10/13/2026
October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month, and this year’s theme is “Celebrating Value and Talent.” We love that framing. Disabled people bring skills, creativity, and problem-solving to every workplace.
Celebrating talent has to come with accountability, though. Recently the Labor Department finalized a rule ending the 7% disability workforce benchmark for federal contractors, along with the related tracking of disability data. Officials call it removing a quota. Disability advocates worry that without goals and data, it gets harder to see whether employers are actually hiring and keeping disabled workers.
Here in Iowa, Iowa Workforce Development is recognizing employers who are leading on disability hiring. Watch for this year’s award winners later this month.
Here’s what we can all do this month:
✔ Hire disabled people and make interviews accessible
✔ Ask your employer how they track and support disability inclusion
✔ Listen to disabled colleagues about what they need to thrive
Who is a disabled professional who inspires you? Tell us in the comments. 👇
Learn more: dol.gov/agencies/odep/initiatives/ndeam
