Presidential Documents

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


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68432 Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 191 / Wednesday, October 4, 2023 / Presidential Documents 

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. 

[FR Doc. 2023–22236 

Filed 10–3–23; 8:45 am] 

Billing code 3395–F4–P 


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