrangement. The other is to hire individuals with disabilities directly and find work for them with third party employers on a full- or part-time basis, temporarily or indefinitely.
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