Newsom Proclaims October as Disability Employment Awareness Month: 4.7 Million Californians With Disabilities Recognized
SACRAMENTO — California Governor Gavin Newsom on October 21 issued a proclamation declaring October 2026 as Disability Employment Awareness Month.
The proclamation says California recognizes the 4.7 million Californians living with disabilities, describing them as entrepreneurs, educators, public servants, skilled workers and leaders whose work strengthens communities and helps drive the largest state economy in the nation. This year's theme, "Celebrating Value and Talent," serves as a reminder that opportunity should never be limited by disability, the proclamation says.
Across the country, people with disabilities are confronting renewed uncertainty over the essential services that allow them to live independently and participate in the workforce, and federal actions threatening those resources risk reversing hard-won progress and placing new barriers between people with disabilities and the opportunities they deserve, according to the proclamation. California is choosing a different path, it says: even amid federal uncertainty, the state is protecting critical services for Californians with disabilities and continuing to invest in education, care and opportunities that support independence and greater participation in the workforce. The administration's Master Plan for Career Education supports hands-on learning for Californians of all backgrounds, so that — no matter their age, income, disability or immigration status — everyone has access to the training they need to land a good job.
The proclamation adds that accessibility must become the default in the places people work, the technology they use and the systems they depend on, and that California will continue to defend access, inclusion and equal opportunity, standing against efforts that threaten the independence and economic security of Californians with disabilities. Newsom signed the proclamation on October 16, with Secretary of State Shirley N. Weber attesting.
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：美国劳工部残障就业政策办公室（ODEP）发布的 2026 年全国残障就业意识月官方海报，主题「庆祝价值与才华」——画面中五位残障员工正在办公室、汽修车间、建筑工地等岗位上工作。图片：美国劳工部，公共领域。 / The official 2026 National Disability Employment Awareness Month poster from the U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP), themed "Celebrating Value and Talent," shows five workers with disabilities on the job — in an office, an auto repair shop, on a construction site and in other workplaces. Image: U.S. Department of Labor, public domain.
