Day 1 — Put Up an NDEAM Poster
NDEAM is a great time to freshen up bulletin boards in workplaces, schools, libraries, and other community locations. Start by putting up this year’s NDEAM poster
Day 2 — Review Company Policies
NDEAM presents an opportune time for employers to review company policies and ensure that they support the employment success of people with disabilities.
Day 3 — Train Your Supervisors
Employers may consider offering training to help supervisors understand their role in fostering a supportive business culture. Such training may include a review of relevant policies, such as the process for providing reasonable accommodations. One easy way to provide such training is to make use of available “turnkey” training modules.
Day 4 — Educate and Train Your Employees
NDEAM is a great time to hold disability awareness training or informal educational events, such as brown-bag lunch discussions, for employees. Several of ODEP’s ready-to-use resources can help: Check out our disability etiquette materials or the “I Can” public service announcement. Another option is to contact local disability organizations to see if they offer workplace training programs.
Day 5 — Issue an NDEAM Press Release
Employers, schools, and community-based organizations can announce their support of NDEAM in a press release to local media. Use our customizable “fill-in-the-blank” template
Day 6 — Share the NDEAM Video
Spread the word about NDEAM! We encourage businesses and business membership organizations to share the NDEAM explainer video through their social media platforms and other communication channels. This video provides an overview of NDEAM, the spirit behind this year’s theme, and resources to help organizations take part.
Day 7 — Promote Your Activities on Social Media
How are you celebrating NDEAM? Share it on social media and let us know. Also, check out our sample key messages to help you incorporate NDEAM into your posts.
Day 8 — Use the NDEAM Virtual Background
Upload the virtual background and show your NDEAM spirit in your online meetings.
Day 9 — Send a Company-Wide Email
A company-wide email or other communication from leadership is a simple and effective way to honor NDEAM and build a supportive workplace environment. Messaging can promote the organization’s support for NDEAM, highlight its accommodation policy, and inform employees about other disability-related resources and how to access them. The email can also include this year’s NDEAM poster and/or a link to the NDEAM explainer video.
Day 10 — Examine Your Workplace Accessibility
NDEAM is a good time to evaluate accessibility—both physical and digital—in the workplace. Companies can ask for direct feedback from employees and job applicants, through surveys or other channels, to identify barriers that people with disabilities may be experiencing. ODEP offers a range of resources to help employers foster an accessible and welcoming workplace.
Day 11 — Learn About Financial Incentives
The Federal Government and many state governments offer tax incentives to help businesses hire and retain workers with disabilities and improve accessibility for both employees and customers with disabilities. Make a plan during NDEAM to learn more about the incentives available to you, including the Work Opportunity Tax Credit, Disabled Access Tax Credit, and Architectural Barrier Removal Tax Deduction.
Day 12 — Educate About Nonapparent Disabilities
Not all disabilities are visible. In a supportive workplace, people are mindful of obvious and nonobvious disabilities, such as mental health conditions and neurodiversity. Take the opportunity during NDEAM to learn more about both neurodivergence and creating a mental health-friendly workplace.
Day 13 — Engage Student Leaders
Celebrate NDEAM in school to raise awareness about disability employment. For example, faculty advisors can encourage the student council to invite a local community leader with a disability to a meeting to speak about his or her experiences. Faculty can also suggest including an NDEAM-related interview or article in a student newspaper, blog, or podcast.
Day 14 — Feature NDEAM in Your Magazine or Newsletter
Are you looking for content for your upcoming association or union newsletter? Spread the word about NDEAM! Include an article in your next issue informing members about NDEAM and giving ideas for suitable NDEAM-related activities in your members’ organizations. If you prefer, you can also tailor our NDEAM “drop-in” articles for your next newsletter or magazine.
Day 15 — Post an NDEAM Link
Whether you're an employer, school, or service provider, you can highlight your commitment to disability employment by featuring an NDEAM link on your organization’s website. Use a thumbnail image of the NDEAM poster or a simple text headline and link it to NDEAM content (e.g., an article on your website or ODEP’s NDEAM page).
Day 16 — NDEAM Proclamation
State and local officials can sign a proclamation recognizing NDEAM, promote NDEAM in the community and/or through the local media, and post the signed proclamation in their organization’s office or other facilities.
Day 17 — Celebrate Over Breakfast or Lunch
Disability organizations can sponsor an NDEAM management breakfast or brown-bag lunch—an informal seminar or panel presentation for local employers on the topic of disability employment and its associated benefits. Organizations can also promote their own advocacy efforts and potentially gain additional sponsorship and support from local businesses.
Day 18 — Reach Out to Local Media
Disability-related organizations can increase their visibility through local TV, radio, digital, or print media during NDEAM. Write an op-ed or letter to the editor about the value and talent that people with disabilities bring to the workplace and community, or encourage local media to run a feature on local employers taking part in NDEAM.
Day 19 — Access the Workforce Recruitment Program
During NDEAM—and year-round—federal employers can tap into the Workforce Recruitment Program (WRP) talent database through the USAJOBS Agency Talent Portal to find qualified, prescreened college students and recent graduates with disabilities to fill internships or long-term positions. The WRP, which is coordinated by ODEP, annually updates its talent database of candidates who are eligible to be hired using the Schedule A hiring authority.
Day 20 — Use the Job Accommodation Network
The Job Accommodation Network (JAN) is an ODEP-funded technical assistance center that provides employers, service providers, and individuals with free, confidential, and expert one-on-one guidance on workplace accommodations and disability employment issues. Contact JAN anytime online at AskJAN.org or by phone at 800-526-7234.
Day 21 — Assess Accessibility for Job Applicants
Job applications and employee onboarding processes are increasingly conducted online, so employers should ensure that all qualified applicants can get their foot in the “virtual” door. NDEAM is a good time to assess the accessibility of your organization's online recruiting operations. Check out JAN’s A to Z: Accessibility for more information.
Day 22 — Join a Business Organization
Employers can act now to expand employment opportunities for people with disabilities. Start by joining a business organization committed to disability employment to share best practices and strategies.
Day 23 — Use the Veterans Accommodations Toolkit
The Veterans Accommodations Toolkit supports success for disabled veterans in apprenticeships and other employment settings. Developed collaboratively by ODEP and the Veterans’ Employment and Training Service, the toolkit offers tips and strategies to help organizations assess whether their accommodation policies and processes support disabled veterans.
Day 24 — Share the “Working Works” PSA
Consider sharing the Campaign for Disability Employment’s (CDE) “Working Works” public service announcement (PSA), which explores the many reasons employment is important, including after an injury or illness. Through the voices of several individuals, among them Major League Baseball great Cal Ripken Jr., the PSA also touches on the roles of different people—including employers, colleagues, health care professionals, and family members—in helping workers who acquire disabilities to stay in the workforce.
Day 25 — Share the “Because” PSA
The CDE’s “Because” PSA highlights the positive power of expectations, especially for young people with disabilities. The PSA features seven people who lived up to their expectations of employment and achieved their goals, with the support and encouragement of the people in their lives. Consider sharing the PSA with colleagues, friends, and loved ones during NDEAM to reinforce the importance of positive expectations in the employment of people with disabilities.
Day 26 — Share Information About ABLE Accounts
ABLE accounts help Americans with disabilities work, earn, and build financial security by allowing them to save without affecting most federally funded benefits. The money may be used for qualified disability expenses— including food, housing, transportation, education, assistive technology, health care, and more—and growth is not taxed and does not count as income. NDEAM offers a great opportunity to educate job seekers and employees about ABLE accounts so anyone eligible can benefit from them. ODEP’s Make Work Pay Hub offers a number of resources, including a video, to help.
Day 27 — Share the “Who I Am” PSA
In the CDE's “Who I Am” PSA, nine real people with disabilities demonstrate that their disabilities are only one part of their identity. Rather than being defined by disability, they are the sum of their many life roles—which include working in jobs they love. NDEAM is a great time to share this PSA and spread its important message.
Day 28 — Explore Accommodations
If your workforce needs a refresher on the accommodations process, now’s the time. NDEAM offers an opportunity to remind supervisors and employees about how to identify effective accommodation solutions for their specific circumstances. Use JAN’s Situations and Solutions Finder, which offers more than 700 searchable examples of real-life accommodations that organizations of all sizes and industries have used successfully, in both the private and public sectors.
Day 29 — Proactively Recruit People with Disabilities
During NDEAM, employers can proactively advertise job openings to candidates with disabilities. Strategies include outreach through American Job Centers, state vocational rehabilitation agencies, employment networks under the Ticket to Work program, independent living centers, and U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs regional offices. Disability student services offices at educational institutions, nonprofits, and social service agencies may also be of assistance.
Day 30 — Share the "Mental Health at Work: What Can I Do?" PSA
In the CDE’s “Mental Health at Work: What Can I Do?” PSA, four people in various workplace roles—CEO, manager, coworker, and employee—each share what they can do to promote workplace well-being. From setting the tone for a supportive work environment and providing accommodations to being a source of support to peers and colleagues, the PSA illustrates the contributions people can make at every level of an organization. NDEAM is a great time to share this PSA to spark discussion about fostering a mental health-friendly culture.
Day 31 — Share the “Celebrating Value and Talent” Video
The “Celebrating Value and Talent” video showcases the important ways people with disabilities contribute to America’s workforce and economy. Produced in honor of National Disability Employment Awareness Month and America’s 250th anniversary, it reminds us that America works best when everybody works.