Each October, National Disability Employment Awareness Month gives us an opportunity to celebrate the many contributions people with disabilities make in workplaces across America—and to recognize the importance of creating opportunities for everyone to use their talents and abilities.
At Mays Mission for the Handicapped, this message is especially close to our hearts. For more than 50 years, we have believed in a simple but powerful principle expressed by our founder, E.W. Mays:
“It’s ability, not disability, that counts!”
That belief continues to guide our work today, especially through our on-the-job training program for individuals with disabilities.
More Than a Job
Employment is about much more than earning a paycheck. A job can provide independence, confidence, purpose, friendships and the satisfaction of knowing that your work matters.
Unfortunately, people with disabilities can still face barriers when seeking meaningful employment. Sometimes those barriers are physical, but other times they come from misconceptions about what a person with a disability can accomplish.
Our on-the-job training program is designed to help break down those barriers by providing individuals with disabilities the opportunity to learn practical job skills in a supportive work environment.
Participants gain valuable experience while developing skills, confidence and good work habits that can help them become more independent and successful. Just as importantly, they are given an opportunity to show what they can do.
We see ability in action every day as individuals work together, learn new tasks, overcome challenges and take pride in a job well done.
Opportunity Can Change a Life
National Disability Employment Awareness Month is also a reminder to employers and communities that inclusion doesn’t have to be complicated. Sometimes it begins with something as simple as giving someone an opportunity.
When employers look beyond a disability and recognize an individual’s talents, determination and potential, everyone benefits. Workplaces gain dedicated employees, communities become stronger, and individuals have greater opportunities to build the lives they want for themselves.
At Mays Mission, we are proud of the men and women who participate in our training program and of everything they accomplish. Their work reminds us that a disability should never automatically determine what someone is capable of achieving.
This October, we encourage everyone to celebrate the contributions of workers with disabilities and to consider how we can create more welcoming and accessible workplaces in our own communities.
Because after more than five decades, the words of E.W. Mays continue to express what we see every day:
“It’s ability, not disability, that counts!”
Ability in Action
Through on-the-job training, scholarships, summer camp opportunities, accessibility assistance and other programs, Mays Mission continues working to help individuals with disabilities pursue greater independence and opportunity.
Together, we can help turn ability into opportunity.
