About EA...

Enable America’s objective is to increase employment among people with disabilities in the United States. To accomplish this goal, we are taking a two-pronged approach that reaches out to all members of the disability community and the business community.

The first prong of our approach is to host a series of Community Connection Meetings across the nation. These meetings are the first step in creating a national information-sharing network comprised of local community task forces devoted to eliminating the barriers to employment for disabled individuals.

The second prong of our approach is to host a series of business breakfast meetings as a follow-up to the Community Connection Meetings. These meetings will include business leaders, managers, resource professionals, and inspirational speakers. The goal of the Business to Business Meetings is to encourage prospective employers to hire disabled job seekers by demonstrating the many benefits of hiring disabled employees and by answering questions that businesses may have about issues such as personnel policies, taxes and insurance.

Our goal with this two-pronged approach is to embrace not only individuals with disabilities and the many organizations and service providers that support them, but also business leaders in their communities as well.

We are a resource. A conduit. A voice.

Enable America was founded in 2002 by attorney Richard Salem as a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping people with disabilities find employment and live independently. It is the first organization dedicated solely to reducing unemployment among people with disabilities.

To better understand the issues facing the disability community, Enable America traveled across the nation and conducted Disability Town Hall Meetings in more than 20 cities in 17 states during a three-year period of time. This listening tour gathered together members of the disability community, business people, educators, social service providers, civic organizations and political leaders in cities such as New York, Boston, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Tampa, Chicago, San Diego and Los Angeles. Participants identified five key concerns among individuals with disabilities: employment, health care, affordable housing, transportation and benefits.

Enable America is committed to raising awareness of employment-related disability issues on a local and national level.

United We Work.

During our 28-city listening tour, we learned that the door to the workplace swings both ways. People with disabilities must enter themselves, for no one else can take that step for them.

Employers must be willing to substitute knowledge and confidence for any latent fears that impose attitudinal barriers at the entrances to their offices, shops and plants.

Our Community Partners and our Business Partners have joined us in our effort to throw open the door.