DISABILITY NEWS YOU NEED TO KNOW
CELEBRATING THE ADA
JULY 2022
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This month marks the 32nd anniversary of the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act, landmark civil rights legislation signed on July 26, 1990, that works to increase equity and inclusion for people with disabilities across all aspects of American society, including employment. “The signing of the ADA was a milestone moment in America’s ongoing quest for a more inclusive, equitable society, and it underpins our work in the Office of Disability Employment Policy,” said Taryn M. Williams, Assistant Secretary of Labor for Disability Employment Policy. “Through policy development, outreach and technical assistance, we help workers and employers use the benefits and protections the law enables to build more diverse, inclusive, equitable and accessible workforces.”
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July is Disability Pride Month
Even though it has been celebrated since 1990, it is not nationally recognized. There is a commemorative flag. As we strive for even greater INclusion for people with disabilities in the workplace and beyond, let's take a moment to recognize and celebrate the history and diversity of our community.
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White House Hosts Disabled Stakeholder Calls
In celebration of Disability Pride Month, the White House Office of Public Engagement will host Disabled Stakeholder Calls every Thursday in July at 2pm ET. This call provides an opportunity for all to hear directly from Administration officials on initiatives and announcements that directly impact Americans with disabilities. ASL and CART will be provided.
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1.2 to 1.7 billion persons with disabilities around the world,
plus our allies, families, and friends.
The goal of this nonprofit is to bring our global community together, support each other, empower self-identification, and honor our lived experiences with visible and invisible disabilities.
It is FREE to join our movement and we need everyone Ruh Global IMPACT is proudly founding Billion Strong with the support of our global community.
We are building this from the ground up, with country organizations of persons with disabilities partners in over 90 countries, and thousands of global supporters, it's so important that every voice gets heard.
We have been doing a lot of due diligence and market analysis around the world. We want this to be a place where our community can be proud to self-identify and show what we bring to the table. It is all about identity, empowerment, pride, and highlighting efforts already being made for and by the community. We want to highlight and celebrate efforts being made by and for persons with disabilities all over the world.
This is about building our global community so employers and other parts of society can find us. Plus, we can build a community that supports the corporations, entrepreneurs, service providers, nonprofits, NGOs, DPOs, UN agencies, governments, and others that support our community.
Our goal is to have partners in every country in the world. Once again, we do not want to duplicate efforts but celebrate what has already been created for and by our community. We want our country and industry partners to help us encourage persons with disabilities in their country to join this global community.
According to the World Health Organization there are an estimated 1.3 billion people on the planet who have some form of disability. Many people believe that number is woefully inadequate. Some organizations estimate that the global community of people with disabilities may number as high as 2 billion individuals. This disparity in the data could be attributed to many different factors. Some of these factors may include:
1. Inconsistency in reporting practices amongst various countries and regions
2. A lack of understanding of who makes up the community of people with disabilities
3. Because of the stigmas associated with disabilities many people refused to identify as persons with disabilities
But let's just stick with 1.3 billion people. That's a huge number; 15% of the world's population. Imagine what could happen if 1.3 billion people came together and began to speak with solidarity. Think about the financial impact a group that large could have. Consider the social influence a community of a billion plus people could wield. The possibilities are astonishing. If only the global community of people with disabilities would unite. And This is why Billion Strong was created.
Here are a couple of introduction videos
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Billion Strong is a Global identity nonprofit organization by people with disabilities, meant to unite, elevate and empower the global community of people with disabilities to develop a positive disability identity so we can come together and create positive change.
Our core values are:
• Identity-how you see yourself and how the world sees you
• Inclusion and Diversity-living authentically out loud
• Accessibility-no barriers
• Unity- connecting the community
• Accountability-it's on us
• Dignity-being seen and valued in our personhood
Our mission, while quite daunting, is really simple. Our mission is to empower the community through connection. We want to connect members of the community with other members, corporations, government and other organizations working towards the empowerment and inclusion of people with disabilities. One of the ways we are doing this is creating a fully accessible platform that will allow these connections to take place.
Please join our free movement and ask all of your family, friends, and allies to join us. Billion Strong is for everyone and we are stronger together.
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Disability 101 E-Learning Now Available!
Free to Paid DC Metro Members
Purchase Options Available
C5’s Disability Inclusion IQ "Disability 101" module includes:
- Appropriate language: Terminology, Person-First, Identity-First, Neurodivergent
- Disability etiquette: Appropriate Interactions
- Accessible, short, self-paced, and cloud-based.
- Annual license
- Unlimited virtual seats per organization each year.
- Tracking and reporting capabilities for the organization.
- Designed for the entire workforce.
- May be taken in any order at any time and repeated as often as desired.
Within the Module:
- Transcript and Voice Over
- Short Quiz
- Resources
- Glossary of Terms
Additional Modules will be available soon!
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Wealth of Webinars
Check out our 2022 offerings by signing up at
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HYBRID Event
Returning to The Office Post COVID
JULY 28 3:30-5:30 PM
This summer Deloitte’s People with Disabilities and Allies (PwD&A) Community will co host an event with Disability:IN DC Metro. The event will be focused on corporate strategy for return to office post-COVID and considerations for people with disabilities.
It will be a hybrid event with an in-person footprint in Deloitte’s Rosslyn, Virginia office and an online footprint through Zoom.
Address: 1919 N Lynn St Suite 1500, Arlington, VA 22209
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FIRESIDE CHATS in JULY!
Thought Leader Reflection Series
FREE
Listen in as one of our DC Metro Board Members engages one on one with one of the top disability leaders!
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July 13, 2022
Featuring
The Hon. Neil Romano and Ryan Walters, Deloitte
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The Hon. Neil Romano
The Romano Group
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July 19, 2022
Featuring
Carol Glazer, NOD and Meghan Cadigan, KPMG
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Carol Glazer
National Organization on Disability
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July 26, 2022
Featuring
Janet Fiore,The SIERRA Group and
Eduardo Meza-Etienne, eSSENTIAL Accessibility
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Janet Fiore
The SIERRA Group
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Eduardo Meza-Etienne
eSSENTIAL Accessibility
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Upcoming Thought Leaders Reflection Series
The Hon. Kathy Martinez
John Kemp
Alan Muir
LaMondre Pough, Billion Strong
BroadFutures
Marcie Roth, Global Alliance for Disaster Resource Acceleration
Dr. Laura Owens, Mid-Atlantic ADA Center
Respectability
Deb Ruh, Ruh Global
Valuable 500
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REGISTRATION WILL OPEN SOON |
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OCTOBER
12
Language Matters: The Importance of Disability Inclusion
Fireside Chat: Lori Golden, EY
Katherine McCary, C5
Kia Silver-Hodge
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NOVEMBER
Value of Veterans
DECEMBER
Understanding Non-Apparent Disabilities
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Thank you to all our WOW HOST MEMBERS! |
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IN THE NEWS - ARTICLES OF INTEREST |
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nTIDE June 2022 Jobs Report Employment Reaches All-time High for People with Disabilities
East Hanover, NJ – July 8, 2022 – Employment increased slightly from May to June for people with disabilities, reaching an all-time high. The monthly increase in the labor force participation rate for people with disabilities may reflect their need for additional income because of inflation, according to today’s National Trends in Disability Employment – Monthly Update (nTIDE), issued by Kessler Foundation and the University of New Hampshire’s Institute on Disability (UNH-IOD). Comparing year-to-year data, as the economy recovers from the effects of the pandemic, people with disabilities have outpaced people without disabilities, with their employment now exceeding pre-pandemic levels.
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“At Your Service” Film
To produce this dynamic film on serving customers with disabilities, we partnered with Storyline Motion Pictures, filmmakers of the critically acclaimed PBS documentary Lives Worth Living and curators of the Disability Rights Museum on Wheels.
This twenty-minute video features national disability leaders offering insights and tips on how to provide exemplary customer service to individuals with disabilities.
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One of the most impactful partnerships that we have here at BIT is our relationship with Salesforce. Through our partnership, we have created the BIT Academy which includes our Salesforce Administration course, Salesforce Developer course and our apprenticeship program. Typically, when you hear the word sales, you automatically assume the worst, but a career with Salesforce is so much more than you would imagine. Salesforce is a cloud-based software company that provides customer relationship management (CRM) software and applications focused on sales, customer service, marketing automation, analytics, and application development. And the best part about Salesforce, their programs are accessible for professionals with disabilities!
Since the start of our Salesforce Administration course, we have had many talented students come through the program! Recently, we have had the privilege of providing the course to two very gifted international students. Fawaz Abdul Rahman and Marina Aziz have demonstrated both A strong understanding for accessibility and leadership skills! They are now Salesforce certified, both passing the exam on their first try! “I heard about BIT from a friend,” explains Aziz. “They took the Salesforce Admin course and recommended me to take it as well. Back then, I had never heard of Salesforce, and honestly, I didn’t expect it to be that life changing. I’ve in fact, took a lot of online courses but I’ve never took one that lead me to be officially certified in something.” Aziz, who is from Egypt, has a bachelors in languages and translations. She began her journey in technology when she taught herself some programming which includes JavaScript, Python, HTML and CSS.
Abdul, A student majoring in computer science, heard about the Salesforce class when a friend of his forwarded an email from BIT. “I registered immediately,” said Abdul. “I was the first blind student doing a Computer science degree in my country of Bahrain; thus, I’ve faced plenty of accessibility challenges while studying. Therefore, I’ve always wanted to enroll in a program where it was designed with accessibility in mind.” One of the major things that makes BIT’s Salesforce courses unique, is the fact that all our classes are taught by instructors with disabilities. Which is why our programs put such an emphasis on accessibility because our classes are specifically designed to set professionals with disabilities up for success. “It was a dream to have that place where its main goal is to foster blind people with technology interest professionally,” said Abdul. “What made me most excited is seeing the accessibility notes being provided by the instructor with each module, which otherwise I would have to fight on my own to get them right.”
The BIT Academy, through its collaboration with Salesforce, has made it possible for professionals with disabilities to pursue meaningful careers within technology. Former students of the BIT Academy have gone on to work for incredible companies such as CVS Health, Salesforce and Benetech. The future for Aziz and Abdul looks very promising, as the possibilities for where they’ll end up next is endless! They both shared with BIT that they highly recommend this class to other professionals with disabilities and can’t wait to continue their training within the Salesforce Developer course. “You can really profit from The Salesforce class,” shares Aziz. “The instructors are very helpful and responsive, which is not always available outside of BIT. Also, BIT is very supportive and flexible, if you’ve got any specific accommodation or you’re facing a problem, don’t hesitate to reach out. And finally, and most importantly enjoy what you’re learning, and be eager to learn more. Don’t treat it as a certificate to pass, but rather a new job to learn, and keep in mind that you will use what you are learning in real life business situations.”
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New Research Shows That Disability Inclusion Creates Long-Term Business Value
A research paper recently released by Voya Financial, Inc. shows that companies with an environmental, social and governance (ESG) strategy that fosters competitive, integrated employment for people with disabilities are creating a competitive advantage and positioning themselves to capitalize on a $13-trillion, global disability market.
Further, the paper highlights how these companies are creating long-term value for shareholders and stakeholders.
The paper is part of an ongoing effort by The Harkin Institute for Public Policy & Citizen Engagement at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, in collaboration with Voya Cares ®, Voya Financial's program that serves people with disabilities and special needs and their caregivers. The research demonstrates that competitive, integrated employment (i.e., the same rate of pay and benefits for people with disabilities as for workers who do not have disabilities) provides lasting benefits to the brand, reputation, and bottom line of companies across every sector of the economy.
In addition, people with disabilities are an under-tapped talent pool that many companies could benefit from, yet even in the current tight labor market, people with disabilities still are struggling to find employment. 1
Authored by Robert Ludke, a senior fellow at The Harkin Institute, Competitive, Integrated Employment: A Driver of Long-Term Value Creation makes the case that achieving competitive, integrated employment for those with disabilities is poised to fundamentally change the dynamic of how business creates value in society.
"Competitive, integrated employment is not charity, pity or philanthropy," said Ludke. "Rather, it is part of a comprehensive ESG business strategy focused on creating sustainable, long-term value. Companies that create inclusive cultures to maximize the talents of every employee are more innovative, more profitable and better positioned to tap into a global marketplace of consumers."
As noted in the paper, Ludke's research found that investors — investment banks, asset managers and pension funds, to name a few — are vital in helping corporate executives and boards of directors seize upon the opportunity of competitive, integrated employment. Through their engagement with companies on ESG issues, investors are perfectly positioned to help companies maximize the diverse talents of their employees in a way that creates long-term value for the company, its investors and society.
As concluded in the paper, a diverse, inclusive culture spurs innovation and product strategy designed to identify new markets for growth while creating products that are universally designed to be accessible to people with a wide range of abilities — thereby ensuring sustained profitability and strong returns for investors.
"Voya Financial is committed to disability inclusion because we see it as being an absolute differentiator in the way that we do business," said Jessica Tuman, Voya's head of Enterprise ESG and the Voya Cares Center of Excellence. "Disability inclusion is part of our identity, our sales process, our employee well-being and our brand."
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Disability, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility Resources from the Partnership on Employment and Accessible Technology
Identifying as both a person with a disability and another dimension of diversity – such as gender, race, class, sexuality, age, or religion – can affect how people think about their disabilities, and can also impact their ability to access resources, opportunities, and support. The Partnership on Employment and Accessible Technology (PEAT) features resources to help employers address diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility (DEIA) as interconnected strands rather than separate pieces.
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Including Disability in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Priorities: Building A Maturity Model
This research-based tool from the Employer Assistance and Resource Network for Disability Inclusion (EARN) can help employers take steps to ensure disability is included in diversity plans.
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Podcast: Research Results and Improving Employment Outcomes for People Who Are Blind or Have Low Vision
Dr. Michele McDonnall, principal investigator for the Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Employment of People Who are Blind or Have Low Vision, was interviewed for this podcast episode. Dr. McDonnall highlighted the center’s research and findings, as well as the materials, training, and technical assistance developed to support individuals who are blind or have low vision, rehabilitation professionals, and employers.
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Associate Professor, University of Connecticut Health Center
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COVID Long Haulers will Require
Better Coordinated Support
Millions of Americans suffer from long COVID, a medical condition we are just beginning to understand that causes debilitating, long-lasting effects after a COVID-19 infection. Symptoms include fatigue, difficulty concentrating, shortness of breath, heart palpitations, and mood changes that can last for many months and affect your ability to work. Without a clear place for long-haulers to turn to for help, the federal government might consider the benefits of establishing a system-level approach that coordinates services focused on restoring function and employment.
The number of working-age people affected by long COVID and at risk of long-term work disability is far from certain, but it could be large. According to survey data collected in the first two weeks of June, 7.5 percent of adults currently have long COVID symptoms, which are symptoms that they did not have before their COVID-19 infection lasting three or more months after first contracting the virus. The percentage with long COVID is higher for working-age adults than it is for those age 70 and older.
The question of how to help workers keep their jobs when they experience medical conditions that put them at risk of prolonged work disability predates the COVID-19 pandemic. Many such workers have historically fallen through the cracks of a fragmented support system. They are too often left on their own to navigate uncoordinated services and programs that are poorly equipped to address their particular health situations and workplace challenges.
Long-haulers who struggle to return to work might seek benefits from Social Security Disability Insurance and Supplemental Security Income, the large federal disability programs administered by the Social Security Administration (SSA). Time will tell what the long-term administrative and cost implications are for these programs, but a flood of long COVID cases is likely to reverse the decade-long decline in Social Security Disability Insurance and Supplemental Security Income applications at a time when SSA is struggling to meet demand because of significant staff shortages, hiring challenges, and inadequate funding. Similar concerns might affect private short- and long-term disability insurers, workers’ compensation programs, and state temporary disability insurance programs.
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Governor Tom Ridge and Carol Glazer, who together served as the longtime chairman and president, respectively, of the National Organization on Disability (NOD) will leave their positions with NOD after 16 years of service. The announcement was made by Luke Visconti, founder and chairman of DiversityInc and vice chairman of the NOD Board of Directors. Visconti will succeed Governor Ridge as chairman effective immediately and will preside over the July meeting of the NOD Board.
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Introducing Our SUMMER 2022 Intern Cohort!!!
BroadFutures interns successfully completed their initial two-week training on June 18th, building a wonderful community of peers and building relationships with our staff. They engaged in our interactive professionalism and communications curriculum that covers a broad range of topics including first impressions, verbal and non-verbal communication, self-advocacy, disability disclosure, and taking the perspective of others. We also engaged in mock interviews, elevator pitches and heard from outside presenters. We continue to integrate the arts as well as mindfulness. Our interns finished their last day of training with presentations on what they learned during training and what they are looking forward to in their internships.
BroadFutures interns are ending the month with two weeks of successful internships!! They continue to push themselves and grow as professionals and we are receiving such positive feedback from both our employers and our interns. We cannot wait to see all of the incredible work they will accomplish over the summer.
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15th Session of the Conference of States Parties to the CRPD
The conference took place in the United Nations Headquarters in New York City from June 13 to June 17.
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Request for Information on Current Population Survey Disability Supplement 2024
The Department of Labor is seeking information from the public regarding a supplement to the Current Population Survey on disability employment issues, which will be conducted by the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Census Bureau; it is expected to be fielded in 2024. The department is publishing this Request for Information to gather information to aid in revising this CPS Disability Supplement and to inform its general disability employment research agenda.
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Learn How to Support Employees with Long COVID
The Partnership on Employment & Accessible Technology just launched a new episode of their Future of Work podcast featuring Pam Bingham, Senior Program Manager for the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in Tech team at Intuit. She shares her story of navigating long COVID and gives thoughtful tips on how human resources leaders can support employees with disabilities from underrepresented groups.
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EAPA Podcast: The Campaign for Disability Employment Leans Into Mental Health at Work
ODEP’s Policy Communication and Outreach Director Renee Tajudeen joined the Employee Assistance Professionals Association podcast to discuss the Campaign for Disability Employment and its latest public education campaign, “Mental Health at Work: What Can I Do?,” EAPA’s contributions to its message and what Employee Assistance Professionals can do to get involved.
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Congratulations to the 2022 Service to the Citizen® Award Winners!
The Service to the Citizen Program recognizes those public servants and their industry partners who demonstrate excellence in delivering services that impact the publics' lives and rebuild trust in government.
- Amy Fong, Statistician, Office of Disability Employment Policy at the U.S. Department of Labor won the 2022 Rising Star of the Year Award.
- The Partnership on Employment & Accessible Technology team won a 2022 Service to the Citizen: Champions of Change™ Award for their work championing inclusive extended reality.
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Disability:IN Partners with Google to Launch
“All IN” toolkit at Cannes
Nearly 15% of the world’s population experiences some form of disability – yet historically, the portrayal of people with disabilities in marketing has rendered them all but invisible. Disability:IN partnered with Google to launch "All In" - an accessible marketing playbook. And what better place to introduce these insights [...]
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Is Remote Work Worse for Wellbeing than People Think?
Remote work is consistently touted as the best way for workers to feel mentally and physically well. But the reality is more complicated.
When Cat, 30, was offered a fully remote role last year, she didn’t think twice about accepting. By then, Cat, who lives in London and works in environmental services, had already been working mostly remotely for some time as a result of the pandemic. She thought that being based from home wouldn’t be much of a problem.
But during the past few months, Cat has started to have second thoughts.
“Working alone all day every day, particularly when my partner is in the office, is tough,” says Cat. “Sometimes, I won’t see anyone all day, which can be very lonely. I’ve found that instead of taking breaks to chat to people in my office, I pick up my phone. All of the extra screen time has definitely had a negative impact on my wellbeing.”
Remote work has been heralded as a solution to some of the problems of our fast-paced, pre-pandemic lifestyles. For many, it’s meant the opportunity to spend more time with their children, or use time that they would have previously wasted commuting pursuing more fulfilling hobbies. But new research into remote work and wellbeing has shown mixed results – in Microsoft’s 2022 New Future of Work Report, researchers found that although remote work can improve job satisfaction, it can also lead to employees feeling “socially isolated, guilty and trying to overcompensate”.
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Mindset Matters Column
Disability Pride Month Is Here, Now What?
Kaufman is a Consultant, Executive Coach and Licensed Psychotherapist
Disability Pride Month on its surface commemorates the 32nd anniversary of the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act, yet this is a moment that is beginning to undertake a level of meaning-making not seen before. It is an era where the disability community is reclaiming a sense of identity and redefining the power dynamic that is shaping the social fabric of the 21st Century from technology, design, the arts, and business, to the culture of everyday life. This month is just a reminder of an ongoing revolution that not only underscores the legal documentation but is embedding itself into the larger culture by amplifying that disability is a diversity issue and a fundamental aspect of the human story that is essential in creating a better quality of life for all. As the disability community has begun to use the tools at their disposal to rewrite the narrative, it is an opportunity for corporate leadership to identify these changes and take the next steps to incorporate them into their daily business culture.
A key question for leadership maybe what can Disability Pride Month teach organizations about the future of business culture, and what are some key lessons that leadership can take away? One does not have to go much further than the field of social psychology to get some answers to these critical questions, but also for corporate leadership to grasp the value that Disability Pride can serve across their businesses. Social psychology offers a lens that provides a level of insight that is needed in a fluid business environment as it continues to try to get its footing once again and create a framework for long-term growth. Let’s focus on two concepts that will allow leadership to engage with Disability Pride Month as something more than a commemoration, but rather a critical resource for strategic thinking as well as a roadmap for the future of business intelligence.
Through the lens of social psychology, Disability Pride amplifies the idea of what is known as a dissonance reduction, or the idea that a person or group of people can reduce the uncomfortable psychological state that results from inconsistency among elements of a cognitive system. What Disability Pride offers is the notion that disability itself, is not bad, just different. By highlighting representation from work-life to products and services the disability community can ultimately help to reduce stigma and highlight the importance of having this diverse community within the marketplace. However, the idea of dissonance reduction does not solely rest upon the disability community alone but rather on building strong relationships with business leaders to illustrate the value that this choice can have in redefining the corporate culture for a new age.
Another important perspective that Disability Pride offers business leaders has been a hallmark across the Mindset Matters column since its inception. This is the idea of Reframing, which is a strategy that people often use either on their own or in a therapeutic or coaching context to help adjust their mindset. It often involves focusing on more positive thoughts, but it can also be centered on changing excessively high expectations to be more realistic. Reframing has been a pivotal concept for the disability community as they continue to exercise a new power dynamic and reimagine themselves in both the society of today and tomorrow. Disability Pride Month offers an opportunity for corporate leaders to adopt this new stance and envision a future that is full of potential and absorb the disability narrative to use as a tool to reflect and execute various solutions to many of the challenges these organizations now face. This is the time to see the sphere of influence that the disability community can offer by recognizing the effect it can have on the totality of the future of business thinking.
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Events In The DC Metro Area and Beyond |
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Webinar: July 13
Join Advisory Council Members Paul McGovern, Lynn Clements, Dan Kuang, and Matthew Camardella as they discuss these issues and preview what is coming up at the NILG National Conference in Boston July 25-28. What direction is the EEOC likely to take when the Commissioners become majority Democrat in July? Expect more changes to OFCCP’s supply and service regulations – what shape might they take? Join members of the NILG Advisory Board for its second annual recap of current compliance issue – and a preview discussion of how NILG 2022 Annual Conference will help practitioners “Be the Beacon for Change”.
Register in advance for this webinar:
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email
containing information about joining the webinar.
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The National Minority Supplier Development Council (NMSDC) and Disability:IN are teaming up to promote five exciting days of events for our shared membership at the Dallas Sheraton Hotel the week of July 18. The week will kick off with Disability:IN’s 2022 Global Conference and Expo taking place at the Sheraton Dallas.
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nTIDE COVID-19 Updates
JULY 22, 2022
12:00 pm - 1:00 pm (ET) | Online | Free
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Professor of Economics / Research Director
Institute on Disability & Paul College of Business and Economics
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Director of Policy Innovation
Association of University Centers on Disability (AUCD)
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Director of Employment and Disability Research
Kessler Foundation
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Workplace Mental Health:
Effective Practices
Wednesday, July 27 | 12:30-1:30 PM ET
Learn the most effective practices to foster a corporate culture that is inclusive of individuals with mental health disabilities.
Senior leaders from corporate America will share how they've put inclusive policies and practices into action to support mental health at work.
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Workplace Mental Health:
Employer Perspective
Thursday, August 11 | 12:30-1:30 PM ET
Learn from the companies leading the way in addressing mental health in the workplace.
This panel discussion will focus on mental health disabilities from the employer's perspective, offering insight to other leaders on how to support mental illness in the workplace and work together to eliminate stigma.
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Upcoming Meeting of the President's Committee for People with Intellectual Disabilities
Thursday, July 28 from 12:00 - 4:00 pm ET
The President's Committee for People with Intellectual Disabilities will host a virtual meeting for its members to identify emerging topics to examine in the Committee's Report to the President. All the PCPID meetings, in any format, are open to the public. This virtual meeting will be conducted in a presentation and discussion format. Stakeholder input is very important to the PCPID. Comments and suggestions, especially from people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, are welcome at any time. If there are comments or feedback you would like to share with the PCPID as it begins to prioritize its work, please share them through this form on ACL.gov.
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Save the date for the
2022 NTID Career Fair
Wednesday, October 5, 2022
The NTID Co-op and Career Center will be bringing back the annual fall NTID Career Fair in-person this year!
Information on the event and steps to register will be shared in the coming months. Please visit our Career Fair webpage for further updates.
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2022 National Conferences |
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Disabilty:IN Conference Registration Now Open!
The Global Corporate Disability Inclusion Event of the Year
- Engage with industry peers, experts and companies to learn how they are gaining the disability advantage, through tools like the Disability Equality Index.
- Meet and discuss opportunities with disability-owned business enterprises (DOBEs), including disabled veteran-owned and service-disabled veteran-owned.
- Celebrate leaders in disability inclusion at the Inclusion Awards and top-scoring companies of the Disability Equality Index as the “Best Places to Work for Disability Inclusion.”
- Connect with Disability:IN Affiliates and learn how to engage locally.
- Learn how including people with disabilities is playing a role in the future of ESG and sustainability.
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RespectAbility Summit 2022
Sunday, July 31 – Tuesday, August 2 on Capitol Hill
You are invited to join RespectAbility for three days of fantastic sessions that prepare people with disabilities and the disability community for a better future.
This event will be fully accessible, with an ASL interpreter and live captions. We currently expect the event to be in-person. We will require that all attendees be vaccinated, unless they have a medical exemption. This event will also be recorded and shared with open captions.
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Early Cerebral Palsy Health Summit - Hybrid Event
Atlanta, GA and Virtual
August 12 - 17, 2022
This year, we are excited to be offering a hybrid program that will include a basic pre-conference e-course, completely virtual program, optional in-person implementation workshops, and limited selections of in-person HINE, HNNE, and GMA training at Emory University in Atlanta, GA.
July 1- Pre-conference Basic Core E-Course-Early Detection
August 12 - In-person HINE and HNNE Training Courses (FREE with registration to the Health Summit)
August 13-14 -Early Cerebral Palsy Health Summit. In-person workshops and virtual e-courses
August 15-17 - In-person BASIC and ADVANCED GMA Training Course
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Save the Dates!
Mid-Atlantic ADA Conference 2022
TransCen and the Mid-Atlantic ADA Center, in collaboration with the Great Plains ADA Center, will host ADAcon, the 29th Annual Mid-Atlantic Conference on the Americans with Disabilities Act!
Tuesday, October 11, Wednesday, October 12, and Thursday, October 13, 2022
- Call for presentation proposals will be issued in early 2022.
- Registration will open late spring, 2022.
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Our focus is on Culture Change!
Our organization, formerly the DC Metro Business Leadership Network, is the largest regional member network of a variety of industry employers advocating for inclusion of individuals with disabilities in today's workforce, marketplace and supply chain. A non-profit business-led network established in 2006, our purpose is to bring the business community together in a dialog through education, training and resources with a focus on removing attitudinal and organizational barriers by exchanging best practices to ensure that the inclusion of individuals with disabilities as smart business.
Our Members and Guests have access to resources, programs and partners to strengthen the disability inclusion efforts and outcomes.
- Thought leadership
- Business to business networking
- Introductions to community partners
- Access to talent
- Hot topic programming led by Subject Matter Experts
- Webinars
Join our
Follow us on
Our Board
Board Members:
- John Annand, Marriott International
- Jennifer Bassett, Chair, JBG SMITH Companies
- Tashi Carper, Leidos
- Michelle Crabtree, Town of Vienna
- Ellen de Bremond, Treasurer
- Anjali Desai-Margolin, Gallaudet University
- Tom Downs, Booz Allen Hamilton
- Andrea Hall, Past Chair, General Dynamics Mission Systems
- Sylvia Henri-Wonasue, Secretary, Lockheed Martin
- Sophie Howard, Immediate Past Chair, General Dynamics IT
- Eduardo Meza-Etienne, eSSENTIAL Accessibility
- Mary Sauder, Northrop Grumman
- Ryan Walters, Vice-Chair, Deloitte
- Myra Wilder, BAE Systems
Advisory Board Members:
- Jessica Lee Aiello, iYellow Group
- Meghan Cadigan, KPMG
- Crosby Cromwell, The Valuable 500
- Lori Daly, Diversifi Consulting Group and Chair, Community Outreach
- Ron Drach, Drach Consulting, LLC
- Rikki Epstein, The Arc of Northern VA
- Melody Goodspeed, The American Foundation for the Blind
- Karen Herson, Concepts, Inc.
- Carolyn Jeppsen, BroadFutures
- Craig Leen, K&L Gates, Former OFCCP Director
- Carrie Martin, MAXAR Technologies
- Rick Rodgers, The Resource Network and Chair, Disability Supplier Diversity
Our Staff
The Hon. Katherine McCary, President, C5 Consulting, LLC serves as CEO and Executive Director. Katherine served as founding chair of the USBLN (now Disability:IN) for nine years, the founding chair of the VA BLN (Now Virginia Ability) for 13 years and has launched more than 11 chapters. She received the USBLN Lifetime Achievement Award in 2009.
C5 is a global disability inclusion strategy consultancy comprised exclusively of private sector disability leaders, experienced disability from a variety of areas; as individuals, as caregivers, and as parents of individuals with disabilities. With more than 50 years combined expertise and a deep knowledge of culture change developed through customized business strategies. C5 is the pioneer of disability inclusion "for business by business" with just in time training Disability Inclusion IQ designed for enterprise wide learning, now a DC Metro chapter member benefit!
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Our Mission
“Building the Business Network for Disability Inclusion.”
Our Vision
“Cultivate workforces and workplaces where talent with disabilities are recruited, included, promoted, retained and valued as both internal talent and innovative vendors.”
"In This Together" Campaign Continues
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In these ongoing unprecedented times, non-profits face the situation of limited funding. The DC Metro Chapter is no different. As we continue to provide education and resources with the newsletters and free virtual programming, your support is needed now more than ever. Please consider a donation to support our mission in support of our monthly efforts! As most of us are shopping virtually these, days, please shop on Amazon Smile!
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