October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM), which is a time to celebrate the many and varied contributions of America's workers with disabilities.

This year marks 70 years since the first observance in 1945. The theme is "My Disability is One Part of Who I Am."

Jennifer Sheehy, deputy assistant secretary of Labor for Disability Employment Policy, in her blog post on dol.gov, discusses the theme, "My Disability is One Part of Who I Am." She asserts that "This simple yet significant message encapsulates that people with disabilities are just that—people. And like all people, we are the sum of many parts, including our work experiences." She also pointed out that National Disability Employment Awareness Month is a time to both celebrate the diverse contributions of America's workers with disabilities and chart a course for increased inclusion.

Jennifer Sheehy, in another blog post, NDEAM: A Milestone Month in a Momentous Year, asserts that the Office of Disability Employment Policy works to increase the number and quality of employment opportunities for people with disabilities through the promotion of effective public policy and provision of technical assistance to employers, the workforce system and others essential to increasing access to employment and job training opportunities for people with disabilities.

Barack Obama in his 2015 Presidential Proclamation affirmed that expanding employment opportunities for people with disabilities is important and the Federal Government is leading by example, currently more Americans with disabilities are in Federal service than in the last three decades. President Obama also stated that " As a Nation, we must continue to promote inclusion in the workplace and to tear down the barriers that remain—in hearts, in minds, and in policies—to the security and prosperity that stable jobs provide and that all our people deserve. And we must actively foster a culture in which individuals are supported and accepted for who they are and in which it is okay to disclose one's disability without fear of discrimination."