OKEECHOBEE – October is National Disability Employment Month in Okeechobee County, thanks to a proclamation issued at the Oct. 17 meeting of the Okeechobee County Commission.

Commissioner Frank DeCarlo said the proclamation” reminded me of a young man we have at church, probably 19 or 20.” He said when the young man first showed up, he suspected he was just there for the food. But that assumption was incorrect, DeCarlo continued. “He wanted to be plugged in.”

He said the young man became a parking lot attendant. “He’s probably our number one volunteer, the first one there, the last one to leave,” DeCarlo explained. “I think he feels valued, part of something that matters.”

Shannon Wilson, Helping People Succeed program manager, thanked Okeechobee County community and business leaders for their help in employing individuals with disabilities.

“They want to be included. They should be. They are the same as you and I. They have the same rights,” said Wilson. “Our goal is to help them become part of the community.”

According to the county staff report, the history of National Disability Employment Awareness Month began in 1945 when Congress enacted a law declaring the first week in October each year “National Employ the Physically Handicapped Week.” In 1962, the word “physically” was removed to acknowledge the employment needs and contributions of individuals with all types of disabilities. In 1988, Congress expanded the week to a month and changed the name to National Disability Employment Awareness Month. The purpose of National Disability Employment Awareness Month is to educate the public about disability employment issues and celebrate the many and varied contributions of America's workers with disabilities; and this year’s theme “Access to Good Jobs for All," speaks to the commitment to expand the number of employment opportunities for people with disabilities and the quality of those opportunities.