In August 1945, Congress established the first week of October as a national occasion to encourage employment of persons with physical disabilities. In President Harry Truman's proclamation, he wrote that the American people were determined to build a country where persons with disabilities can "continue to make their rightful contribution to the work of the world and can continue to enjoy the opportunities and rewards of that work."
Over time, this annual commemoration - now called National Disability Employment Awareness Month - has expanded to recognize persons with all forms of visible and invisible disabilities. And instead of lasting just a week, it now extends through the full month of October. But the sentiment President Truman expressed in 1945 holds true today and lives on in the official theme for this year's commemoration: "Good jobs for all."
Here at USAID, this spirit guides us as we seek to build a workplace where persons with disabilities are welcomed, supported, and celebrated for their contributions to all facets of our work advancing human dignity around the globe.
We have made progress toward that vision, but there is more to do. The participation rate of persons with disabilities in USAID's workforce rose from six to seven percent last year - yet still hovers more than five points below the federal target of 12 percent. In response, we have redoubled our efforts to recruit, retain, and support persons with disabilities. Last year we launched our Disability Resource Center. The center provides centralized services to support Agency employees and applicants with disabilities, such as accommodation items ranging from assistive computer software to specialized office furniture, as well as trainings for our workforce on how to best support team members with disabilities. The center's team has advised colleagues stationed both here in Washington and in posts around the world on disabilities in the workplace.
Later this month, the Agency will also launch USAID's new Disability Policy focused on advancing empowerment of persons with disabilities across USAID's entire portfolio of work. Importantly, the policy will recognize that representative staffing and the unique perspectives that colleagues with disabilities can offer will immensely strengthen its implementation.
This month and in the year to come, we recommit to expanding support and opportunity for persons with disabilities in the USAID workforce and beyond - and to fully realizing the vision that President Truman first laid out so many years ago.
