Every October, Light It Up! For NDEAM is the main national event of National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM) in Canada. There’s no other lighting event like it. It’s the most expansive awareness lighting event in North America! Because it happens through grass-roots collaboration and participation. Every year, hundreds of locations illuminate purple and blue for Light It Up! For NDEAM.
These include:
And Light It Up! For NDEAM always creates excitement in the disability community and disability employment sector!
This national event was started in 2020 and is owned by the Ontario Disability Employment Network (ODEN). It began regionally in Ontario. And went national in 2021.
Check out the Light It Up! For NDEAM photo gallery.
It’s a cause- and awareness-lighting event that happens in every province and territory the third Thursday of every October (October 15 in 2026).
But it’s much more than that.
Light It Up! For NDEAM has become a national movement that sparks continuing conversation with businesses and local governments. Conversation about the importance of disability inclusion in employment, and accessibility, and how they benefit everyone. Conversation about Universal Design and the principal of “Nothing about us without us.”
And it spotlights the valuable contributions that people with disabilities make to keep all of these vibrant and successful:
That’s why we’re encouraging all:
to get involved in Light It Up! For NDEAM this year — and every year!
Bathurst
Promenade Waterfront Tower (City of Bathurst)
Fredericton
City Hall
Moncton
City of Moncton — City Hall, Downing Street, Downtown Place, Avenir Centre
Riverview
Town of Riverview Signature Sign
Saint John
Port of Saint John — Saint John Lights
City of Saint John — Saint John Signature Sign
(Light It Up! For NDEAM 2025 photos by Dean Askin)
We’re requesting illumination of:
We’re also co-ordinating with ambassadors from other New Brunswick organizations who work on Light It Up! For NDEAM illumination requests each year.
Getting involved in Light It Up! For NDEAM is easy:
It’s that simple!
And ODEN makes it easy for everyone to participate with their Light It Up! For NDEAM PR kit. It’s packed with resources (English and French) including lighting-request templates, promotional postcards and wearable art.
The Light It Up! For NDEAM annual kick-off webinar happens in late June. And generally, the kit is updated for the calendar year and live by about mid-July.
But you don’t have to wait that long to start sending in lighting requests around New Brunswick! The earlier the involvement, the more the participation in our province.
So start sending in lighting requests now!
Use these “evergreen” request templates from the Light It Up! For NDEAM PR Kit.
Contact your local municipality about lighting their town/city hall. And start having conversations with local businesses in your community!
Submission deadlines for special lighting requests of municipal buildings and landmarks varies widely!
If you have questions about how to participate, contact Dean Askin. He’s Vice-Chair of the New Brunswick Coalition of Persons with Disabilities. And he’s a Light It Up! For NDEAM Ambassador at Large.
How to contact Dean:
There are two ways you can do this:
Dean Askin is the Vice-Chair of the New Brunswick Coalition of Persons with Disabilities. He relocated to Moncton from Ontario in the summer of 2025. He:
