October is Disability Employment Awareness Month

In 1945, in an effort to assist disabled veterans, Congress designated the first week of October as National Employ the Physically Handicapped Week.  In the 1970s, a historic shift in disability public policy occurred.  For the first time, the exclusion of people with disabilities was viewed as discrimination.  The efforts of disability activists led to significant changes in laws, such as the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act in 1990 and the designation of a full month to recognize the potential of America's 30 million working-age people with disabilities.