United States Department of Labor

Changing Attitudes

Attitudes are important influencers affecting the employment and retention rate of people with disabilities. Key issues include:

• Whether jobseekers with disabilities and their families perceive themselves as able to work and support themselves financially through working.
• Whether employers and coworkers perceive the employment and retention of people with disabilities as profitable and safe for their organization.
• Whether service providers, including workforce development professionals, perceive that people with disabilities are capable of working.

Recognizing that changing attitudes within all three of these groups is critical to improving employment opportunities for people with disabilities, ODEP has spearheaded a variety of initiatives, including:

• Campaign for Disability Employment/"What can YOU do?" — ODEP-funded collaborative effort among several leading disability and business organizations to promote positive employment outcomes for people with disabilities.
• National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM) — Annual effort led by ODEP to raise awareness about disability employment issues and celebrate the contributions of America's workers with disabilities.
• Add Us In — ODEP-sponsored initiative designed to identify and develop strategies to increase employment opportunities within the small business community for individuals with disabilities. Included are targeted businesses owned and operated by minorities; lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals; women and people with disabilities.
• Survey Employer Perspectives on the Employment of People with Disabilities — National survey that explored employer attitudes and practices related to disability employment among companies of varying sizes across 12 industries, including several identified as high-growth.
• Summary report (PDF)
• Technical report (PDF)

Additional resources related to attitudes about the abilities of people with disabilities include:

• I AM PWD (Inclusion in the Arts and Media of People with Disabilities) — Global campaign seeking equal employment opportunities for people with disabilities throughout the entertainment and news media.
• I am Norm — Youth targeted campaign that works to eliminate fear and prejudice around disability and promotes equal opportunities for people of various abilities.
• Spread the Word to End the Word/"R-Word" Campaign — Ongoing effort by Special Olympics, Best Buddies International and supporters to raise awareness about the demeaning and hurtful effects of the word "retard(ed)" and encourage people to pledge to stop using the R-word.