National Disability Employment Awareness Month, 2013

Proclamation 9030 of September 30, 2013

National Disability Employment Awareness Month,
2013

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

Our Nation has always drawn its strength from the
differences of our people, from a vast range of
thought, experience, and ability. Every day, Americans
with disabilities enrich our communities and
businesses. They are leaders, entrepreneurs, and
innovators, each with unique talents to contribute and
points of view to express. During National Disability
Employment Awareness Month, we nurture our culture of
diversity and renew our commitment to building an
American workforce that offers inclusion and
opportunity for all.

Since the passage of the Americans with Disabilities
Act, we have made great progress in removing barriers
for hardworking Americans. Yet today, only 20 percent
of Americans with disabilities, including veterans who
became disabled while serving our country, participate
in our labor force. We need their talent, dedication,
and creativity, which is why my Administration proudly
supports increased employment opportunities for people
with disabilities. To that end, I remain dedicated to
implementing Executive Order 13548, which called on
Federal agencies to increase recruitment, hiring, and
retention of people with disabilities. As a result of
our efforts, the Federal Government is hiring people
with disabilities at a higher rate than at any point in
over three decades. Most recently, we updated the rules
to make sure Federal contractors and subcontractors are
doing more to recruit, hire, and promote qualified
individuals with disabilities, including disabled
veterans. And thanks to the Affordable Care Act, States
are taking advantage of new options to support and
expand home and community-based services.

In the years to come, I will remain committed to
ensuring the Federal Government leads by example. This
year, as we mark the 40th anniversary of the
Rehabilitation Act, I will continue to marshal the full
resources of my Administration toward effective and
comprehensive implementation.

If we swing wide the doors of opportunity for our
family, friends, and neighbors with disabilities, all
of us will enjoy the benefits of their professional
contributions. This month, let us uphold the ideals of
equal access, equal opportunity, and a level playing
field for all Americans.

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 2013 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
thirtieth day of September, in the year of our Lord two
thousand thirteen, and of the Independence of the
United States of America the two hundred and thirty-
eighth.