The month of October is National Disability Em-ployment Awareness Month and to show support for disabled Americans I encourage all of us to recognize these worthy contributions to our communities and to be aware of this important issue.

Although we have come a long way, disabled persons in many cases are still not given fair access to employment. I believe the right to work is a fundamental right of every American, including the 54 million people in this country living with disabilities.

The month of October honors these men and women who live with disabilities and are working or want to work within their communities. I would like to further celebrate this month by raising awareness of the Ability One Program, the largest source of employment for this population.  The program is administered by the Com-mittee for Purchase from People Who Are Blind or Severely Disabled, an independent Federal agency, with assistance from National Industries for the Blind (NIB) and NISH-Creating Employment Op-portunities for People with Severe Disabilities.

Other examples of some of the organizations that are helping to create employment opportunities for people with disabilities include The Seeing Hand Association, Inc., a member of the National Industries for the Blind, which offers an innovative array of specialized services for blind and visually impaired individuals throughout the state.  Goodwill Industries is another group that provides education, training and career services for people with physical, mental and emotional disabilities. In 2008, local Goodwills collectively provided employment and training services to more than 1.525 million individuals. Both the American Foundation for the Blind and the National Federation for the Blind have chapters in Huntington and around the state where they work with individuals with disabilities to improve their lives through advocacy, education, and career programs. These organizations work to educate the public on the ability of those with disabilities to succeed and thrive within employment settings.

I would also like to recognize the Disability Celebration and Awareness Forum, which took place on October 21st in Bluefield. This forum created an opportunity to highlight the ingenuity and perseverance of people with disabilities.  This event also provided many different types of resources for men and women with disabilities and their families.  

A distinguished part of the disabled population is the group of men and women who became disabled through serving our great nation in uniform. All too often these veterans are faced with many monumental challenges as they return home. Through supporting organizations like the ones mentioned above, we can take one step closer to ensuring that finding a job is not one of those challenges and that our disabled veterans are always able to get good jobs.

The more people know about the capabilities of people with disabilities to work and lead independent lives, the more we can shatter stereotypes and misperceptions. However, there is more that needs to be done to spread the awareness that hiring people with disabilities is good for businesses in West Virginia. For example, seven out of ten working age Americans who are blind are not employed.

I know employers can make a difference.  Two years ago, one of my staff employees became disabled after a fall in his home injured his spinal cord.   He’s now back at work and continues on the road to recovery with the help of accommodations I’m pleased to say the House of Representatives made for him at my request.  From help getting his transportation past security checkpoints to getting his wheelchair into the office, from designing his workstation to accommodating his workout routine, the House answered my requests affirmatively.  This month he was recognized by his state vocational rehabilitation program for his accomplishment of returning to work.

All of us face battles -- many of us face more than our fair share.  Today serves as a reminder of that truth.  It is a truth we as a society must respect and must work to make right so that people who are willing to work hard are able to do so.  

 There is more than abundant evidence here that despite all odds against it, the human spirit is a difficult, if not impossible, flame to snuff out.  The courage of disabled Americans is contagious and their successes empower all of us to be better individuals, better community members, and better Americans.

 Please join me in supporting them through recognizing October as the National Disability Em-ployment Awareness Month and encouraging our communities to give disabled Americans fair access to employment.