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Disability Awareness Month

October 05, 2021
Submitted By: Disabilities Affinity Network

October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM). The University of Hartford Disabilities Affinity Network celebrates NDEAM this week focusing on the topic of Acceptance and Inclusion.

What is Disability Inclusion?

According to the CDC, “including people with disabilities in everyday activities and encouraging them to have roles similar to their peers who do not have a disability is disability inclusion. This involves more than simply encouraging people; it requires making sure that adequate policies and practices are in effect in a community or organization.”

“Disability affects approximate 61 million, or nearly 1 in 4 (26%) people in the United States living in communities. Disability affects more than one billion people worldwide.”

As described by the CDC, Nearly everyone faces hardships and difficulties at one time or another. But for people with disabilities, barriers can be more frequent and have greater impact. The World Health Organization (WHO) describes barriers as being more than just physical obstacles. Here is the WHO definition of barriers:

“Factors in a person’s environment that, through their absence or presence, limit functioning and create disability. These include aspects such as:

  • a physical environment that is not accessible,
  • lack of relevant assistive technology (assistive, adaptive, and rehabilitative devices),
  • negative attitudes of people towards disability,
  • services, systems and policies that are either nonexistent or that hinder the involvement of all people with a health condition in all areas of life.”

By removing these physical and attitudinal barriers, it ensures inclusion of individuals with disabilities.

https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/disabilityandhealth/index.html

Students with disabilities can request accommodations through Access-Ability Services. More information can be found at www.hartford.edu/access-ability

This UNote is sponsored by the UHart Disabilities Affinity Network.

For questions about the Disabilities Affinity Network contact Ben Ide bide@hartford.edu or Dave Stender stender@hartford.edu