In October, we celebrate National Disability Employment Awareness Month, coming together to raise awareness for those with a disability and the importance of being employed. Having a month to provide resources, raise awareness, and have targeted advocacy is all necessary and very important, but what happens the other eleven months of the year?

I come to work at WORK Inc. every day with the knowledge that individuals with a disability can and want to work. In October, we do some social media posts and other advocacy surrounding the topic. Still, people may not know that we advocate for individuals to be included in the workforce every day!

I come to work and constantly share with others, friends, colleagues, local officials, et al., that individuals with disabilities can and want to work and if everyone seems to be on the same page. But why is it so hard to pass a piece of legislation recognizing that individuals with disabilities should have a place at the table?

Since the 1930s, the federal government has had a law in place ensuring that individuals who are blind and/or significantly disabled have employment opportunities through the AbilityOne program. WORK Inc. has employed more than 120 individuals with significant disabilities on AbilityOne contracts since the 1970s. Through these contracts, I have witnessed first-hand the purpose that jobs and paychecks bring to these individuals.

After many meetings and conversations since 2016, I have been working with the Legislature on mirroring the federal law in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to provide more opportunities for individuals with disabilities. However, after four bill filings, we still have not been successful. Why? I am not sure what is holding the Legislature back from passing such a bill since it is revenue neutral; in fact, it generates revenue and saves significant dollars via increased payroll taxes and less dependency on state and federally funded entitlements.

Why is it so hard to pass a law that will benefit and improve the quality of life of thousands of individuals with disabilities living in the Commonwealth?

Are you interested in working with us to improve the lives of individuals with disabilities? If so, please give me a call, and we will continue to work on passing legislation that will make a difference and change lives.

As we continue challenging the limits and changing the lives of individuals with disabilities, we will continue to celebrate National Disability Employment Awareness Month throughout this month and continue our advocacy work to improve their lives.

Jim Cassetta is the president of WORK, Inc. in Dorchester.