#FlashbackFriday: The Exchange’s History of Hiring People With Disabilities
In 1988, Congress designated October National Disability Employment Awareness Month. This was part of a long evolution that began in 1945 when Congress enacted Public Law 176, which created National Employ the Physically Handicapped Week. In 1962, the word “Physically” was removed to include people with non-physical disabilities. Twenty-six years later, the celebration was expanded to a month.
Although it’s difficultt to pinpoint when the Exchange first hired someone with a disability, the organization’s history of such hiring began before 1945. An October 1963 Exchange Post feature on associates with disabilities mentions an associate who began with the Exchange in 1941 as retail clerk at Camp Shelby, Miss. By 1963, he had worked his way up through several positions and was concession supervisor at the Sandia Area Exchange in New Mexico.
Most other associates mentioned in the feature had been with the Exchange since the 1940s. A few had received their 20-year pins.
For at least 30 years, the Exchange has presented awards for Outstanding Associate With a Disability. A 1992 Exchange Post feature profiled eight associates with disabilities, including the overall Outstanding Associate With a Disability.
Among other associates profiled in the 1992 feature was Stacey Pate, who is still with the Exchange at the Waco DC, where she works nights on the Wave Plan team, which schedules outbound orders for each day’s workload that fill the store shelves.
About 16% of present-day Exchange associates have a disability. This year’s worldwide Outstanding Associate With a Disability, as well as regional winners, will be announced later this month.
