Happy October!

October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month. It’s a time when we celebrate the value and talent workers with disabilities add to our nation’s workplaces and economy. It’s also when those of us who support people with disabilities reaffirm our commitment to ensuring access to good jobs for all.

At New Hope of Indiana, this is a 12-month commitment. Our vocational services team helps our clients secure meaningful employment, from assessing and investing in job skills, to writing a resume, to preparing for an interview, and finally, assisting with the onboarding process.

It’s important work and we are honored to do it.

People with disabilities are often overlooked in the hiring process. In Indiana, only 37 percent of people with disabilities are employed, compared to 82 percent of Hoosiers without disabilities.

At New Hope, we are determined to reverse this statistic.

This is how I started a recent editorial for Indiana newspapers; unfortunately, we are not aware of any newspaper that has published this editorial, which is extremely disheartening! It also shows why continued advocacy for individuals with disabilities is also something we are determined to do! If you are interested in joining us in our advocacy, let me know. It is important work!

Now for some happy news-we are looking forward to our largest fall festival ever on Halloween! Thanks to everyone who has worked to make this a fun day for all the individuals we serve! It truly takes a village!

I hope you enjoy the rest of this beautiful fall and don’t forget to vote!

Take care-
Allison