October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM), when we celebrate and honor the contributions and skills that workers with disabilities bring to Minnesota's workplaces and economy. At DEED, we are committed to ensuring Minnesotans with disabilities have access to good jobs all year long.

In Minnesota, we take care of each other. So, it's no surprise to me that Minneapolis and Saint Paul were recently ranked two of the best cities in the country for people with disabilities. Our state has a strong network of support, and DEED is home to many programs that help Minnesotans with disabilities find and keep employment.

Our teams at Vocational Rehabilitation Services and State Services for the Blind (SSB) provide a full array of services for jobseekers and employers. We provide job counseling and training to high schoolers and seniors alike, we translate written materials to Braille and so much more.

We never stop pushing ourselves to develop better ways to support Minnesotans with disabilities. A few new initiatives I'm particularly proud of include:

• The recently launched Disability Inclusive Business Partner program. Through this free virtual training, employers learn about inclusive recruitment, hiring and retention best practices, and the tools needed to create a work environment that supports everyone. After completing the training, employers receive a Disability Inclusive Business Partner certification and ongoing support.
• SSB's $9.1 million award to help blind, low vision and deafblind Minnesotans prepare for advanced technology careers and allows DEED to incorporate emerging technologies in how we provide services.
• DEED's Employer Reasonable Accommodation Fund, which helps small to mid-sized Minnesota employers pay for the costs of reasonable accommodations for job applicants and employees with disabilities.

This month, we'll be sharing stories of Minnesotans with disabilities and celebrating employers who are leading the way in modeling disability-inclusive workplaces. Too often, employers don't realize the value that Minnesotans with disabilities can bring to their workplaces. NDEAM is a great time to learn more about this often-overlooked community, and the immense opportunity employers have in building modern workplaces that activate them.