Disability and Ability

Conditions that differ from "normal," sometimes called disability, don't preclude people with those conditions from being able to do regular vocational activities, and may even give them an advantage. Many employers have found financial and cultural benefits to hiring people with disabilities, people with disabilities have demonstrated their ability to thrive an be unique and meaningful contributions, and some activities are performed more economically. efficiently, or competenty by  people with disabilities. We give some concrete examples.

Recommendations

• Abraham: Recursion (Blake Crouch; https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/42046112-recursion)
• Shane: The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/52180399-the-only-good-indians) 

Holidays (17 December 2025):

• Clean Air Day
• International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers
• National Maple Syrup Day
• Pan American Aviation Day
• Wright Brothers Day
• Christmas Bird Count Week
• Cookie Exchange Week
• Hanukkah
• Human Rights Week
• Saturnalia

Links and References: 

1. https://rockfordisability.com/2023/01/13/10-perks-of-being-a-disabled-person/
2. https://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/observations/the-case-for-disabled-astronauts/
3. https://eri-wi.org/fact-sheet-employers/#:~:text=The%20Business%20Benefits%20of%20Hiring%20People%20with%20Disabilities&text=Businesses%20that%20hire%20and%20support,resilience%2C%20boosting%20overall%20team%20productivity.&text=With%20unemployment%20rates%20among%20people,who%20are%20ready%20to%20contribute.&text=Employers%20may%20qualify%20for%20tax,offset%20accommodation%20and%20accessibility%20costs.&text=Higher%20employee%20retention%20reduces%20turnover,investment%20outweighs%20the%20initial%20costs.&text=Businesses%20that%20reflect%20their%20customer,a%20wide%20range%20of%20needs.
4. https://hbr.org/2023/07/disability-as-a-source-of-competitive-advantage
5. https://disabilityrightsflorida.org/blog/entry/5_reasons_to_hire_people_with_disabilities
6. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29392591/ 
7. https://www.irs.gov/businesses/small-businesses-self-employed/work-opportunity-tax-credit
8. https://www.london.edu/faculty-and-research/research/research-highlights/disability-as-a-source-of-competitive-advantage 
9. https://www.physicianleaders.org/articles/disability-as-a-source-of-competitive-advantage 

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