National Disability Employment Awareness Month
Working people with disabilities superimposed on an abstract, multicolor background

History                    
President George Herbert Walker Bush signs the 1988 bill declaring National Disability Employment Month.
The effort to educate the American public about issues related to disability and employment began in 1945, when Congress enacted a law declaring the first week in October each year "National Employ the Physically Handicapped Week." In 1962, the word "physically" was removed to acknowledge the employment needs and contributions of individuals with all types of disabilities. In 1988, Congress expanded the week to a month and changed the name to "National Disability Employment Awareness Month."

In 1990, President George Herbert Walker Bush signed into law the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Courtesy of Americans with
Disabilities Act (ADA)