Governor Newsom proclaims Disability Employment Awareness Month

SACRAMENTO - Governor Gavin Newsom today issued a proclamation declaring October 2026 as "Disability Employment Awareness Month."

The text of the proclamation and a copy can be found below.

PROCLAMATION

During Disability Employment Awareness Month, California recognizes the 4.7 million Californians living with disabilities and celebrates the talent, ambition, and experience they bring to the workplace across our state.

Californians with disabilities are entrepreneurs, educators, public servants, skilled workers, and leaders whose work strengthens our communities and helps drive the largest state economy in the nation. This year's theme, "Celebrating Value and Talent," reminds us that opportunity should never be limited by disability.

Across the country, people with disabilities are confronting renewed uncertainty over essential services that allow them to live independently and participate in the workforce. Federal actions threatening these resources risk reversing hard-won progress and placing new barriers between people with disabilities and the opportunities they deserve.

California is choosing a different path. Even amid federal uncertainty, our state is protecting critical services for Californians with disabilities and continuing to invest in education, care, and opportunities that support independence and greater opportunities to participate in the workforce. My administration released a Master Plan for Career Education to support hands-on learning for Californians of all backgrounds, so that - no matter age, income, disability, or immigration status - everyone has access to the training they need to land a good job.

Our work is not finished; accessibility must become the default in the places we work, the technology we use, and the systems people depend on. We will continue to defend access, inclusion, and equal opportunity - and continue standing against efforts that threaten the independence and economic security of Californians with disabilities.

This Disability Employment Awareness Month, we celebrate the value and talent of Californians with disabilities and the contributions they make every day. Let us continue building a California where every person can pursue their dreams and share their talents.

NOW THEREFORE I, GAVIN NEWSOM, Governor of the State of California, do hereby proclaim October 2026 as "Disability Employment Awareness Month."

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the Great Seal of the State of California to be affixed this 16th day of October 2026

GAVIN NEWSOM
Governor of California

ATTEST:
SHIRLEY N. WEBER, Ph.D.
Secretary of State