The mission of AWS Foundation is to support individuals with enduring intellectual, developmental, and physical disabilities to live as independently as possible. To that end, sometimes, our major initiatives feel daunting. Housing…Transportation…Employment.

As discussed in this issue, people with disabilities are both underemployed and unemployed at higher rates than those without disabilities. So, what IS the Foundation’s connection to employment for those we serve? I thought this might be a good opportunity to share some of the grants and initiatives that we have been involved in the last year or so in the area of employment.

Many of our Vantage Grant recipients had some component of community integrated employment in their plan. Arc of Wabash purchased a coffee house, ramped up their shredding business, and expanded their pre-employment transition services for high school students. Carey Services opened the Empower Academy, which is designed to teach specific skills for high need areas of employment (manufacturing, hospitality, culinary, and more).

Blue Jacket continues to run its Blue Jacket Academy, designed to teach basic employability skills and place underserved students in jobs, both internally and in the community.

In October, Americans observe National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM) by highlighting the importance of disability-inclusive hiring. We take this month to emphasize inclusion in the workplace, ensuring equal opportunity for people with disabilities. This year’s official theme for NDEAM is “Access to Good Jobs for All.” Assistant Secretary for Disability Employment Policy Taryn M. Williams states, “Good jobs change lives and all workers – including disabled people – deserve the opportunity to prepare for success in high-quality, good-paying jobs in workplaces free of discrimination.”

NDEAM can be traced back to 1945, shortly after the end of World War II. Disabled veterans who returned from war faced many challenges – including employment. To aid our veterans, Congress enacted Public Law 176 – declaring the first week of October as National Employ the Physically Handicapped Week. The movement continued to grow throughout the years, and disability rights became more widely understood. In 1962, the word “physically” was taken out of the title to include people with both visible and invisible disabilities. It wouldn’t be until 1988 that Congress expanded the week-long observance to the full month – renaming it National Disability Employment Awareness Month as we know it today. Although the name of the cause has changed throughout the years, its goal has remained the same. 

Most recently, in September of 2024, the U.S. Department of Labor released a report that stated 37.5 % of people with disabilities between the ages of 16-64 years old were employed in America. Compared to the 2023 statistic of the same demographic, 37.1%, we’ve seen a positive growth. However, the unemployment rate has also increased from 7.7% to 7.9%. Employment for people without disabilities, ages 16-64 years old, was reported at 75% with an unemployment rate of 3.8% - half of what it is for people with disabilities.  

Employees with disabilities offer diversity, talent, and unique perspectives to the workplace. At the same time, having a job provides them with financial, social, and professional independence. This year we focus on expanding the workforce to offer more job opportunities for the disabled community.  Disability inclusion within the workplace goes beyond hiring, it promotes a work culture that values and encourages all employees for their strengths. NDEAM reminds us yearly that while progress has been made, we must continue to advocate for disability rights.

Indianadisabilityresourcefinder.org is an online resource designed to collect and organize contact and service information from providers across Indiana, giving you 24/7 access to the community resources aimed to improve your quality of life. The site is always in need of professionals, volunteers and organizations to contribute to our growing list of services and information.

There are three ways to become a resource for the FINDER community:

1. Share a link to a helpful website or service.

2. Upload an informative article or video.

3. Join FINDER as a Service Provider.

A simple four-step registration process for new FINDER contributors and providers is available at IndianaDisabilityResourceFINDER.org. All submissions are reviewed and verified prior to publication.

You can also claim a listing that already exists. Go to IndianaDisabilityResourceFINDER.org and search for your organization. On the provider page, you will see the following button:

Click that button and follow the instructions to claim. It's that easy!

We are happy to have members of the community use our universally designed meeting space for free. Periodically we supply the Community Food Pantries set up by Forward Indiana. We have a bin in our office to take donations for these pantries. If you're using our space and your group would like to help, bring us nonperishable food, hygiene items, formula, or winter supplies (hats, gloves, scarves, or hot hands) and we will be sure these valuable pantries are restocked.