RALEIGH — October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month, and the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services is committed to raising awareness of the contributions made by employees with disabilities through its continued focus on building a strong and inclusive workforce across North Carolina.
The purpose of Disability Employment Awareness Month is to educate employers and the public about disability employment issues and to honor the contributions, skills and talents of America’s workers with disabilities — a purpose shared by NCDHHS. Disability Employment Awareness Month is also a time for celebrating the disability-inclusive employers across North Carolina whose commitment to diverse hiring practices is demonstrated every day as they continue to enhance their workforce by hiring people with disabilities.
For more than 100 years, the vocational rehabilitation program has helped North Carolinians with disabilities explore, prepare for, find and keep jobs in the community. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about one in four people living in the United States has some type of disability. Annually, North Carolina’s vocational rehabilitation programs serve more than 25,000 clients, including those with physical, sensory, intellectual and developmental disabilities, as well as behavioral health and substance use disorders, helping them to overcome disability-related barriers to successful employment.
“There is enormous mutual benefit for employers and candidates with disabilities who want to work,” said Chris Egan, assistant secretary of Employment and Inclusion. “Our workforce development and employer partnerships are key to creating equal opportunities for individuals with disabilities so all North Carolinians, who choose to, can successfully enter the workforce.”
In the U.S., the unemployment rate for working-age people with disabilities — those between the ages of 16 to 64 — is double that of people without disabilities. Last year, more than 4,000 clients with disabilities successfully exited the vocational rehabilitation program in competitive integrated employment. Our vocational rehabilitation team also partners with businesses statewide, providing a variety of no-cost services, like recruitment and onboarding support, retention services to keep valuable employees who acquire a disability on the job, as well as training and technical assistance for employers who want to build a diverse, disability inclusive workforce.
“Choice and inclusion are essential to building a strong workforce in North Carolina,” said Kelly Crosbie, director of the NC Division of Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities, and Substance Use Services. “We are dedicated to promoting the supports and services people need to secure fulfilling work and independence.”
North Carolina’s recently approved launch of Medicaid expansion on Dec. 1 will benefit a vast number of the state’s residents, including those with disabilities. In addition, there is $5 million over two years in the state’s budget to support a pilot program that will place vocational rehabilitation counselors in community colleges to support youth with intellectual and developmental disabilities. NCDHHS’s Division of Vocational Rehabilitation Services was also recently awarded a grant (formerly known as the NCSWTCIE grant) to implement a pilot project that provides an enhanced array of CIE services for people with I/DD in partnership with local provider and industry partners.
The newly launched Inclusion Works initiative is a key component of the ongoing efforts NCDHHS is making to enhance its services for people with disabilities. Inclusion Works encompasses existing, successful programs that help people with intellectual and other developmental disabilities prepare for and achieve competitive integrated employment. The following services are offered to help people with I/DD find and maintain jobs in the community:
- Pre-Employment Transition Services
- Career Counseling
- Employment Assessments and Career Planning
- Job Training
- Internships
For information on advancing access during NDEAM, visit the U.S. Department of Labor’s National Disability Employment Awareness Month website.
