JOINT BASE LANGLEY-EUSTIS, Va. –
In 1945, Congress designated the month of October as Disability Employment Awareness Month to recognize employment issues for people with disabilities. It also celebrates their contributions and highlights program efforts to facilitate full integration of disabled individuals into the American workforce.
The Program for People with Disabilities (PPD) is one of Joint Base Langley-Eustis' special-emphasis programs that works with commanders, supervisors and management officials to enhance the employment and advancement opportunities of people with disabilities.
According to Kathy Martinez, assistant secretary of labor for the Office of Disability Employment Policy, this year's theme, "Because We Are EQUAL to the Task," reflects the reality that people with disabilities have the education, training, experience and desire to be successful in the workplace.
"I urge all employers to benefit from the skills of workers with disabilities, including our returning veterans, by giving them a chance to show that they, too, are equal to the task," said Martinez.
The JBLE PPD functions to ensure diversity and equal opportunity are prevalent in the civilian workforce, said Ronald Kommer, JBLE PPD manager.
"People with disabilities bring a unique, yet underrepresented perspective of diversity to the workplace," said Kommer. "In fact, individuals with targeted disabilities, such as blindness, deafness, paralysis, and mental illness, represent only 0.6 percent of the civilian workforce - well below the Department of Defense goal of two percent."
Despite this statistic, Kommer said improvements are being made. The JBLE PPD aims to identify and remove architectural barriers in the workplace, providing management recommendations on reasonable accommodations and assisting, counseling and identifying the needs and concerns of employees or applicants with disabilities.
"As more disabled individuals join the workforce and employers realize their immense value, employment expectations and opportunities will begin to increase," he said. "To ensure this month's theme of 'equal to the task' is realized, we must continue our efforts to enable Americans with disabilities to live and work with unencumbered freedom."
For more information, visit www.dol.gov/odep or call 764-8442.