Welcome to our October 2025 newsletter!
Bringing you disability-related research, policy, events, training, consultation, and more.
October 2025 Highlights
Begun in 1945 as a weeklong observance, NDEAM, or National Disability Employment Awareness Month, has become an October tradition led by the US Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP), honoring the contributions of workers with disabilities and promoting supportive employment practices. This newsletter issue celebrates NDEAM with ideas and resources from a variety of YTI projects.
Employers and HR professionals can learn strategies for managing challenges around illness or injury from the Stay-at-Work/Return-to-Work resource pageprovided by the Employee Assistance and Resource Network on Disability (EARN), which is hosted at YTI. For even more focus on this topic, EARN and the Job Accommodation Network (JAN) will offer a special NDEAM 80th anniversary webinar, Celebrating Value and Talent: Supporting Employees through Stay-at-Work/Return-to-Work Programs, on October 22 at 2 PM EDT.
NDEAM is a time to recognize the vital role of inclusive employment in strengthening our workforce. Because Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) prohibits disability-based discrimination in employment, it is central to this effort. The Northeast ADA Center, which is hosted at YTI, is spotlighting Title I in a four-part webinar series with topics such as disability disclosure, documentation requests, and the longevity of accommodations. A recording of the September webinar, A Focus on Title I of the ADA, is available. To learn about the upcoming live sessions – in October through December – look below under “Upcoming Events” and on the YTI Events webpage. Hope to see you there!
Employment specialists can access nationally recognized training through the new Disability Workforce Development Center (DWDC) at YTI. The Center’s core course, Basic Level in Employment Services Certificate Training has been approved by the Association of Community Rehabilitation Educators (ACRE), which certifies training for employment services specialists that meets the association’s rigorous requirements. “Our standardized curriculum is infused with real-world experiences of expert trainers,” said Gina Oswald, senior extension associate at YTI. The 40-hour course orients participants to the field and covers employment planning, job development, job coaching, and current issues in the field.
Hiring and including neurodiverse employees is the topic of a Cornell Keynotes podcast with YTI’s academic director, Susanne Bruyère. Called Neurodiversity at Work: Inclusion Policies and Practices, this audio recording features Bruyère discussing best practices for building a pipeline of job applicants who are neurodiverse, conducting interviews, and creating a workplace culture where neurodiverse workers thrive in their careers. A transcript of the episode is available. An article has more about Bruyère’s work on neurodiversity, including her eCornell Neurodiversity at Work course.
Upcoming Events
Disability Disclosure and the Interactive Process
October 14, 2025, 1–2:15 PM EDT
Free webinar from the Northeast ADA Center
Can an employer ask a job applicant or employee if they have a disability? How do I support a job seeker or employee in making the best choice about disclosing a disability? What does the ADA mean by “the interactive process?” A job application invites applicants to “self-identify” as having a disability – what does this mean? This session will review not only what the ADA says about disability disclosure in the workplace, but also the very real human impact of disclosure.
Register for free disclosure webinar
Disability Rights Employment Awareness Month (DREAM) Symposium
October 28–29, 2025
Empire State Plaza Concourse, 100 S. Mall Arterial, Albany, NY
Sponsored by the New York State Office of the Chief Disability Officer and its partners, this two-day symposium will include informative breakout sessions, a job fair, assistive technology demonstrations from tech industry leaders, on-site benefits counseling from certified work incentives practitioners, and much more! The symposium is supported by YTI staff and faculty. The event is free, but registration is required.
When the Employer Requests Documentation of Disability
November 12, 1–2:15 PM EDT
Free webinar from the Northeast ADA Center
The ADA states that employers may request medical documentation as verification of disability, as long as it is “job-related and consistent with business necessity,” but what exactly does this mean? What are the guidelines for these requests? Who can provide this information and what should it say? This presentation will answer these questions and provide real-life examples to help you understand this important topic.
Register for free documentation webinar
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