In September, Gov. Tony Evers declared October as National Disability Employment Awareness Month to create awareness about the role disabled workers play in the daily lives of people living in Wisconsin.

In a proclamation, Evers said the state of Wisconsin was joining the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development in “celebrating the critical role that workers with disabilities play in strengthening the state’s workforce and economy.”

Evers said the department’s services have helped thousands of individuals advance in their careers in spite of their disabilities.

In the proclamation, Gov. Evers also said Project SEARCH is an example of ways in which the state of Wisconsin helps individuals with disabilities find and keep meaningful jobs.

Project SEARCH is an organization run by DWD. According to their website, Project SEARCH assists people with disabilities with job training and career exploration. The program has expanded to 27 sites statewide since the program began in the 2008-2009 school year.

According to the DWD, around 172,000 adults with disabilities in Wisconsin are not part of the labor force, though many want to work.

The passage of laws in the late 20th century, such as Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act established legal protections for people with disabilities.

To solidify these rights in Wisconsin, the Wisconsin legislature passed the Workers Fair Employment Act in 2011. According to the WFEA, an employer in Wisconsin is defined as any organization who employs at least one individual, whereas the ADA defined as an employer who employs more than 15 people.

Despite these laws, people with disabilities still experience employment discrimination, Interim Executive Director of Disability Rights Wisconsin Kit Kerschensteiner said.

“I think there needs to be more awareness and more thought given by employers for those folks who are experiencing discrimination,” Kerschensteiner said.

The pandemic only exacerbated these issues. Kerschensteiner said disabled people were often the first people fired during pandemic’s economic turmoil, and when the economy opened up again, they were often the last people to be re-hired.

But in recent years, certain policies have been implemented to support people with disabilities. This includes a Medicaid assistance purchase plan that allows disabled people to keep their Medicaid. For some individuals, they need more medical services in order to continue working, Kerschensteiner said.

“We all ought to be equal. We all want to be given an opportunity. And it’s not second class citizen rights. It’s for all of us to be inclusive,” Kerschensteiner said.