October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month
Disability Employment Awareness Month
By Annie Uyehara
Amy Schuster is a whirlwind of vivacity and laughter. It's only when she mentions she may move slower than others when she works, that one notices she has two prosthetic legs and that she looks a bit different.
Schuster has Moebius syndrome, a rare congenital condition that results from underdevelopment of the facial nerves that control some of the eye movements and facial expressions. The condition can also affect the nerves responsible for speech.
She is quick to say, "My disability isn't all of who I am."
The demystification of what "disability" is – Schuster's goal – is highlighted October, which is National Disability Employment Awareness Month. The focus is inclusion in the workplace.
Inclusion is what Valley Life For All (VLFA), a nonprofit, is all about. Executive Director, Debbie Wilde, emphasizes the need to exclude no on in the workforce. Inclusion is vocabulary that VLFA introduced in its Inclusion Campaign, which began in 2017. The campaign appears through telling local stories to attract and educate people, says Wilde. "We also came up with Redefining the Perception of Challenge – to change the language in a positive way with the stereotypes and perceptions of disability, including the connection with employment."
Schuster was the fist person in VLFA's inclusion campaign stories. "What I saw in Amy was someone with confidence," says Wilde. "It's important that those with challenges know their skills are needed, that they are valuable and worth getting paid at a job."
I was excited to jump on the wagon," says Schuster. She began working as an intern at VLFA in 2011 and i now its Secretary of the Board of Directors. "A friend needed someone to take her spot there. I thought, this is a nonprofit for the disabled? This is all I've ever wanted to do. I'll be at VLFA 'til the day I die," she grins. "The inclusion campaign is so beautiful. There's so many different stories to tell – people with TBI, cerebral palsy, rare disorders like Turner's syndrome – and none of these stories end on a negative note; there's always a light at the end of the tunnel."
Schuster's employers have had various responses to her Moebius syndrome. "I'm happy to answer any questions they have. But I want to emphasize what I can do at the job. I can tell them I've faced more adversity in my life, I'm more inclusive and have more empathy because of that, and I'll make sure that this workforce is inclusive."
She currently works at a library and loves it. "There are employers who know that those who are marginalized enrich their workforce. I think it makes people gravitate toward their business."
Learn more about Amy Schuster and VLFA on Facebook or at www.valleylifeforall.org.
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