National Disability Employment Awareness Month, 2012

Proclamation 8876 of October 1, 2012

National Disability Employment Awareness Month,
2012

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

In the 22 years since the signing of the Americans with
Disabilities Act, we have made significant progress in
giving all Americans the freedom to make of our lives
what we will. Yet, in times of prosperity as well as
challenge, people with disabilities have had fewer
opportunities in our workplaces than those without. As
we work to revitalize our economy, it is essential that
each of us can bring our talents, expertise, and
passion to bear in the marketplace. But a stronger
economy is not enough; we must ensure not only full
participation, but also full opportunity. During
National Disability Employment Awareness Month, we
recognize the indispensable contributions people with
disabilities make in our economy and recommit to
building a country where each of us can realize the
full extent of our dreams.

Because America's workforce should reflect the
diversity of its people--including people with
disabilities--my Administration remains committed to
helping our businesses, schools, and communities
support our entire workforce. To meet this challenge,
the Federal Government must be a model employer. That
is why I was proud to sign an Executive Order in 2010
that called on Federal agencies to increase
recruitment, hiring, and retention of people with
disabilities. In 2012, the Office of Personnel
Management reported on our progress, revealing that we
are moving toward meeting our goal of hiring an
additional 100,000 people with disabilities into the
Federal workforce over 5 years. Today, more people with
disabilities work for the Federal Government than at
any time in the past 20 years, and we are striving to
make it easier to get and keep those jobs by improving
compliance with Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act.

All Americans are entitled to an accessible workplace,
a level playing field, and the same privileges,
pursuits, and opportunities as any of their family,
friends, and neighbors. This month, let us rededicate
ourselves to bringing down barriers and raising up
aspirations for all our people, regardless of
disability, so we may share in a brighter future
together.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the
United States of America, by virtue of the authority
vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the
United States, do hereby proclaim October 2012 as
National Disability Employment Awareness Month. I urge
all Americans to embrace the talents and skills that
individuals with disabilities bring to our workplaces
and communities and to promote the right to equal
employment opportunity for all people.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this
first day of October, in the year of our Lord two
thousand twelve, and of the Independence of the United
States of America the two hundred and thirty-seventh.