CDE Blog

ADA@34: Looking at Access Through a Wider Lens
By Taryn M. Williams

The ADA has spurred significant progress across America, especially when it comes to accessibility of the built environment. When it comes to the workplace, however, progress has been slower and Read more

Thank Your Mentor
By the Office of Disability Employment Policy Team

During National Mentoring Month each January, we honor mentors who positively influence the lives of young people as they navigate their transition into adulthood and their workplaces. Read more

Examining 50 Years of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973- Advancing Access and Equity for Individuals with Disabilities
By Taryn M. Williams

Each October, we commemorate National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM) where we celebrate and recognize how workers with disabilities contribute to and advance our economy. This year, we also mark Read more

The Value of Increased Inclusion, On Screen and Off
By Isaac Zablocki

Historically, people with disabilities have been extremely underrepresented in the entertainment industry, both on and off the screen; it is heartening to watch what I believe to be a revolution Read more

Judy Heumann: The Legacy of Leadership
By Taryn M. Williams

There is no greater example of a leader than Judith (Judy) Heumann, who passed away on March 4, 2023 at the age of 75.  Read more

Celebrating the Contributions of People with Disabilities, Both Visible and Hidden
By Kim Schofield

I’m a big fan of NDEAM because it honors the skills and talents of millions of Americans with disabilities — including many of my own constituents in Georgia’s 60th district. Read more

Disability: Part of the Equity Equation
By Taryn M. Williams

This year’s National Disability Employment Awareness Month theme, “Disability: Part of the Equity Equation,” celebrates the essential role individuals with disabilities play in the workplace. Read more

32 Years of the ADA: Celebrating a Victory and a Vow
By Taryn M. Williams

Each July, we celebrate the anniversary of a major milestone in America’s ongoing quest to build a more equitable, inclusive society — the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act Read more

Now is the Perfect Time to Include Disability in Your DEI Plan–Because Disability is Diversity
By the EARN Team

Chances are your organization has a diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) plan that expresses your company’s commitment to fostering a workplace welcoming of employees from all backgrounds. Far too often, Read more

The Intersection of Work and Wellbeing, for All Workers
By Taryn M. Williams

By crystalizing the critical link between work and wellbeing, the past two years helped us speak more openly about mental health and the workplace–and it’s an important conversation to have. Read more

Driving Change Through Federal Disability Employment
By Akinyemi Banjo

As the nation’s largest employer, the federal workforce must reflect the citizenry it serves. This includes Americans with disabilities, which is why the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Read more

Building Equitable Workplaces Requires the Right Tools
By Emily M. Dickens

Thousands of people with disabilities have benefitted from customized employment over the past 22 years. Read more

Driving Change Through Customized Employment
By Rose Warner

Thousands of people with disabilities have benefitted from customized employment over the past 22 years. Read more

Companies Follow the Roadmap to Mental Wellness
By Leslie L. Wilson, M.S.

When employers recognize the impact mental illness has on their employees and create a culture that supports employees’ mental health, employees speak more openly, know where to go for help Read more

COVID-19 Long Haulers and the Americans with Disabilities Act
By Linda Carter Batiste

If you’re one of the individuals who has Post-acute COVID-19 or Long COVID, you may have difficulty working in the same way you did before you had COVID-19, and you Read more

Driving Change Through Accessible Technology
By Nathan Cunningham

Accessible technology is a policy priority for us in the Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP), which celebrates its 20th anniversary this year. Whether the future of work will be Read more

Small Business at Work—for Disability Inclusion
By Wendy Strobel Gower

How can we help small businesses increase disability inclusion, for the benefit of them, job seekers with disabilities, and their local communities? Read more

Digital Accessibility: A Modern Workplace Must-Have
By the National Business and Disability Council (NBDC) Team

Is your company committed to ensuring your digital content is accessible to employees with disabilities? Here are a few ways to enhance your digital accessibility to ensure all employees can Read more

#ADA30: Increasing Access and Opportunity and the Thrill of Discovering What You Can Do
By Jennifer Sheehy

The month of July always has a special resonance with me, because it marks the anniversary of two events that significantly impacted my life and career. One would have a Read more

Honoring 30 Years of the ADA
By the CDE Team

30 years ago, President George H. W. Bush signed the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), landmark legislation that prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities across community life, including employment. Read more

Telework Is an Opportunity for Americans, Including People with Disabilities
By Carol Glazer

Because of COVID-19, we are truly immersed in a forced experiment of telework. This is something that people with disabilities have known for some time: with the proper work accommodations Read more

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) at 30 – A Piece of JAN History
By Kim Cordingly

Back in 1983 prior to the ADA’s passage, a national project called JAN had begun that, in its original conceptual framework, would enable employers across the U.S. to share information Read more

Exploring Identity
By Madelynn Wellons

When I was selected to be the inaugural Dinah Cohen DREAM Fellow at the National Disability Mentoring Coalition (NDMC) last year, I had no idea what was in store for Read more

Looking Back, Looking Forward: Celebrating 10 Years of the Campaign for Disability Employment
By the CDE Team

It is hard to believe that “I Can” was unveiled 10 years ago this autumn. Today, the Campaign for Disability Employment is a multi-faceted campaign celebrating 10 years of working Read more

The #DisabilityAdvantage
By Jill Houghton

At Disability:IN, we—in coordination with our nationwide network of affiliates—endeavor to empower businesses to tap the talent of people with disabilities during National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM), and every Read more

The ADA: Celebrating 29 Years of Increased Inclusion
By the CDE Team

This week marks 29 years since the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)—landmark legislation that works to open doors for people with disabilities in all aspects of community Read more

Helping Employers Understand What They CAN Do to Foster a Disability-Inclusive Workplace
By the EARN Team

At the Employer Assistance and Resource Network on Disability Inclusion (EARN), we wholeheartedly agree with the Campaign for Disability Employment’s (CDE) core message that “at work, it’s what people CAN Read more

My Uncommon Experience with a Mental Health Condition at Work
By Andy Imparato

As the 53-year-old executive director of a national non-profit in Washington, D.C., I have been living with the symptoms of bipolar disorder for almost 30 years. I have also been Read more

Looking Closer: Raising Expectations of People with Disabilities Helps Us All Move Forward
By Carol Glazer

It is not unusual for waiters and waitresses to look only briefly at my son Jacob before turning to ask me what he would like to eat. With a shrug, Read more

My Life Being Visually Impaired
By Ben Collins

A blog by Ben Collins, a 26-year employee of Special Olympics International in Washington, D.C. Read more

Showing the World That ‘Working Works’
By the CDE Team

It was lights, camera, action for the Campaign for Disability Employment (CDE) as we embarked on the production of our latest television public service announcement (PSA), “Working Works.” Read more

Inclusive Apprenticeship Programs: Bridging the Technology Skills Gap
By Josh Christianson

We have job openings, and we have motivated people to fill them. The critical link is job training. Read between the lines and you’ll find a promising solution: technology apprenticeships Read more

Tapping the Skills of People with Disabilities to Meet Workforce Needs
By Joalyn Torgerson

Hiring individuals with disabilities is something those of us at Kwik Trip have been committed to doing for almost 30 years, but in 2013 we started looking at ways to Read more

Employment: A Strategy to ‘ENDependence’
By Amir Rahimi

ECNV’s mission is to END dependence by empowering people with disabilities—people like me—to live independently. Read more

Finding Your Path to Employment with Ticket to Work
By the Ticket to Work Team

Helping people with disabilities achieve their employment goals is the purpose of the Social Security’s Ticket to Work (Ticket) program. Read more

USBLN’s Virtual Career Invitational: “Going for the Gold” in Disability Inclusion
By Jill Houghton

At the U.S. Business Leadership Network (USBLN), we are proud to provide a forum for businesses to learn and share innovations that increase disability inclusion across the workplace, marketplace and Read more

Campaign for Disability Employment 2.0: New Look and Features, Same Crucial Mission
By the CDE Team

If you’re reading this blog post, it means you’ve found your way to the Campaign for Disability Employment’s (CDE) new website—the online home of our multi-faceted campaign. Read more

Doing It All: Meet Adeline
By the CDE Team

The Girl Scouts’ slogan is “do a good turn daily,” reminding scouts of the many ways they can contribute positively to the lives of others. Adeline, the subject of this Read more