| The campaign stretches back fifty years, bringing | | | | standard, dealing with circumstances including testing |
| awareness to the public about the role that individuals | | | | accommodations, transportation and classroom |
| with disabilities can play in the workplace and within | | | | accessibility. Section 504 also prohibited discrimination |
| society. The origins of the initiative were to | | | | in the admissions process based on a student's |
| encourage employers to not make decisions based | | | | disability.The scope of protections was vastly |
| on stereotypes, and to give them equal consideration | | | | expanded by the Americans with Disabilities Act |
| in job searches.In 1945, Congress set aside the first | | | | (ADA) in 1990. The ADA addressed workplace |
| week of October as "National Employ the Physically | | | | discrimination, preventing employers from |
| Handicapped Week," and later in 1962, they removed | | | | discriminating against individuals with disabilities in hiring |
| the word "physically" to include other disabilities. The | | | | practices when the applicant was otherwise qualified |
| week was expanded to a month-long awareness | | | | for the job. It also required businesses to take steps |
| campaign in 1988. The campaign was designed not | | | | to make their facilities accessible to any person, |
| only to address stereotypes, but promote the laws | | | | within a reasonable cost and effort. The Act installed |
| that discourage discriminatory practices in hiring and | | | | financial penalties for bad faith non-compliance, but |
| other areas.Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of | | | | encouraged voluntary compliance first.National |
| 1973 was the first law to directly address | | | | Disability Employment Awareness Month is a |
| discrimination against individuals with disabilities. It was | | | | campaign that is applicable to all areas of society, |
| designed to prevent discriminatory practices by any | | | | beyond employment and higher education and into |
| programs or activities that received federal funds to | | | | businesses and social interactions. One of the most |
| support their program. That included employment | | | | important concepts that comes out of this |
| within the federal government, and colleges and | | | | awareness is that not all disabilities are physical, and |
| universities receiving federal funding (financial aid.)Out | | | | not all disabilities are readily detectable when you first |
| of Section 504 came the "reasonable | | | | meet a person. It is important, therefore, to separate |
| accommodation" standard that is common practice | | | | the person from their disability, to not make |
| for educational institutions, and now also workplace | | | | assumptions about someone based solely upon what |
| environments, in determining appropriate | | | | you might have heard, or see at a glance. One month |
| accommodations for persons with disabilities. | | | | of heightened awareness can lead to a year-around |
| Essentially, students with disabilities must be provided | | | | support for full inclusion and acceptance.--- |
| the same opportunity to participate in campus | | | | Andrew Marx writes articles on topics including |
| programming, both academic and social. There is a | | | | personal finance and higher education, emphasizing a |
| whole range of best practices that apply this | | | | practical and informed approach to his ideas. |