Poster Winner: #TXHireAbility and National Disability Employment Awareness Month
Each fall since 1999, the Texas Governor’s Committee on People with Disabilities produces a poster celebrating National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM). Artwork for the poster is selected by a submission and judging process and is open to any Texas artist with a disability. The colorful posters are displayed in businesses, government offices, schools and colleges. These posters are intended to spark a conversation regarding the employment of people with disabilities.
National Disability Employment Awareness Month Poster
This year’s poster competition winner is artist Nancy June Wood. Her art embodies the national theme for NDEAM, Inclusion Drives Innovation. Dr. Wood dedicates her artwork “Arise, Shine” to victims of Hurricane Harvey and mental illness awareness.
Dr. Wood has a severe hearing loss and experienced mental illness during a difficult period in her life. In 2016 she was laid off from a full time online teaching position of ten years. She said, “As I pondered what the future might bring- I thought of Andrew Wyeth’s famous painting Christine’s World. The gestural pose of Christine fit the type of worried longing I was feeling- so I redrew the figure in Photoshop making a few changes. I added some digital photos of skies I had taken over the years and made edits in color and texture. After viewing the completed image for a few weeks, I began to feel more optimistic and the phrase “Arise, Shine!” came to mind. From that point on every time I viewed the image I felt confident and empowered. I hope it has the same effect on others.”
As part of our state’s recognition of Texas Disability Employment Awareness Month, the GCPD is promoting the Texas HireAbility Campaign. Texas HireAbility is a partnership between the Texas Workforce Commission, the Texas Governor’s Committee on People with Disabilities and the Texas Workforce Solutions network to raise awareness about the benefits of hiring people with disabilities and highlight the contributions of people with disabilities in the workforce. Each poster includes the twitter hashtag (#TXHireAbility). Resources to promote disability employment awareness activities can be found at http://www.TXHireAbility.texasworkforce.org.
If you are interested in a poster, call 512-463-5739 or email your name and mailing address to [email protected] to obtain a print. The posters are permanently displayed alongside the original artwork at the office of the Texas Governor’s Committee on People with Disabilities, 1100 San Jacinto Blvd., Austin, Texas. Apple Specialty Advertising donates the design and layout for the NDEAM posters.