Lower Colorado Region Observes National Disability Employment Awareness Month

Written by: Doug Hendrix

Ingrid Ricks, New York Times best-selling author, travels the country promoting inclusive employment policies for persons with disabilities. On Wednesday, October 30, Lower Colorado Region employees were provided with a visually acute account of the life challenges faced daily by Ingrid Ricks – a New York Times best-selling author who recently lost her eyesight to retinitis pigmentosa.

Ricks’, who views her storytelling as the key to her own personal healing, chronicles her challenging life accounts as she travels the country delivering keynote addresses to public audiences. Ingrid’s primary goal is to raise awareness about the struggles disabled individual’s face in obtaining meaningful employment opportunities.

“Employment and meaningful interaction are essential to an individual’s sense of purpose and self-worth, ultimately resulting in a happier life,” said Ingrid. “Everyone wants to be treated like a human being and not be labeled as incompetent or physically inferior to others in society.”

Unfortunately, national labor statistics indicate that people with disabilities, often face significant barriers in obtaining gainful employment and thus experience higher unemployment rates. As such, Ingrid travels the country using the power of her personal storytelling to inspire people to go after their dreams and turn their affliction into an asset.

Ingrid, who hails from Seattle, Washington, regularly presents her Healing through Personal Narrative workshops to organizations such as Summer Institutes, School’s Out Washington, the Hugo House and GenPRIDE. Ingrid also routinely delivers keynote talks to the collegiate, business and government sectors – focusing on Harnessing Adversity and Rethinking the Disabilities label.

National Disability Employment Awareness Month

Held each October, National Disability Employment Awareness Month is a national campaign that celebrates the contributions of America’s workers with disabilities. The theme for 2019 is “The Right Talent, Right Now.”

NDEAM emphasizes the importance of inclusive policies and practices to ensure that all Americans who want to work can work, and supports services that enable them to do so. With continued advances in accessible technology, it is easier than ever before for America's employers to hire people with disabilities in high-demand jobs.

Published on November 20, 2019