Held every October, Disability Employment Awareness Month is a time to celebrate the numerous and diverse contributions of workers with disabilities while also providing an opportunity to educate the public, particularly employers, on issues surrounding disability employment.
Coincidently, October is also Blindness Awareness Month, a campaign close to the hearts of our RISE⢠Team inclusive of individuals who live, work, and thrive with visual impairments.
Past episodes of the RISEā¢Inside podcast have shed light on and highlighted how RISEā¢Robotics and its team members have flourished as a result of inclusive practices, appropriate accommodations, and a mindset that looks beyond impairments or disabilities, shifts the focus to what people can do, and capitalizes on the inherent talent and value of every employee.
Every October, Blindness Awareness Month brings a heightened focus on the community of people who are blind or visually impaired and the realities of living with sight limitations. According to the World Health Organization, the community of people who are visually impaired includes 285 million, while the community of people who are blind includes 39 million.
In recognition of Blindness Awareness Month, RISE⢠is continuing our series, We RISEā¢, where we share stories and experiences of those with disabilities.
Throughout the month, we will be releasing more podcasts and blogs providing insight from leaders who share their expertise, their own challenges and success stories as well as ways in which employers can be more inclusive.
For more information related specifically to Blindness Awareness, please visit the below-listed resources and or reach out to us directly. We're happy to help support you and your business in learning more.
AFB - American Foundation for the Blind
NFB - National Federation of the Blind
CICBVI - Central Illinois Center for the Blind & Visually Impaired
ACB - American Council of the Blind
NTACBVI - National Technical Assistance Center on Blindness and Low Vision
At RISEā¢, we are open to any experience that makes our business, our team, and ourselves better. We RISE⢠supports that culture of diversity, inclusion and adaptation.
In our first release of Blindness Awareness Month, Molly Pasley, Assistant Professor of Special Education at Northern Illinois University in the Visual Disabilities Program, sat down with us to discuss ways in which all employers can shift their mindset, recognize disability bias and discrimination, and create inclusive environments specifically surrounding visual impairments. Listen to the most recent episode with Molly Pasley.