Disability Employment Awareness Month (DEAM) is an important time of the year and while our team works on expanding disability employment year-round, October provides a unique opportunity to recognize the contributions people with disabilities make to the workforce, and to spotlight employers who are taking a leadership role in being inclusive. To recap a few highlights:

- Following our Kickoff in Tampa, we held a second celebration at Monin, Inc. where participants heard about their inclusive employment efforts and High School High Tech students were given a tour of their facilities.

- Doug Hilliard, Chief Financial Officer of AdventHealth Central Florida Division – South Region, and Treasurer for The Able Trust Board of Directors wrote an impactful Op-Ed that appeared in the Orlando Sentinel.

- Our team was excited to share information about disability employment in presentations to the Bay County Chamber of Commerce and Daytona Regional Chamber of Commerce.

- We were also pleased to support the Agency for Persons with Disabilities, Blind Services, and Vocational Rehabilitation as they presented Exceptional Employers Awards. During the celebration, employers and their employees with disabilities shared their hiring stories and discussed the benefits of having a more inclusive working environment.

As we celebrated the many contributions Floridians with disabilities make to our workforce, we were excited to see the latest job numbers that show labor force participation rate for people with disabilities increased slightly from 40.3 percent in September 2023 to 40.4 percent in October 2023.

We want to continue this positive trend and we look forward to new opportunities to share the benefits of disability employment with your company. Please feel free to contact me at Allison@abletrust.org to start this important conversation. 

Allison Chase

President & CEO