It doesn’t. Or at least, it shouldn’t.

National Disability Employment Awareness Month is wrapping up this week, but the work doesn’t stop on November 1st.

If you’ve been following along this month, you know I’m not here for the performative posts or inspiration porn. I’m here for real conversations about what disability employment actually looks like. The good, the messy, and the parts no one wants to talk about.

So before October ends, here’s everything we covered this month. Bookmark it. Share it. Use it beyond this month.

Week 1: Setting the Tone

We kicked off NDEAM by calling out what’s missing from most disability employment conversations. No fluff. No corporate buzzwords. Just honest talk about what needs to change.

Read the post here

Week 2: The Reality Check

This week we dug into the gap between what companies say about inclusion and what actually happens. There’s a lot of performative allyship happening, and disabled employees see right through it.

Read the post here

Read the full blog: What Real Talk About Disability Employment Are We Still Missing?

Week 3: Personal Stories Matter

This was the week that really resonated. I shared my own story – not as inspiration, but as reality. And the response was incredible. Thousands of impressions. Dozens of meaningful conversations. Proof that people are hungry for authenticity.

Read the personal story post here

Week 4: Accommodations Aren’t Expensive or Complicated

We tackled one of the biggest myths in disability employment: that accommodations are expensive and complicated. Spoiler again: they’re usually not. According to the Job Accommodation Network, 59% of accommodations cost absolutely nothing to implement. Most of the rest cost very little.

I shared my own experience with accommodations and what employers can actually do to make workplaces accessible.

Read about accommodations here

See the practical examples

Read the full blog: Why Does Asking for Accommodations Feel Like a Job Interview? Can We Fix That?

What Now?

Inclusion doesn’t have an expiration date.

NDEAM ends this week, but inclusion doesn’t have an expiration date.
Here’s what you can do:

• If you’re an employer:
  • Review your accommodation process. Is it actually accessible, or does it feel like a job interview?
  • Ask your disabled employees what they need. Then listen.
  • Stop treating disability inclusion as a once-a-year checkbox.
    
• If you’re a colleague:
  • Speak up when you see ableism in the workplace.
  • Don’t assume what someone can or can’t do based on their disability.
  • Treat disabled coworkers like the professionals they are.
    
• If you’re disabled:
  • Your experience matters. Share it if you’re comfortable.
  • Advocate for yourself. You deserve accommodations, not guilt. – Connect with others. Community makes this easier.

Keep the Conversation Going

This month proved something important: people want real talk about disability employment. Not inspiration. Not pity. Just honesty.

If you found value in any of these posts, share them. Forward them to your HR team. Send them to a colleague who needs to hear it. Keep the momentum going past October.

Thanks for showing up this month. Let’s keep going.