[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 191 (Wednesday, October 4, 2023)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 68431-68432]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-22236]


 
 
                         Presidential Documents 
 
 

  Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 191 / Wednesday, October 4, 2023 / 
Presidential Documents  

[[Page 68431]]


                Proclamation 10637 of September 29, 2023

                
National Disability Employment Awareness Month, 
                2023

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                People with disabilities have long strengthened our 
                economy and expanded our Nation's possibilities. During 
                National Disability Employment Awareness Month, we 
                recognize the immense contributions of disabled 
                Americans, and we recommit to delivering America's full 
                promise of equal dignity, respect, and opportunity for 
                every American.

                I had the honor of helping to pass the Rehabilitation 
                Act in my first year in the United States Senate. Then, 
                in 1990, with the help of activists and bipartisan 
                legislators and under the leadership of Senator Tom 
                Harkin, we passed the Americans with Disabilities Act 
                (ADA)--a groundbreaking civil rights law that banned 
                discrimination against people with disabilities in most 
                areas of public life, including in workplaces, schools, 
                and public transit. I was proud to co-sponsor that law 
                back then and to build on its lasting legacy in the 
                Obama-Biden Administration, including by setting hiring 
                goals for people with disabilities in Federal 
                contracts.

                While the Rehabilitation Act and the ADA made 
                significant strides toward equal opportunity for people 
                with disabilities, there is more work to do. People 
                with disabilities are three times less likely to have a 
                job, and when they do, they are often paid less money 
                for doing the same work.

                Since the start of the my Administration, we have been 
                working hard to promote job opportunities for Americans 
                with disabilities. I truly believe that a workforce 
                that includes people with disabilities is one that is 
                stronger and more effective. And as the Nation's 
                largest employer, the Federal Government has a 
                responsibility to set the standard for fair and decent 
                practices in the workplace. That is why, in my first 
                year in office, I issued an Executive Order to 
                prioritize diversity, equity, inclusion, and 
                accessibility in the Federal Government. That Executive 
                Order directs agencies to identify and remove barriers 
                to hiring and promotion for job applicants and 
                employees with disabilities as well as maximize the 
                accessibility of workplaces.

                My Administration has also ended the use of unfair sub-
                minimum wages in Federal contracts, which previously 
                allowed employers to pay workers with disabilities less 
                than the minimum wage for federally contracted workers. 
                Meanwhile, the Department of Labor is working around 
                the clock to protect the rights of disabled workers on 
                Federal contracts and to promote their competitive 
                integrated employment alongside other similarly 
                situated workers without disabilities. The Office of 
                Disability Employment Policy launched several national 
                online dialogues to solicit broad stakeholder input on 
                the effectiveness of employment programs and services 
                for people from underrepresented groups within the 
                disability community. In addition, we are coordinating 
                with our partners at all levels of government, in the 
                private sector, and in civil society to use Federal 
                funding to provide new employment opportunities to 
                people with disabilities.

                My Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is also funding 
                projects that are lowering transportation barriers that 
                prevent disabled Americans from finding employment. 
                This once-in-a-generation investment in our Nation's 
                infrastructure is making transit and public services 
                more accessible. It includes $1.75 billion to repair 
                and improve accessibility in transit stations across 
                America

[[Page 68432]]

                and $65 billion to expand access to high-speed internet 
                so more disabled Americans can work, study, and stay 
                connected from home. In August, the Department of 
                Justice issued a notice of proposed rulemaking under 
                Title II of the ADA that aims to improve web and mobile 
                applications access for people with disabilities and 
                clarify how public entities--primarily State and local 
                governments--can meet their existing ADA obligations as 
                many of their activities shift online, further breaking 
                down barriers to employment.

                America is the only country in the world founded on an 
                idea: that we are all created equal and deserve to be 
                treated equally throughout our lives. This National 
                Disability Employment Awareness Month, we celebrate all 
                the people with disabilities who have moved our Nation 
                closer to realizing that ideal and, in the process, 
                have made America more prosperous, inclusive, and 
                humane. As we celebrate the progress we have made, may 
                we continue to open the doors of opportunity even wider 
                for people with disabilities by advancing access and 
                equity.

                NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of 
                the United States of America, by virtue of the 
                authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws 
                of the United States, do hereby proclaim October 2023 
                as National Disability Employment Awareness Month. I 
                urge all Americans to embrace the talents and skills of 
                workers with disabilities and to promote the right to 
                equal employment opportunity for all.

                IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this 
                twenty-ninth day of September, in the year of our Lord 
                two thousand twenty-three, and of the Independence of 
                the United States of America the two hundred and forty-
                eighth.
                
                
                    (Presidential Sig.)

[FR Doc. 2023-22236
Filed 10-3-23; 8:45 am]
Billing code 3395-F4-P