Celebrate Disability Employment Awareness Month at these CHPL Events

National Disability Employment Awareness Month is held each October since 1988 and is a time to celebrate and educate the many contributions of America’s diverse workforce. This year's theme is “Disability: Part of the Equity Equation.”

To join in the celebration, CHPL is highlighting three public figures:
• Alice Wong, Activist & Founder
• Ludwig van Beethoven, Composer & Musician
• Marisa Conners, Local Fashion Designer

Visit any of our 41 neighborhood branches to find displays featuring these three figures with materials to borrow and free bookmarks linking to even more stories to explore.

Ways to Celebrate

Throughout National Disability Employment Awareness Month, CHPL is hosting free in-person and virtual events:

Documentary Screening of Crip Camp
Join Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati (ETC) at our Deer Park Branch for a screening of Crip Cramp on October 9 from 1:30-4:30 p.m., opens a new window This documentary focuses on the 1970s experience of teenagers with disabilities who met at Camp Jened and turned their summers of liberation and inclusion into a movement for Disability Rights.

Prior to the screening, get a sneak peek at CHPL’s Next Generation Library plan, expanding access in libraries across Cincinnati and Hamilton County, as well as ETC’s accessible performing arts opportunities. Following the film, we'll discuss ableism and access in modern cultural institutions, such as CHPL and ETC. This event is part of the National Endowment for the Arts Big Read: Greater Cincinnati 2022-2023, featuring author and activist Rebekah Taussig and her book Sitting Pretty: The View from My Ordinary Resilient Disabled Body, opens a new window.

Opportunities for Ohioans with Disabilities – Employment is in Your Future
Looking for a job is tough enough without facing additional challenges. Join this virtual presentation on October 12 from 4-5 p.m. as we discuss the following:

Local Opportunities for Ohioans with Disabilities Resources
Hiring Process Tips
Employee Rights & Accommodations
Resources for National Disability Employment Awareness Month

JOB Readiness: Tools for Building Pathways to Employment

Attend three sessions hosted by The Center for Disability Empowerment as they share tools and resources that promote self-determination in children with disabilities as they develop and transition from childhood to young adulthood.

The three sessions, on October 6, 13, and 20 from 6-8 p.m., opens a new window will cover:

Linking play & leisure skills to future employment, independent living & achieving the good life.
Leveraging your school age Transition Planning IEP Team. Tips to prepare & empower parents/guardians with “Need to know” information.
Discovery & Customized Employment

Get a head start on celebrating Disability Employment Awareness Month with these material lists for kids, teens, and adults picked by CHPL staff.