Dear NIH,

I am pleased to invite the NIH to celebrate National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM) in October. Our theme for 2021, Accessibility Matters: Now and Always, supports our commitment to equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility for all.

As part of our celebration, the Office of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) will host the third annual Cultivating Inclusion: Honoring NIH Champions and Allies of Disability Awards ceremony on October 7th at 11:00 am ET. During this virtual ceremony, we will recognize and celebrate the disability community and allies who have positively impacted the NIH. Please join us to celebrate this year's recipients and their laudable efforts.

Additionally, Ms. Ryann Mason, a Registered Nurse and Disability and LGBTQ+ advocate, will join us for a virtual discussion. Ms. Kress is a nurse at Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital. Her talk Still a Nurse will be speaking about her experiences as an RN on wheels and the reactions of her patients/coworkers/the public when she enters a room as their registered nurse. This virtual event will take place on October 14th at 11:00 am ET.

Throughout October, we ask that you help spread awareness of our campaign by filling out the Accessibility Matters flyer. You will have the opportunity to either share a picture or submit a video on why accessibility matters to you. Use #AccessibilityatNIH and send your submissions to David.Rice@nih.gov. You can follow EDI on Twitter and Instagram at @NIH_EDI. All NIH staff are invited and encouraged to participate. This campaign promotes awareness of accessibility at the NIH and further solidifies our commitment to the work of cultivating access.

Sincerely yours,

Treava Hopkins-Laboy
Acting Director
NIH Office of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion