Celebrate NDEAM with HDC’s PAY Check program

Do you have plans to celebrate National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM) this October? HDC’s PAY Check program can help you celebrate this national event! We are keen to partner with local organizations and businesses to show your network that workers with disabilities can be loyal and dedicated assets to any team.

About NDEAM

Observed annually in October, National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM) celebrates the contributions of America’s workers with disabilities past and present and showcases supportive, inclusive employment policies and practices. In recognition of the important role people with disabilities play in a diverse and inclusive American workforce, the theme for NDEAM 2022 “Disability: Part of the Equity Equation.”

Partner with PAY Check

Here are just a few ideas on how we can collaborate for NDEAM:

Show your commitment to an inclusive and diverse workforce by partnering with our PAY Check program, which offers post-secondary pathways for young adults with disabilities through college experience, job readiness training, paid internships, and work placements.

• Have PAY Check present at one of your meetings in October
• Host a small job fair where your network can meet and hire PAY Check interns
• Invite a small group of PAY Check interns to your office for a Worksite Visit or Job Shadowing
• Hire a PAY Check participant for a 10-week internship (wages fully reimbursed)
• Share an NDEAM + PAY Check social media post

All ideas unique to your organization are welcome! Contact Jolie Robichaux at jrob44@lsuhsc.edu or 504 556 7524. Get to know our PAY Check participants by following our Facebook or Instagram.

Share APSE resources this month

HDC is proud to join APSE in honoring NDEAM. The Association of People Supporting Employment First (APSE) is the only national membership organization focused exclusively on Employment First to facilitate the full inclusion of people with disabilities in the workplace and community. HDC offers APSE’s Employment First Trainings.

APSE members recognize that everyone has abilities to contribute and their work should be recognized and rewarded with fair pay, creating inclusive workplaces. Employment enriches and adds meaning to every life, and workplaces and communities are enhanced when they embrace differences.

In honor of NDEAM, APSE offers tools, resources, and social media content to support state chapters, members, and other partners in celebrating NDEAM while also elevating Employment First and bringing awareness to the barriers people with disabilities may face in pursuing competitive, integrated employment.