In an effort to draw awareness to disability employment, October is recognized as “National Disability Employment Awareness Month” (NDEAM). This year’s theme is “Because we are EQUAL to the Task.”
NDEAM is a national campaign that recognizes and celebrates the number of American workers with different disabilities. And Richland Newhope and Richland Newhope Industries, Inc. (RNI) are actively creating Disabilities Awareness.
Richland Newhope’s Director of Adult Services Amanda South stated, “We celebrate every year in October the employment of people with disabilities. Richland Newhope has a long history of supporting people in the community to get jobs.”
One way in which NDEAM was recently recognized was through the proclamation reading held at the Richland County commissioners’ meeting Tuesday morning.
In the reading of the NDEAM proclamation, Commissioner Tim Wert stated, “Developmental disabilities affect more than 600 Richland County adults served by Richland Newhope, while employment figures show that only 20 percent, less than one in five people with disabilities of working age, age 18-64, work or work part time.”
On behalf of the Richland County Board of Commissioners, Wert said, “We offer full support to efforts that assist people with developmental disabilities and enable them to live successful lives and realize their potential. Furthermore, we must make certain that every citizen of Richland County has the opportunity for full employment in order to compete in an ever-expanding global economy.”
South noted the benefit that employers have by hiring those with developmental disabilities, stating, “There’s testament to that for many of the employers that we work with in Richland County that have hired someone with a disability and have seen them perform on the job and that they can excel with minimal support or training…We all want to work and contribute to the community, and so for [people with developmental disabilities] to have that opportunity to show their skills and their abilities on the job is a benefit to all of us.”
She added that RNI is currently working on strengthening relationships with school districts to help youths transition from school into adulthood through Project Search.
RNI also recently completed the fourth year in the summer employment program, a five week program in which individuals are placed at various job sites in the community to try to help them discern what job opportunities they should pursue after graduation.
In addition to the proclamation reading, on October 24, RNI will host its annual Employer Recognition Breakfast at the Holiday Inn. The anticipated attendance is expected to reach as many as 300 people.
Director of Community Relations with Richland Newhope (Richland County Board of Developmental Disabilities), Jane Imbody, stated, “It’s a time to recognize those who employ individuals [wh]o we support either through sub-contracted work at RNI or in the community. Also, during the breakfast we will recognize the three RNI 2013 Employees of the Year. One will be from the Fourth Street facility, one from RNI’s Longview facility, and one who works in the community.”
NDEAM began in 1945 when Congress established the first week of October as “National Employ the Physically Handicapped Week.” Seventeen years later, “physically” was removed, thereby awarding recognition to individuals with all different types of disabilities. In 1988, Congress extended the awareness from the first week of October to the entire month, which is when the name was changed to “National Disability Employment Awareness Month.”
“We all want to work and contribute to the community, and so for [people with developmental disabilities] to have that opportunity to show their skills and their abilities on the job is a benefit to all of us,” said Amanda South.
