Disability Awareness Month
National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM) celebrates the contributions of America's workers with disabilities past and present and showcases supportive, inclusive employment policies and practices that benefit employers and employees.The 2025 NDEAM theme is "Celebrating Value and Talent". This theme recognizes the contributions of people with disabilities to the American workforce.
Disability Pride Month, which is in March, is dedicated to celebrating people with disabilities, increasing visibility, and fighting ableism. This recognition provides an opportunity to honor the history, achievements, experiences, and struggles of the disability community.
During the month of October, we highlight the various disability categories to deepen our knowledge and understanding of the students with whom we work.
A Fascinating Facts:
The percentage of students receiving special education services varies widely across states. New York serves the largest share of disabled students in the country at 20.5% of its overall public school enrollment. Pennsylvania (20.2%), Maine (20.1%) and Massachusetts (19.3%) serve the next-largest shares. The states serving the lowest shares of disabled students include Texas and Idaho (both 11.7%) and Hawaii (11.3%).
The 7.3 million disabled students in the U.S. made up 15% of national public school enrollment during the 2021-22 school year.
The most common type of disability for students in prekindergarten through 12th grade involves specific learning disabilities.
In the US, approximately 1 in 4 (27%) adults live with a disability. Of those with a disability:
12.1% have a mobility disability with serious difficulty walking or climbing stairs
12.8% have a cognitive disability with serious difficulty concentrating, remembering or making a decision.
- In the United States, nearly 10% of children under the age of 15 have a disability. For children aged 6–14, more than 1 in 10 have a disability, and more than 1 in 20 have a severe disability.
