WHEREAS, October 2024 marks the 79th anniversary of National Disability Employment Awareness Month; and 

WHEREAS, workplaces across our state that are welcoming of the talents of all people, including people with disabilities, are critical to healthy communities and a strong economy; and

WHEREAS, while the employment of persons with disabilities ages 16 to 64 in Maine has seen significant gains, it is still far less than the percentage of Maine people without disabilities; and

WHEREAS, it is important that the State of Maine prepare all youth, including those with disabilities, for meaningful careers and an adulthood that includes employment; and

WHEREAS, Maine is an Employment First state, which requires that state agencies providing services to people with disabilities, including those with autism, intellectual/developmental disability, behavioral health, blindness and other sensory needs, offer employment as the first and preferred option; and

WHEREAS, activities during this month will reinforce the value and talent people with disabilities add to our workplaces and communities and affirm Maine’s commitment to increasing access to good jobs for all workers, including workers with a disability; and

WHEREAS, the Maine Department of Labor provides trainings to employers to better support the inclusion of employees who are Deaf or hard of hearing and also provides employment support services to jobseekers who are Deaf or hard of hearing; and

WHEREAS, the State of Maine pledges to continue to take steps throughout the year to recruit, hire, retain, and advance individuals with disabilities and work to pursue the goals of opportunity, full participation, economic self-sufficiency, and independent living for people with disabilities;

NOW, THEREFORE, be it resolved that I, Janet T. Mills, Governor of the State of Maine, do hereby proclaim the month of October 2024 as

Disability Employment Awareness Month

throughout the State of Maine, and I call upon employers, schools, and other community organizations in Maine to observe October with appropriate programs and activities and to ensure that workers with a disability have access to good jobs every month of every year.

In testimony whereof, I have caused the Great Seal of the State to be hereunto affixed GIVEN under my hand at Augusta this second day of October Two Thousand Twenty-Four