WHEREAS, National Disability Employment Awareness Month is a national campaign that raises awareness about disability employment issues and celebrates the many and varied contributions of America's workers with disabilities; and
WHEREAS, The effort to educate the public concerning issues related to disability and employment began in 1945, when Congress enacted a law acknowledging in the first week in October 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"; and
WHEREAS, The Mayor's Commission on People with Disabilities celebrates National Disability Awareness with among other things an Annual Access Achievement Awards breakfast to acknowledge and encourage the community of people with disabilities to strive for the best in life; and
WHEREAS, More than 20 years after the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act, individuals with disabilities, including injured veterans, are making immeasurable contributions to workplaces across our country; and
WHEREAS, The United States Department of Labor estimates that 20.7% of the national labor force includes persons with disabilities we continue to ensure, as a nation, that both people with disabilities and their employers expect that they will fully participate in our workplaces. People with disabilities offer a wide-variety of skills and abilities to employers, with a level of loyalty that cannot be surpassed; and
WHEREAS, By nurturing the expectation that people with disabilities will contribute in every way to our economic successes and providing people with disabilities with unlimited employment opportunities, we can all benefit from their talents; now therefore
RESOLVED, THAT THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, Acknowledges the skills, contributions and employment needs of individuals with disabilities by declaring October as Disability Employment Awareness Month in Philadelphia.
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