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October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM), and here at Ablr, it is consistently one of our busiest and most meaningful months of the year. We have spent the month traveling to multiple conferences across the country, attending virtual job fairs and webinars and presenting on calls and podcasts about why this month matters so much to us. It represents our mission of helping people with disabilities find meaningful careers, finding confidence with more independence, and partnering with organizations ready to create truly inclusive workplaces.
This month has been a whirlwind. From the M-Enabling Summit in Washington, D.C., where we met dedicated accessibility leaders, to the DisabilityIN North Carolina conference in Charlotte celebrating safe spaces for individuals to thrive, the energy around inclusion is at an all time high. But instead of the big presentations and conferences, we found that the real change was happening in the small day-to-day conversations across multiple companies and industries. This is creating a wave of change that is starting because we are all coming to the same agreement, that everyone deserves a safe and inclusive place to work.
We also had the privilege of visiting a local high school in Raleigh, where students shared fresh, creative ideas on how to reach out and provide more inclusive solutions for their peers. Seeing the next generation lead with empathy and understanding is a powerful reminder of why this work matters. The future is looking so bright!
We celebrated community spirit at the Governor Morehead School for the Blind homecoming parade, and we’ve connected with other organizations with similar missions and walked with friends to support the work that every school for the blind has which is to give top tier education to their students.
Yet, even as we look at the big picture of workforce development, true inclusion often comes down to the smallest moments of human connection.
The Power of the Positivity Table
During the NC Works Partnership Conference, we wanted to try something a little different at the Ablr booth. We created The Positivity Table. As people passed by, we invited them to write down a simple message to lift someone else up. Honestly, I was nervous at first. I did not know if random people would want to take the time to stop and share something that could be so personal?
I couldn’t have been more wrong. I am proud to say that we quickly became one of the busiest booths, and it was one of our busiest ever! Pretty soon, we were rearranging materials as the grid of sticky notes expanded across the table. Attendees began looking specifically for the Positivity Table, stopping to read through the collective encouragement left by their peers.
The notes were as diverse as the crowd itself, ranging from lighthearted shout-outs like one celebrating a good lunch from Popeyes to profound notes of resilience, such as a simple reminder acknowledging, “I made it here today.”
We Are All in This Together
It is easy in today’s world to feel overwhelmed by heavy news or isolated in our daily routines. But the Positivity Table served as a powerful reminder that we are all in this together. We are all trying our best.
The global workforce and the accessibility movement can sometimes feel like massive, complex systems, but progress is the key to humanity, and we are seeing a lot of it. Whether we are meeting with corporate partners about digital accessibility, participating in it!
The world is much more united than we often think. Positivity is out there, sometimes people just need a welcoming space to share it.
As NDEAM comes to a close, I hope everyone attending these conferences and reading this post will keep sharing messages of hope with everyone they meet. You will be genuinely surprised by how many positive interactions are waiting for you just around the corner.
The Momentum Never Stops
While National Disability Employment Awareness Month technically ends in October, the message and the mission never stop. Disability employment awareness isn’t a 31-day campaign, it is an all-year-round commitment to building an equitable workforce.
Here at Ablr, we are here to help you keep that momentum going every single day. We continuously strive to do better, innovate further, and support organizations and candidates alike so that everyone feels truly included and every person with a disability can work, thrive, and succeed.