DISABILITY NEWS YOU NEED TO KNOW
SEPTEMBER 2023
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SEPTEMBER "SOUND CHECK" CAMPAIGN
September 11-September 30
Hearing loss is a large issue for working adults, but many go undiagnosed and don’t realize how important their hearing health is for their overall well-being. Employers don’t know how to address this issue or who is impacted by undiagnosed hearing loss, so we’ve developed a campaign to encourage employees to take a hearing test and learn more about the benefits of hearing health.
Disability:IN DC Metro is partnering with Soniccloud to raise awareness of often undiagnosed hearing loss in the workforce. Contact me this week if your organization wishes to participate and receive PR promotional information.
- A free confidential hearing assessment
- About the Hearing assessment (Designed by Jody Winzelberg, SoundCloud Chief Audiologist) used by audiologists across US, used by OTC hearing aid companies and featured in your Apple Health app) Under 5 min fun and animated!
- How to opt in as an organization. Contact Sarah and you will receive a unique link
- September Soundcheck.com goes live Monday, September 11th!
Individuals, including your employees, may be experiencing hearing loss and don't realize it. As is disability often in general, we know there is often a stigma attached to hearing loss. We want to address that stigma in the coming months with information and personal stories. Participating companies have flexibility in how and when they want to announce and promote the September Sound Check - i.e one day or an entire dedicated week!)
My Story:
Most of us have vision tests along with other preventative health maintenance. But, as a person who now is hard of hearing, I did not realize that I was compensating my hearing loss by watching a person's face, lips, expression to follow and participate in conversations. At the last "in-person" Disability:IN Conference before COVID, I realized I had to be facing the person I was listening to. During COVID, when we all started masking, it was clear to me that I needed to see an audiologist. I realized I had been "faking" my hearing abilities. I had trouble distinguishing my grandchildren's voices during carpool pickup. I couldn't understand what a family member in another room was telling me.
After diagnosis, I now have two hearing aids and my hearing loss is less profound. But ZOOM meetings are still difficult for me and I use captioning and recording to be sure I am following all conversations.
At Disability:IN DC Metro, we are partnering with Soniccloud, who I met at this year's Disability:IN Conference, to raise awareness of hearing loss in the workplace and how it impacts performance, productivity and confidence at work. Join us by sharing this information and testing access within your organization this month!
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Did You Know?
- By 2050 nearly 2.5 billion people are projected to have some degree of hearing loss and at least 700 million will require hearing rehabilitation.
- Over 1 billion young adults are at risk of permanent, avoidable hearing loss due to unsafe listening practices.
- An annual additional investment of less than US$ 1.40 per person is needed to scale up ear and hearing care services globally.
- Over a 10-year period, this promises a return of nearly US$ 16 for every US dollar invested.
Overview
Over 5% of the world’s population – or 430 million people – require rehabilitation to address their disabling hearing loss (432 million adults and 34 million children). It is estimated that by 2050 over 700 million people – or 1 in every 10 people – will have disabling hearing loss.
‘Disabling’ hearing loss refers to hearing loss greater than 35 decibels (dB) in the better hearing ear. Nearly 80% of people with disabling hearing loss live in low- and middle-income countries. The prevalence of hearing loss increases with age, among those older than 60 years, over 25% are affected by disabling hearing loss.
Hearing loss and deafness
A person who is not able to hear as well as someone with normal hearing – hearing thresholds of 20 dB or better in both ears – is said to have hearing loss. Hearing loss may be mild, moderate, severe, or profound. It can affect one ear or both ears and leads to difficulty in hearing conversational speech or loud sounds.
'Hard of hearing' refers to people with hearing loss ranging from mild to severe. People who are hard of hearing usually communicate through spoken language and can benefit from hearing aids, cochlear implants, and other assistive devices as well as captioning.
'Deaf' people mostly have profound hearing loss, which implies very little or no hearing. They often use sign language for communication.
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Companies Are Investing in Tech for Employees with Vision and Hearing Loss
By Kylie Ora Lobell
"It is about empowering employees and providing tools to help them seamlessly complete client work and meet deadlines." Citi, Sony, PNC and Boeing are just some of the companies that use SonicCloud, a 10-person California company whose namesake software provides personalized sound to users who are hard of hearing.
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This Hollywood Director Is Changing the Lives of the Hard of Hearing
Larry Guterman channeled his hearing loss to help as many people as possible.
When Larry Guterman was a freshman at MIT, he went to a very loud party. When he woke up the next morning, he heard ringing in his ears. The day after that, the ringing persisted. In the week following the party, the ringing never went away.
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Join DC Metro for our one hour Zoom demo:
September 14, 2023, Noon ET
Or
September 19, Noon ET
If you need an accommodation to the demo, please let us know.
About SonicCloud
SonicCloud is an audio software solution that adapts to everyone’s individual hearing needs, making communication effortless whether on a computer, tablet, or phone. Maximize your Zoom or Teams meetings!
Communication is a key aspect of any productive and functional organization, but workers can’t participate fully in conversations or collaborate if they can’t hear clearly. This is increasingly true as many companies have moved to remote or flexible work and the majority of conversations have shifted from in person to video calls.
Hearing loss is a non-apparent disability that impacts a significant number of Americans. It’s estimated that 1 in 7 adults suffer from some form of hearing loss and more than 85% of people don’t wear hearing aids, often due to the financial cost or stigma associated with them.
Our mission is to level the playing field for those with hearing loss, reduce stigmas and lets individual talents and contributions shine. We believe strongly true inclusion is making sure all employees can join the conversation - and with SonicCloud they can.
Why offer SonicCloud:
SonicCloud is used by Fortune 500 companies, such as PNC Bank, Boeing, and Sony, to enable their employees to do their jobs, unlock new opportunities, and communicate more effectively on digital platforms across business and remote environments. Benefits of our Software include:
Easily deployable in air-gapped environments in a few hours
IT compliant and hosted internally behind corporate firewalls
Maintains confidentiality without data sharing with SonicCloud
Qualifies as an ADA "Reasonable Accommodation"
Helps to recruit and retain veteran and employees with disabilities.
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In honor of the
50th Anniversary of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973
Disability:IN DC Metro is offering for
50% savings
for New Members!
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Not a Member?
Don't have an Affiliate Near You?
You don't have to live in the National Capital Region to engage and enjoy DC Metro's Professional Development Courses and topical Hybrid Programming!
Membership is open to all individuals, corporate partners, universities, non-profits and government agencies. All our programs are offered virtually with access to Disability IQ e-Professional Development Courses. Diamond and above level members have access to schedule a live disability 101 webinar.
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Welcome to our new member! |
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Showcase your Commitment to DEIA
and become a DC Metro Sponsor Partner!
Be recognized in the
National Capital Region as a DEIA leader!
What's the Brand Benefit?
As a DEIA leader, branding plays an important part in your work. As a Disability:IN DC Metro Sponsor Partner you can grow customer loyalty, compete in the Washington DC Metro market and attract talent.
Sponsor Partners are featured prominently on our website, in our monthly newsletter and on our Disability IQ Professional Development Center and can sponsor a program. The Titanium and Platinum options offer the opportunity to keynote a program. You can also become a Keynote Sponsor regardless of your employee count for $5,000.
$850- $10,000
Members can be Sponsor Partners too!
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Thank You to Our Sponsor Partners! |
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DID YOU MISS THIS?
8th Annual Accessibility Forum held on August 30th
Adaptable Accessibility: Incorporating Evolving Standards, Requirements, and Regulations into Your Digital Accessibility Program
Sponsored By: Level Access
Recording available on September 18
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DRIVING CHANGE- CREATING OPPORTUNITY
The Latest News
The Office of Disability Employment Policy
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NDEAM 2023
is a Month Away!
"Advancing Access and Equity: Then, Now and Next”
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What can YOU do to celebrate NDEAM?
There are lots of ways! Explore the ideas below designed for:
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NDEAM Year-Round
NDEAM activities don't have to end in October, YOU have an opportunity to launch year-round activities that highlight the importance of including disability in all of your organization's diversity endeavors.
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Business Benefits: The Positive Impacts of Disability Inclusion
Learn about the many benefits of recruiting, hiring, retaining, and advancing people with disabilities.
Organizations that are inclusive of people with disabilities benefit from a wider pool of talent, skills, and creative business solutions. This factsheet, developed in collaboration with the State Exchange on Employment & Disability (SEED), highlights the advantages of workplace disability inclusion, from increased productivity to reduced turnover and access to new markets. Read the EARN article.
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AI & Disability Inclusion Toolkit Overview
Artificial Intelligence (AI) has advanced rapidly in recent years, moving from Research & Development (R&D) labs and startups into broader use. Organizations are using AI to screen job candidates, streamline the application process, monitor employee actions, and provide employee training. When not designed and implemented to consider diverse users, AI technologies can increase the risk of workplace discrimination, including for people with disabilities.
Equitable AI refers to AI technologies that humans intentionally design, develop, and implement to result in more equitable outcomes for everyone, including people with disabilities. Organizations can adopt Equitable AI Principles to guide their design, development, and implementation of AI to mitigate discrimination and reduce bias in AI technologies. Employers who adopt Equitable AI Principles can help ensure a diverse, equitable, and inclusive workplace for all existing and future employees.
PEAT developed the AI & Disability Inclusion Toolkit to help your organization navigate the potential risks of implementing AI technologies (specifically for people with disabilities), to outline practices you can adopt to try making AI implementations more equitable, and to help you make a business case for Equitable AI to organizational leaders.
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IN THE NEWS - ARTICLES OF INTEREST |
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Did you know that there are over 10 #Disability-related awareness months in September?
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By Jeff Wissell, CAO, DIsablity:IN |
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These awareness months provide us a chance to collectively increase awareness of diverse disability communities; recognize the lived experiences of millions of people worldwide; and break bias and stigmas surrounding the larger disability community.
How will you be recognizing and acknowledging these communities throughout the month of September? Let us know in the comments below!
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See all the honorees of Fast Company’s 2023 Innovation by Design Awards in the Accessible Design category.
The Accessible Design category of Fast Company’s Innovation by Design Awards honors projects that put accessibility front and center. This year’s winner, JanSport’s Adaptive Collection, is a series of backpacks and crossbody bags designed for people with limited dexterity.
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The Sacrifices for Military Readiness are a Family Affair
By James D. Rodriguez
While many Americans have benefited from historic, post-pandemic reductions in the U.S. unemployment rate, one group of workers continues to struggle in securing and maintaining meaningful employment, namely our military spouses.
For military spouses, 90 percent of whom are women, the obstacles to finding meaningful employment are unique. Military families must often relocate across the country or overseas, leaving behind families, friends and their communities. In fact, active-duty military personnel typically receive “Permanent Change of Station” orders to move every two to four years, and some — about one-third of military service members — receive these orders annually.
When military personnel are called away, a spouse often becomes the military family’s sole caregiver, removed from their support networks and sometimes forced to leave their jobs to manage the home front. These demands, combined with frequent and unpredictable deployments and relocations, expose many military spouses to discrimination from employers who are reluctant to hire and train someone who may suddenly need to be replaced.
These challenges also affect members of the U.S. National Guard and Reserve who continue to be deployed at record levels since 9/11. While they are typically based in a single state, their frequent deployments overseas can cause the same kinds of stress and hardship faced by those in active duty. When not in training or deployed, National Guard members and Reservists usually work full-time in civilian jobs in addition to their military obligations. Deployments can have a significant financial impact on military families, especially when spouses must quit a job to run the household alone.
The Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act of 1994 protects all military service members and veterans from workplace discrimination in hiring and promotions and during and after deployments. While the majority of employers honor the dedication of our service members, the Department of Labor still receives about 1,000 complaints each year alleging USERRA violations. The department resolves 89 percent of valid cases in a manner that satisfies the service member and their employer without the need for legal action.
Military spouses, however, do not have similar protections and the need for change is overwhelming.
The good news is that the Biden-Harris administration and Congress have taken action, knowing that military spouses deserve better. In January 2023, President Biden signed the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act, which included an amendment that. makes most active professional licenses held by service members and their spouses portable across state lines, the exception being licenses to practice law. This law is an important change that lets military spouses continue their careers and avoid the delays of obtaining new licenses when their partner’s military service takes them out of state.
On June 9, 2023, President Biden took another important step when he signed an executive order to make the federal government an employer of choice for military and veteran spouses, military caregivers and survivors. Included in the President’s fiscal year 2024 budget, the administration has proposed an expansion of federal law to provide USERRA protections against workplace discrimination and retaliation to the spouses of service members in active duty or with the National Guard and Reserve. With Congressional action, military spouses will have same workplace protection as their partners when duty calls.
With two daughters whose two parents served on active duty in the Marine Corps, our family knows firsthand the challenges faced by military families. We appreciate how hard deployments can be on a family, especially on children who, in many ways, grew up making sacrifices for the good of the nation. We also understand the importance of USERRA protections and need to provide the same benefits to spouses. Working together, the Biden-Harris administration and Congress can do more to show our service members we appreciate their sacrifices and those made by U.S. military families around the world. The well-being and strength of our all-volunteer Armed Forces depends on their success.
James D. Rodriguez serves as Assistant Secretary for Veterans Employment and Training at the U.S. Department of Labor.
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Department of Education Office of Civil Rights and Department of Justice Send A Message to Higher Ed: Make Your Websites Accessible
A recent “Dear Colleague” letter issued jointly by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Office of Civil Rights of the Department of Education (OCR) places colleges and universities on notice of recent enforcement activities under Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act (Section 504) directed at digital accessibility.
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Events In The DC Metro Area and Beyond |
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Integrating Disability-Owned
Business Enterprises (DOBE®s) into your
Supply Chain
Friday
September 22, 2023
11:30 am - 1:00 pm CT
Join us for our second annual networking session with certified Disability-Owned Business Enterprises (DOBE®s). Learn how you can increase your supplier diversity by connecting with certified DOBE®s in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Chicago, and the DC Metro area and their corporate partners, for a virtual session to build relationships and create connections to integrate disability into your supplier diversity programs.
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AI and Digital Transformation: New Paradigms for Accessibility and Inclusion Strategies
October 10-12, Washington, DC
Join disability advocates, corporations, government agencies, academia, and accessibility executives at the 11th M-Enabling Summit, the leading all-inclusive conference and showcase dedicated to fostering innovations, solutions, and strategies for digital inclusion.
Participants will benefit from rich and unique networking opportunities with thought leaders, technology providers, innovators and developers of assistive technologies that serve more than one-billion Persons with Disabilities and an expanding aging population globally.
The 2023 M-Enabling Summit will examine how AI drives innovation and automation in multiple areas allowing to scale up digital accessibility in unprecedented ways and review risks for persons with disabilities that organizations need to mitigate.
Practitioners will be sharing how they manage their product lifecycles and digital transformations to support their accessibility journeys and help achieve their organizations’ Diversity, Equity, Inclusion (DEI) objective. Case studies will illustrate how accessibility features of products and services are leveraged to better serve persons with disabilities and older persons in work environments, for digital products and services, urban and transportation environments, e-commerce, leisure, social or educational activities.
A unique venue for dialogue and cooperation, the 2023 M-Enabling Summit will feature panel discussions, open conversations with innovators and disrupters in digital inclusion, instant polls, networking meetups, brainstorming and live debates among disability advocacy leaders, business executives, accessibility experts, and information technology and assistive technology providers.
On day three of the Summit, the International Association of Accessibility Professionals (IAAP) will host a thought leadership Expert Forum on integrating accessibility in organizational maturity.
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BIT Announces October 2023 Gala
Salesforce proudly presents the Blind Institute of Technology’s
Blind Institute of Technology is excited to bring its Dining In The Dark Annual Fundraiser to Philadelphia to help significantly reduce the severe unemployment and underemployment rates of people with disabilities on both a local and national level. Please join us at the Kimpton Hotel Monaco to learn more about The Greatest Equalizer and for a night of fun!
Corporate Sponsorships
Why partner? Join other corporate partners and sponsors to make a positive impact on current and future professionals that have a visual impairment or other disability by assisting them in gaining the skills they need for a meaningful, prosperous career.
Please contact Natalie to secure your sponsorship, make payments and give guest information. She can be reached at natalie@blindit.org or 303-995-1006.
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2023 Melwood Ability Awards
October 18, 2023 - 8:00 to 10:00 am
National Press Club | Washington, DC
The Melwood Ability Awards aims to highlight change-makers, visionaries and influencers within the disability space who are shedding light on the importance of increasing representation and inclusion of people with disabilities in the workplace and society at large. At this year’s event, Melwood will be honoring:
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Impact Award: The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) for its leadership in directly improving accessibility and opening new spaces for people with disabilities in the workplace and beyond.
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Pioneer Award: Keivonn Woodard, Emmy-nominated actor in HBO’s hit series The Last of Us, for his work to increase the visibility and inclusion of people with disabilities in popular culture and everyday life.
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Advocacy Award: Senator Bob Casey and Congressman Steny Hoyer for their legacy of consistent leadership on advancing inclusion of people with disabilities through legislative change.
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Teamwork Award: Craig and Alex Leen for their combined efforts to promote awareness around inclusion and accessibility.
If you or your organization is interested in sponsoring the event, please learn more about our sponsorship packages contact Sarah Boynton at sboynton@melwood.org.
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Celebrating Our 10th Anniversary
October 21, 2023
Saturday from 5:30 PM - 8:00 PM EDT
Join BroadFutures for a night on the water Cocktails & Light Fare The District Wharf Rooftop Penthouse and Terrace
BroadFutures' mission is to celebrate neurodiversity by creating access, cultivating skills and revolutionizing the workplace for all through an innovative training, mentoring and paid internship program.
Since our incorporation in 2013, we have served over 300 young people directly and hundreds more through our community outreach. We have partnered with over 60 employers, working side by side with them to ensure successful internships. We have recently expanded our programs outside of the DC Metropolitan area to include several nationwide employer partnerships.
As we celebrate our 10 years of service, we are committed to expanding our capacity to meet the growing needs of our community, reaching an ever diverse group of young people and employers, and ensuring our programs are accessible for ALL.
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UPCOMING FALL EVENTS
OCT 4, 2023 1PM - 2PM
Explore ways to expand employment options for neurodivergent job candidates and how to effectively support and engage with neurodivergent job seekers and staff.
NOV 9, 2023 1PM - 2PM
DiversityInc’s Founder will lead a discussion on how businesses can create a welcoming and supportive environment where veterans with disabilities can thrive.
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Veterans Day Program
November 16 – 12:00-1:00 ET
“Leveraging Intersectionality of Veterans with Disabilities in the Workplace”
In recognition of Veterans Day this session will delve into the diverse and extensive contributions of Veterans in the workplace, this often misunderstood area of translating work experience and how to leverage the intersectional identities of Veterans into a win-win for the employee and employer.
Welcoming Remarks:
Assistant Secretary James Rodriguez
Veterans Employment and Training
Learning Objectives:
- Understanding Veteran culture and how to apply it to your outreach and recruitment
- Maximizing intersectional identities in outreach and recruiting Veterans
- Hear stories from Veterans who have transitioned into corporate culture
Moderator
Andrea Hall, General Dynamics Mission Systems, DC Metro Board Member
Panel
- SkillBridge Pgm (Mayo SBP intern + Marsha Edwards, Diversity Recruiting Specialist in AZ)
- VR&E Anna Thomas
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DON'T MISS THESE
NATIONAL CONFERENCES
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Get Ready for The Arc’s 2023 National Convention!
November 6 – 8 | New Orleans, LA
The Arc’s National Convention is an unmatched opportunity to connect and learn with advocates, professionals, people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, and their families.
No matter what your connection is to the disability community, we have sessions sure to challenge, inspire, and motivate! We’re preparing an exciting lineup of thought leaders from across the disability community, including policy experts, self-advocates, and innovators at the forefront of disability services and supports.
You will learn about employment, education, advocacy, housing, technology, criminal justice, and more.
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Chris Ulmer, Founder
Special Books by Special Kids
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Don’t miss our opening keynote!
The Power of Acceptance and Positivity
Explore the concept of normalizing the diversity of the human condition through understanding, positivity, and acceptance.
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FULL EVENT AND ONE-DAY PASSES AVAILABLE
For people with intellectual and developmental disabilities
The Arc promotes and protects the human rights of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and actively supports their full inclusion and participation in the community throughout their lifetimes.
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The Institute for Workplace Equality
Artificial Intelligence and Employment Compliance Conference
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November 14-16
Early Bird Pricing ends October 2!
This hybrid conference is comprised of two parts, giving attendees the option to register for Day 1 only or the full two-and-a-half day conference. Day 1 (November 14) will cover one of HR’s hottest topics: everything you need to know about artificial intelligence and employment. Days 2 and 3 (November 15-16) will feature sessions led by industry experts, including The Institute's nationally renowned Leadership, Faculty, and Advisory Board.
Sessions will cover today’s most pressing HR and compliance topics, including:
- What to expect from the Biden Administration leading up to 2024 Elections
- When DOL will issue long-awaited wage & hour, independent contractor and Davis-Bacon regulations
- OFCCP regulatory agenda and when to expect the new scheduling letter/itemized listing
- EEOC agenda for the remainder of 2023
- State pay transparency laws
- Impact of Harvard/UNC Supreme Court decisions on DEI programs
- What employers need to know about religious accommodation under Title VII
- And more!
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Learn More About DC Metro |
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2023 Disability:IN DC Metro Programs
Theme: Intersectionality
Join us as we hold Hybrid and Virtual Events!
- Intersectionality: June LGBTQ Pride Month
- Intersectionality: July Disability Pride Month, ADA Anniversary
- Intersectionality: August Supplier Diversity including Disability Owned Businesses
- Intersectionality: September LatinX Heritage Month and Disability
- Celebrating National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM)
- November Celebrating Veterans with Disabilities in the Workplace and as Entrepreneurs
- Intersectionality: November Native American Heritage Month and Disability
- Celebrating International Day of Persons with Disabilities
- The Growing Role of the Chief Accessibility Officer
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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
- Professional Development courses
- 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:
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Jennifer Bassett, Immediate Past Chair, JBG SMITH Companies
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Meghan Cadigan, Vice Chair and Secretary, KPMG
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Tashi Carper, Leidos
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Rahsaan Coefield, Lockheed Martin
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Ellen de Bremond, Treasurer
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Anjali Desai-Margolin, Gallaudet University
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Tom Downs, Booz Allen Hamilton
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Andrea Hall, General Dynamics Mission Systems
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Sophie Howard, General Dynamics IT
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Eduardo Meza-Etienne, Level Access and DC Metro Chief Accessibility Officer
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Mary Sauder, Northrop Grumman
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Ryan Walters, Chair, Deloitte
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Myra Wilder, BAE Systems
Advisory Board Members:
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Jessica Lee Aiello, iYellow Group
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Michelle Crabtree, Town of Vienna
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Crosby Cromwell, The Valuable 500
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Lori Daly, Diversifi Consulting Group and Chair, Community Outreach
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Ron Drach, Drach Consulting, LLC
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Diane Monnig, The Arc of Northern VA
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Melody Goodspeed, The American Foundation for the Blind
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Karen Herson, Concepts, Inc.
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Carolyn Jeppsen, BroadFutures
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Craig Leen, K&L Gates, Former OFCCP Director
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Carrie Martin, MAXAR Technologies
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Rick Rodgers,The Resource Network and Chair, Disability Supplier Diversity
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Kia SIlver-Hodge, Enterprise Community Partners
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 Professional Development Courses 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 for 2023
Please Donate!
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!
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