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In Tennessee, October Proclaimed Disability Employment Awareness Month

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Governor Phil Bredesen has designated October as the month to generate awareness about the talents and abilities of Tennessee’s citizens with disabilities.

“Workers with Disabilities: Talent for a Winning Team” is the theme of the 2007 National Disability Employment Awareness Month. The theme calls attention to an untapped personnel resource in this country - persons with disabilities.

“Tennesseans with disabilities represent an underutilized reservoir of ambition, talent and skill,” said Bredesen. “I hope employers across Tennessee will be reminded by Disability Awareness Month of the contributions these individuals stand ready to make in the workplace.” The Division of Rehabilitation Services (DRS) within the Department of Human Services provides vocational rehabilitation services to Tennesseans with disabilities to help them maximize their contribution to the workforce. Approximately 3,000 individuals with the most significant disabilities were employed after completing rehabilitation programs during fiscal year 2006-07. Some of the challenges faced by these individuals include: traumatic brain injury, blindness and mobility impairments. “Tennessee’s businesses benefit when they provide employment opportunities for Tennesseans with disabilities. They gain talent and a broader, valuable perspective,” said Human Services Commissioner Gina Lodge.

Vocational rehabilitation offices across the state as well as seventeen Tennessee Rehabilitation Centers located in rural communities and the residential comprehensive Tennessee Rehabilitation Center at Smyrna provide numerous services to clients, including vocational training, physical or occupational therapy and transitional life skills.