The NDEAM Recap
written by Raymond E. Montgomery Sr.
National Disability Employment Awareness Month marks one of the most important times of the year for WTI. Work to Include team members participated in a month-long observance in October to raise awareness of the many resources and types of jobs employees with various disabilities hold in the workforce.
WTI’s goal for NDEAM was to get employers to recognize how empowering people with disabilities is a core component of workplace competitiveness.
We here at WTI are dedicated to ensuring competitive career paths are achievable for people living with disabilities and NDEAM provides an excellent opportunity to showcase to the public, the skills and abilities of those employees working and living with disabilities. Throughout the month, we hosted a series of webinars and strongly encouraged community leaders, educators, employers, and family members to participate in our many activities held throughout October.
Below are several activities held by various WTI teams during October, including:
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission & Employment of Individuals with Disabilities Webinar:
Presented Brien Shoemaker, Outreach & Education Coordinator, US EEOC, this webinar was designed for employers, job seekers with disabilities, service providers, and other interested stakeholders. Attendees were provided with a basic compliance overview of the ADA with a focus on reasonable accommodations and tips and best practices for reasonable accommodations at every stage of the employment process.
Assistive Technology in the Workplace Webinar:
This webinar focused on the important role assistive technology plays in the workplace by enabling persons with disabilities to access equipment and services so they can perform job tasks and maintain employment. Featured Presenter: Brian Norton, Director of Assistive Technology services at Easterseals Crossroads in Indianapolis covered the basics of assistive technology along with tools and resources available for use in the workplace. Our panelists also shared how assistive technology helped them achieve their education and work goals and gave real-life examples, of how assistive technology has helped level the playing field.
INvestABLE Webinar:
Presented Amy Corbin, Executive Director, ABLE Authority, this webinar focused on the benefits INvestABLE Indiana offers for qualified individuals with disabilities to save money and not risk losing vital public benefits, such as SSI or Medicaid. Individuals in attendance learned about These tax-advantaged savings accounts and how they allow for individuals with disabilities to save money and pay for expenses that improve one’s health, independence or quality of life.
Employer Town Hall Webinar:
A collaborative effort between Work to Include of Bloomington, LIFEDesigns, and Stone Belt designed an engaging and interactive session to help employers connect with talent with disabilities and provide them with the resources that can help promote a truly diverse workforce. They also addressed some of the barriers businesses face, like reasonable accommodations, retention, co-worker training, and accessing tax incentives.
Our Fort Wayne team was also hard at work spreading WTI’s mission of employment first, disseminating information via radio, TV newspaper articles, and placing several billboards throughout the Fort Wayne area.
Clarksville is also sharing our messaging by putting up posters at different sites and working on putting up a billboard in their city, and our Scottsburg team is helping spread the word about the capabilities of people with disabilities, by showing their support with a billboard in their city.
In Conclusion
October was a very busy month for members of Work to Include. throughout the month Work to Include (WTI) hosted informational webinars and town hall sessions that focus on educating the community on resources and the talent people with disabilities bring to the workplace. NDEAM was a great opportunity to showcase our support for the creation and protection of jobs for people with disabilities and provided an opportunity for communities to learn about the workplace capabilities of people with various disabilities.
WTI is asking you to act and help support the employment of people with disabilities by learning more about Work to Includes efforts at www.worktoinclude.org.
About the writer
Raymond E. Montgomery Sr. has been a regional coordinator for Work to Include (WTI) since July of 2021. Ray also works as an outreach coordinator at a local not-for-profit that creates job opportunities and comprehensive rehabilitation services for individuals experiencing vision loss. Ray is passionate about bringing awareness to the capabilities of people who are blind or have other disabilities. For the past four years, Ray has been heavily involved with the National Federation of the Blind (NFb) and other advocacy groups determine to invoke systemic change for those in the disability community. Ray’s advocacy efforts include working with legislators and other disability-led groups on legislation to protect the rights of parents living with a disability.
As a man who is blind. Ray has experienced discrimination due to his blindness, but never let that stop him from pursuing his goals. He is also a father of three, Purdue graduate, mentor, and advocate. Ray is very excited to be a part of the WTI team and looks forward to working with other WTI teams across Indiana.
Raymond E. Montgomery Sr., Regional Coordinator, Work to Include