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Dear Friends,
As the Gregorian calendar year comes to a close, we hope you are finding moments of rest, reflection, and connection with loved ones and what’s meaningful to you. While we wait for more snow to fall, Disability:IN Minnesota is getting ready for a winter full of celebration, learning, and relationship building.
On Monday, December 4, we will celebrate International Day of Persons with Disabilities with MaxAbility Taskforce. This exciting annual event is free and open to the public (yes, there’s still time to register!). Attendees will gather in-person at the Rochester Art Center and online via Zoom. While COVID and other airborne illnesses continue to spread, we encourage participants to join us virtually if they are feeling sick and for in-person attendees to consider wearing a high-quality, well-fitting mask to protect others. Taking precautions not only benefits yourself, it benefits the whole community. We look forward to celebrating with you!
This month, we also recognize World AIDS day and Crohn's and Colitis Awareness Week, which serve as important reminders to resist stigma and raise awareness of “invisible” disabilities. Interested in learning more about this topic? Check out the work of the Invisible Disability Project, an organization working to “disrupt the silence around unseen disabilities” and remind us that while a person’s disability may be unseen, it does not mean it is unfelt or unreal.
The application period for Disability:IN Minnesota’s 2024 Career Connections Mentoring Program is now open for mentors and mentees! The program will run from January 5, 2024 – March 29, 2024. Continue reading for more information and apply by December 18!
We hope our last newsletter of the year leaves you with plenty of possibilities for getting involved in the work of disability inclusion. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn to stay up-to-date! Whether you'll celebrate Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Christmas, the winter solstice, or the fresh start of a new year, Disability:IN Minnesota wishes you warmth and safety this holiday season.
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Image description: "Disability: IN Minnesota" and "NEWS IS: IN" in dark blue and green text in front of a light green and blue gradient background. There is a white envelope illustration in the center of the graphic and an outline of a megaphone at the bottom left-hand corner. "December 2023" appears in dark blue text at the bottom right-hand corner. | |
International Day of Persons with Disabilities | |
Image Description: Invitation flyer for the MaxAbility 2023 International Day of Persons with Disabilities celebration with keynote speaker Gaelynn Lea musician and public speaker. "Date/Time: December 4, 2020 3 to 6 PM CT, Location: Rochester Art Center." Registration: bit.ly/2023IDPWD. A headshot of Gaelynn Lea, musician and public speaker, appears on the top right corner of the flyer. "Gaelynn addresses her audiences with honesty, enthusiasm, humor, and power — she is a strong advocate in the disability community who boldly uses her voice to promote positive social change." workforcedevelopmentinc.org/programs/maxability. 2023 SHRM Seal. SHRM Credits are available for this event. | |
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Join us in person or virtually on Monday, December 4, 2023 from 3:00 – 6:00 PM CT to celebrate 2023 "International Day of Persons with Disabilities!"
Location: Rochester Art Center (30 Civic Center Drive Southeast #STE 120 Rochester, MN 55904) or Virtually on Zoom
Virtual attendees will be sent the Zoom link one day prior to the event.
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SHRM Credits are available for this event. You may request accommodations when registering.
COVID-19 Information
New data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows that COVID viral activity levels are “very high” in Minnesota. We invite participants to join us virtually if they are feeling sick and for in-person attendees to consider wearing a high-quality, well-fitting mask and taking a COVID test before gathering in-person to protect others. Taking precautions not only benefits yourself, it benefits the whole community. We look forward to celebrating with you!
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Disability:IN Minnesota applauds its 2023 International Day of Persons with Disabilities INclusive Sponsors! | |
Image description: Disability:IN Minnesota’s logo and “2024” appear in blue text at the top of the image. Below is a photo of someone with short grey hair holding a pen and paper, sitting at a desk, and talking to a younger person via video call on a laptop. The person on the laptop screen is smiling, has short dark hair, and wears glasses and a striped brown and white t-shirt. To the right is a graphic that reads: "Mentee" at the top and "Mentor" at the bottom in dark blue text in front of a green background. A white USB charging cable connects the two words in the center of the graphic. Below the images reads: “Career Connections Mentoring Program” in white text in front of a blue background. | |
2024 Career Connections Mentoring Program | |
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Are you seeking meaningful connections, career mentorship opportunities, and ways to support others within the disability community? This 3-month mentoring experience might be a great fit for you!
The Career Connections Mentoring Program connects professionals from Disability:IN Minnesota member companies and partners to:
- College/university students with disabilities
- Recent graduates with disabilities or
- People with disabilities who have completed a specialized training/certification program
This program offers a space to cultivate dynamic one-on-one relationships where mentees and mentors can each share their unique insights, perspectives, and experiences related to career development, employment opportunities, and disability-inclusive practices in the workplace. The goal of the program is for learning to be reciprocal; for mentees and mentors to learn from each other.
The 2024 program will run from January 5 – March 29, 2024. Visit Disability:IN Minnesota’s website to learn more about the Career Connections Mentoring Program, including key dates and participant reflections.
Apply to be a mentee or mentor for the 2024 cohort today!
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Applications are due on December 18, 2023 at 5:00 PM CT. | | |
Save the Date! February Member Meeting | |
Save the date and join us on February 21, 2024 for an engaging conversation on "getting comfortable with the uncomfortable" when discussing disability and employment. Stay tuned for more details coming soon! | |
Updates from Disability:IN National | |
DOBE Holiday Gift Guide - Shop Disability-Owned! | |
Image description: "Expressing Utmost Gratitude For Our Community" in white text in front of a blue background. the word "Gratitude" is emphasized and appears on top of a green decorative ribbon. An assortment of grey, blue, and green wrapped holiday gifts appear below the text. Colorful confetti rains from the top of the graphic. | |
"Disability:IN is proud to share the 2023 DOBE Holiday gift guide. This guide features hand-selected offerings from certified Disability Owned Business Enterprises (DOBEs) to help you find the perfect gift for anyone on your list. We encourage you to shop #DisabilityOwned this Holiday Season!" | |
Register now for the 2024 Disability Equality Index! | |
Image description: "DEI (Disability Equality Index)" in green text appears on top of a dark blue background. Also reads: "Best place to work for disability inclusion" and "2024" in white lettering within a white border around the text. Four world globe illustrations with green dots on the maps appear on either side of the box. | |
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"The Disability Equality Index is an objective, reflective, forward-thinking, and confidential disability rating tool designed to assist business in advancing inclusion practices.
Celebrating its 10th year in 2024, the Disability Equality Index is now available beyond the United States for a scored benchmark for the first time in the following seven international countries: Brazil, Canada, Germany, India, Japan, Philippines, and the United Kingdom in addition to the U.S."
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Image description: "accenture" in black text in front of a white background. four green and blue speech bubble icons surround the text. An illustration of a megaphone appears in the upper left hand corner. | |
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"Companies that Lead in Disability Inclusion Outperform Peers Financially.
[This week], Disability:IN and Accenture announced the release of our new report: The Disability Inclusion Imperative. Building on the 2018 landmark report on disability inclusion at work in the United States, the 2023 update to the business case is enlightening.
Companies that lead their peers in disability inclusion realize considerable financial gains: they earn 1.6x more revenue, 2.6x more net income, and 2x more economic profit than other companies in the Disability Equality Index. "
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December 2023
January 2024
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January 5, Career Connections Mentoring Pairs Announced
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January 12, 12:00 - 1:00 PM, 2024 Career Connections Mentoring Program Virtual Kick-Off
February 2024
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February 21, February Member Meeting, Disability Employment: "Getting Comfortable with the Uncomfortable"
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February 22, 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM, Career Connections Mentoring Program Disclosure Training
March 2024
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March 13, March Member Meeting, Employer Reasonable Accommodation Fund
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March 29, 11:30 AM – 1:00 PM, Career Connections Mentoring Program Conclusion and Virtual Celebration
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Partner Events
Events can be viewed/accessed using the links below. All events will indicate whether they are free or have registration fees attached:
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Planning a disability inclusion event? | |
Expanding your event to include Disability:IN Minnesota members can increase visibility of your company's disability inclusion efforts and offer learning opportunities to members at varying points in their journey. Contact us today to add your disability inclusion event to our calendar! |
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Disability:IN Minnesota is an employer-led endeavor that promotes best practices that enhance employment and career opportunities for skilled individuals who have a disability.
Our members are committed to disability-inclusive hiring practices and love to share best practices and ideas for recruiting, hiring, on-boarding and supporting candidates and employees with disabilities.
Learn more about our organization and benefits or contact us today.
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