D.R.E.A.M.

New York State Capitol
Second Floor
Monday - Friday
7:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m.

In October, we celebrate National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM), a national movement that promotes and advocates hiring people with disabilities. New York has expanded this focus into D.R.E.A.M. to focus on a distinctive disability rights movement that has provided opportunities, protections, and services to succeed in the workforce. This year’s NDEAM theme “Access to Good Jobs for All” underscores a “commitment to expanding the number and quality of employment opportunities” for people with disabilities.

This exhibition highlights the individuals, groups, and legislation that gave rise to moments in New York history that changed the lives of disabled people and continue to affect them.

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There is a long history of segregating people with disabilities from society by confining them in institutions or blocking their access to services needed to live and work. Institutionalization was a state-supported system of confining people with disabilities in overcrowded and unhygienic institutions. An inside look at the horrendous conditions of the Willowbrook State School on Staten Island caused a public outcry in 1972 to close such institutions and support the creation of independent living centers.

After 1972, protests across the nation increased. In 1978, nineteen people got out of their wheelchairs and stopped traffic at a busy intersection in Colorado to protest the inaccessibility of the public transportation system.

This eventually led to the creation of what is known today as ADAPT (American Disabled for Attendant Programs Today). In 1990, ADAPT organized The Capitol Crawl in Washington D.C. to call for the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act.

1973 Rehabilitation Act

The Rehabilitation Act signed in 1973 remade vocational rehabilitation laws and grants into a package of federal laws that increased protections and services provided to adults and children with disabilities.

1990 Americans with Disabilities Act

The ADA prohibited discrimination based on disability in employment, state and local governments, public accommodations, commercial facilities, transportation, and telecommunications.

1999 Olmstead v. L.C.

In Olmstead v. L.C., the United States Supreme Court held that people with disabilities had the right to live and receive services in the most integrated setting appropriate to their needs.

Adult Career and Continuing Education Services-Vocational Rehabilitation (ACCES-VR)

Offered through the New York State Education Department, ACCES-VR assists individuals with disabilities in achieving and maintaining employment and supporting independent living through training, education, rehabilitation, and career development.

The New York State Commission for the Blind (NYSCB)

Housed within the Office for Children and Family Services, NYSCB provides vocational rehabilitation services and other direct services to assist people who are legally blind to enhance employability, maximize independence, and assist in the development of their capacities and strengths to be fully integrated in our New York communities.

In New York State, only 36.9% of people with disabilities are employed, in contrast to 73.8% of their non-disabled, employed peers. In 2023, Governor Hochul signed Executive Order No. 31, committing New York State to be a model employer and better serve those with disabilities seeking employment within the state:

“The State of New York shall establish best practices to reduce, and eventually eliminate, the gap between working people with disabilities and working people without disabilities, as well as endeavor to increase recruitment, hiring, retention, and the career advancement of people with disabilities in the State workforce.”

According to the Executive Order, state agencies must develop an annual plan detailing the steps taken to hire people with disabilities. The New York State Chief Disability Officer evaluates and provides reports on the state’s progress.

The Employment First policy is a national initiative that works to ensure that people with disabilities have equal access to opportunities for competitive and integrated employment. The New York Employment Services System, a partnership between the New York State Office of Mental Health and The New York State Department of Labor – Disability and Workforce, is at the forefront of implementing Employment First-related initiatives: increasing employment rates, decreasing poverty, and engaging businesses in adopting policies that support the hiring of people with disabilities.

Everyone has the right to work, and by working to remove social, educational, medical, financial, technological, and transportation barriers for those with disabilities seeking employment, the Employment First policy fosters equity and a level playing field.

By combining efforts of grassroots activism, legislative action, and executive orders, New York State is helping to ensure equal access to opportunities for those with disabilities. Forming partnerships with community and business leaders is key to opening employment opportunities and removing barriers that may prevent access to employment for people with disabilities.

While there is still more to do, New York State remains dedicated to those tasks and celebrating the important contributions that people with disabilities bring to the labor force, the community, and the economy.