October is recognized as Disability Awareness Month, a time dedicated to increasing understanding, recognition, and celebration of people with disabilities and their contributions to society. The campaign promotes inclusion, equal opportunities, and highlights the importance of removing barriers for individuals with all types of disabilities.​
Disability Awareness Month, including National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM), is observed every October across the United States. The campaign honors the value, talent, and unique contributions of people with disabilities in communities, schools, and workplaces. First established as a week-long observance in 1945, it was expanded to a month in 1988 to recognize the achievements and inclusion of people with all types of disabilities, not just physical disabilities.​
A disability is often defined as any physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities, such as walking, seeing, hearing, speaking, learning, or working. Disabilities can be visible or invisible, congenital (present at birth) or acquired later in life, and may be permanent or temporary. According to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), disability is a natural part of the human experience. It does not diminish a person’s right to participate fully in all aspects of community life.​
Disability includes a wide range of conditions that affect how people move, communicate, learn, or interact with others.​
Disability is diverse and can be understood in several ways:
Types of Disabilities: These may include physical disabilities (such as mobility challenges), sensory disabilities (including hearing or vision loss), intellectual or developmental disabilities, mental health conditions, chronic illnesses, and neurological disabilities.​
Visible and Invisible Disabilities: Some disabilities—such as the use of a wheelchair or a white cane—are easy to see. Others—such as learning disabilities, chronic pain, or mental health conditions—are invisible.​
Models of Disability: The “medical model” focuses on the impairment itself, viewing disability as something to be fixed. The “social model” sees disability as a result of societal barriers and attitudes, emphasizing that removing barriers and promoting inclusion creates a more accessible world for everyone.​
Dimensions: The World Health Organization describes three main dimensions: impairments (problems in body function or structure), activity limitations (difficulties doing tasks), and participation restrictions (issues with involvement in life situations).​