October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM), an annual observance recognizing the contributions of people with disabilities in the American workforce and highlighting the importance of creating meaningful employment opportunities.
The 2026 NDEAM theme is “Celebrating Value and Talent,” carrying the spirit of last year’s celebration forward through 2026 in honor of America’s 250th birthday.
For employers, NDEAM is more than a month on the calendar. It is an opportunity to consider how your organization attracts, supports, develops, and retains talented employees with disabilities, including individuals with mental health conditions and other nonobvious disabilities.
A Brief History of NDEAM
NDEAM has a long history of recognizing the contributions of people with disabilities to the workforce.
The observance began in 1945 as a weeklong national recognition of the contributions of people with physical disabilities. In 1988, Congress expanded the observance and designated it as National Disability Employment Awareness Month.
Over time, NDEAM evolved to recognize the importance of increasing employment opportunities for people with disabilities across the workforce, including those with mental health conditions and other disabilities that may not be immediately visible.
In 2001, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) was established and entrusted with administering NDEAM, including promoting its annual theme.
Today, NDEAM provides employers and employees with an opportunity to recognize the value, skills, perspectives, and contributions of people with disabilities in the workplace.
What Can Employers Do to Support Disability Inclusion?
Creating a more inclusive workplace doesn’t necessarily require a major initiative or a complete overhaul of your HR practices. Often, meaningful progress starts by taking a closer look at everyday processes and asking whether they provide equitable opportunities for employees and applicants.
Here are several ways employers, managers, and business leaders can make disability inclusion part of their workplace strategy.
- Take a Closer Look at Your Recruiting Practices
Consider whether your recruiting and hiring processes unintentionally create barriers for qualified candidates with disabilities.
Employers can review:
- Job descriptions to make sure qualifications accurately reflect what is truly required for the position.
- Application and interview processes for potential accessibility barriers.
- How and where jobs are advertised.
- Whether interview accommodations are clearly communicated to candidates.
- Whether hiring managers are trained to focus on skills, qualifications, and the essential functions of the position.
A thoughtful recruiting process can help employers reach qualified candidates who might otherwise be overlooked.
- Focus on Skills and Talent
NDEAM’s “Celebrating Value and Talent” theme provides a useful reminder: employees with disabilities bring skills, experience, knowledge, creativity, and diverse perspectives to the workplace.
Hiring and promotion decisions should focus on the individual’s qualifications and ability to perform the essential functions of the position, rather than assumptions about what someone with a disability can or cannot do.
Managers play an important role here. They should be encouraged to evaluate employees based on their performance and capabilities rather than making assumptions based on a disclosed or visible disability.
- Make Accessibility Part of the Conversation
Accessibility isn’t limited to physical spaces.
Employers can consider accessibility across the entire employee experience, including:
- Physical workspaces and facilities
- Technology and software
- Websites and online applications
- Training materials
- Internal communications
- Meetings and presentations
- Employee resources
- Remote and hybrid work practices
Taking a broader view of accessibility can help identify barriers that may not be obvious at first.
- Understand Reasonable Accommodation Responsibilities
Managers and HR professionals should understand their organization’s responsibilities when an employee or applicant requests a reasonable accommodation.
Employees may need adjustments to help them perform the essential functions of their job, and accommodations can take many forms depending on the individual and the position.
Examples may include changes to work schedules, equipment, communication methods, workspace arrangements, or other aspects of how work is performed.
HR and managers should have a process for appropriately responding to accommodation requests and engaging in the interactive process when required.
Training managers on what to do when an employee raises an accommodation-related concern can help prevent misunderstandings and ensure requests are handled appropriately.
- Don’t Overlook Nonobvious Disabilities
Disability inclusion also extends beyond disabilities that are immediately visible.
Mental health conditions, chronic health conditions, learning disabilities, neurological conditions, and other nonobvious disabilities can affect employees in ways that may not be apparent to coworkers or managers.
This is another reason managers should avoid making assumptions about an employee’s capabilities or circumstances.
Instead, managers should focus on performance, communicate openly, and know when to involve HR when an employee raises a workplace concern or accommodation request.
- Train Managers to Lead Inclusively
Managers have a significant influence on an employee’s day-to-day experience.
Consider providing managers with training on:
- Disability awareness and inclusion
- Reasonable accommodations
- How to respond to accommodation requests
- Avoiding assumptions and stereotypes
- Maintaining confidentiality
- Managing performance fairly and consistently
- Creating an environment where employees feel comfortable raising concerns
Managers don’t need to be disability experts. They do need to understand their role, know when to involve HR, and create a respectful environment for every employee.
- Look at Career Development and Advancement
Inclusion shouldn’t stop once someone is hired.
Employers should consider whether employees with disabilities have equitable access to:
- Professional development
- Mentoring
- Leadership opportunities
- Stretch assignments
- Promotions
- Recognition
- Career advancement
Organizations can unintentionally create barriers when development opportunities are based on informal networking, assumptions about availability, or traditional ideas about how work “should” be performed.
A more intentional approach can help ensure talented employees have opportunities to grow.
Questions for Employers, HR Teams, and Managers
Employers can recognize NDEAM in many ways, from sharing educational resources with employees to reviewing workplace practices and providing manager training.
Consider using October as an opportunity to ask:
Are we creating opportunities for people with disabilities to contribute their skills and talents?
Do our managers understand how to respond appropriately to accommodation requests?
Are our recruiting and hiring practices accessible and inclusive?
Do employees have equitable opportunities to develop and advance?
Are we considering accessibility throughout the employee experience?
These questions can help move the conversation beyond awareness and toward meaningful workplace practices.
Celebrating Value and Talent All Year Long
NDEAM provides an annual opportunity to recognize the contributions of people with disabilities, but an inclusive workplace is built throughout the year.
For employers, that means continuing to evaluate hiring practices, manager training, accessibility, accommodations, employee development, and workplace culture.
This year’s theme, “Celebrating Value and Talent,” is a reminder that people with disabilities are an important part of America’s workforce and that organizations benefit when they create opportunities for individuals to contribute their skills and experience.
October may be NDEAM, but recognizing and supporting employee talent should be part of an organization’s HR strategy all year long.
Building a More Inclusive Workplace
Supporting employees with disabilities is an important part of creating a workplace where employees can contribute their skills and talent. For employers, that can include understanding accommodation requirements, developing effective HR practices, training managers, and ensuring workplace decisions are handled fairly and consistently.
Dynamic Corporate Solutions, Inc. (DCSI) can help organizations navigate these and other workplace challenges. Our HR professionals can provide guidance on compliance, workplace policies, reasonable accommodation processes, manager training, employee relations, and organizational practices that support an inclusive and effective workplace.
NDEAM is an opportunity to celebrate the value and talent people with disabilities bring to the workforce, while also taking a closer look at how your organization can better support that talent throughout the year.
Need help evaluating your HR practices or navigating a workplace challenge?