How would you feel if, due to poor eye health, you could no longer see your loved ones clearly or perform routine tasks that you’ve been doing your entire life? Many of our nation’s Veterans are, unfortunately, facing this reality. For Veterans like Earl White, 92, who is functionally deaf and losing his vision due to age-related macular degeneration, having virtual eye care services has made adapting to a different lifestyle a little easier.

In honor of Mental Health Awareness Month in May, the U.S. Department of Labor launched Mental Health at Work—a new initiative that connects work being done across DOL agencies to improve worker wellbeing, reduce stigma, and promote equitable access to mental health resources and treatment, especially for historically marginalized populations. As part of this, DOL developed a new webpage centralizing workplace mental health tools and resources and published a blog post highlighting the importance of the initiative to DOL’s mission.

Many people with disabilities move through their entire educations without ever being taught self-advocacy skills, having conversations about possible careers, or getting information about independent living (IL) opportunities. Most are not exposed to the IL philosophy, which centers the right of people with disabilities to control their own lives, until they leave high school. As a result, many leave school unaware of the options available to them – and unprepared to take advantage of them.