Blog, Employment, Life Skills, Success Stories

Don’t Miss These October National Disability Employment Awareness Month Events

Meet recruiters, work on your resume and learn tips from pros at United Spinal’s National Disability Employment Awareness Month events.

Black man in suit and tie
Lesly St. Louis is excited to help United Spinal members achieve their employment goals.

Lesly St. Louis is excited about National Disability Employment Awareness Month. “It’s great that we have a month to recognize the importance and impact that we have on employment for various reasons,” says St. Louis, Director of Employment and DEI Programs for United Spinal Association. “The strongest impact people with disabilities have is the ability to be innovative through their lived experience. And I believe that diversity and inclusion together drive innovation because it lets people from different walks of life come to the table and strategize.”

After all, having a disability is just one characteristic of a potential employee, says St. Louis, a wheelchair user with spina bifida. “Some of us are African-American, or LGBT+, or white, you name it. We are part of that broader community. A potential employer is not just speaking to a person with a disability but to a person who is a father, married, or part of all kinds of communities.”

But finding receptive employers is just one hurdle. Another steeper, more pernicious barrier is the fear that settles in with disability that employment may not be possible. Or if it is, it may not be worth the risk to their benefits or health care eligibility. This causes many people with disabilities to wonder if employment is worth the effort.

“We work to sustain or improve quality of life. If a job’s not doing that for you, what’s the point,” says St. Louis. “That’s the conversation I have with members. They want to work, but they may have caretakers, meds, and so on to sustain their quality of life and fear if they pursue employment, they’re at risk of jeopardizing their quality of life.” That is where the education piece comes in, and St. Louis says United’s Pathways to Employment program will focus on navigating those concerns.

View this year’s NDEAM archive:

Watch the videos from this year’s National Disability Employment Awareness Month webinars

 

Visit United’s Pathways to Employment webpage for more information.