Author: Daniel Golden

Press Release: NOD Releases Important New Findings from Campus to Careers Demonstration Project in Time for College Graduation

Posted on by Daniel Golden

Roadmap Identifies Strategies and Solutions for Employers and Universities to Create Better Access to Job Opportunities for Recent Graduates with Disabilities

 

NEW YORK (April 25, 2023) – A new report released by the National Organization on Disability (NOD) and The Burton Blatt Institute finds employers reporting significant difficulties identifying and recruiting students and recent graduates with disabilities. At the same time, those students with disabilities are faced with challenges long before they even begin to look for work.  These unfortunate circumstances were the motivation to launch NOD’s innovative Campus to Careers Demonstration Project.

The Campus to Careers Project, supported by lead funder The Coca-Cola Foundation, and in partnership with the University of Massachusetts Medical School’s Work Without Limits Initiative, has served as a living laboratory to test, to evaluate and share ideas and strategies among dozens of employers, universities, colleges, and students. The findings are now available in NOD’s Campus to Careers Roadmap. It provides practical recommendations, including checklists and video assets, for employers and universities to understand the challenges employers experience in engaging students with disabilities; the obstacles students with disabilities experience in transitioning into their chosen field; and the important role career and disability services play on campus. The Campus to Careers Roadmap can be downloaded free here.

“Recruiting college talent is becoming more competitive every year, and employers need a solid strategy to compete for skilled and diverse graduates,” said NOD President Carol Glazer.  “A productive recruitment strategy requires a dedicated commitment and can take some time to develop, but employers will see a return on investment by including people with disabilities who have incredible talent in their employment process.”

As part of this project, NOD and its partners met with college and university students who shared their job search and recruitment experiences which uncovered surprising realizations for students with disabilities. Some examples include:

  • “Career services told me to go to a temp agency…they said that was the best I could do.”
  • “What I immediately look for these days is screen reader accessibility. That’s usually an indication of the company’s commitment to equal opportunity employment.”

“Students with disabilities are an important asset to any organization,” said Felicia Nurmsen, managing director, employer services for NOD. “In addition to the skills all college graduates have, they bring intangible life experiences and attributes that are not immediately apparent on a typical college transcript. Our corporate partners have demonstrated a strong commitment to hiring well-qualified college students with disabilities, but it was apparent that these employers were still facing challenges identifying and recruiting people with disabilities. Our Campus to Careers Roadmap materials highlight the incredible talent that people with disabilities bring to the table and how to make them part of your team.”

As one University Director stated in the research, “There is a real fear on the part of our students. They have had negative experiences and may think ‘if my professor who I’m paying to be in their class is disrespectful to me, I’m certainly not going to say anything to an employer about my disability.’ Or ‘Why would I go into a position actively identifying myself as a person with a disability when I feel like that automatically makes me more vulnerable?’.”

“It is essential to create equal opportunities for individuals with disabilities to ensure everyone can contribute to society and demonstrate their talents”, said Saadia Madsbjerg, president of The Coca-Cola Foundation. “By partnering with NOD, The Coca-Cola Foundation is helping these individuals acquire the necessary skills and resources to be competitive in the job market. This collaboration is empowering students with disabilities as they transition into the workforce.”

“Partnering with NOD to develop the Campus to Careers pilot program was an important step in furthering our mission of equal employment for people with disabilities,” said Kathy Petkauskos, director of Work Without Limits, a program of ForHealth Consulting at UMass Chan Medical School. “Employers recognize the value of the program and are prepared to recruit and hire from a talented candidate pool. It is so important to work together to provide opportunities for employers to connect with job seekers, and NOD has opened pathways to employment with Campus to Careers that were not there otherwise.”

The Campus to Careers Demonstration Project was made possible by the generosity of The Boston Foundation, The Coca Cola Foundation, JPMorgan Chase, Roosevelt Warm Springs Foundation, and The UPS Foundation.

 

About NOD

The National Organization on Disability (NOD) is a nonprofit organization that seeks to increase employment opportunities for working age Americans with disabilities who are not employed. To achieve this goal, NOD offers a suite of employment solutions, tailored to anticipate, and meet leading companies’ workforce needs. NOD has helped some of the world’s most recognized brands be more competitive in today’s global economy by building or enriching their disability inclusion programs. For more information about NOD and how its portfolio of professional services, Leadership Council and Employment Tracker™ can help your business, visit www.NOD.org.

About The Coca-Cola Foundation

Established in 1984, The Coca-Cola Foundation has invested more than $1.5 billion globally to protect the environment, empower women to thrive and to enhance the overall well-being of people and communities.

About Work Without Limits  
Work Without Limits, a program of ForHealth Consulting at UMass Chan Medical School, is a network of employers, educational institutions, employment service providers, state and federal agencies, and individuals with disabilities and their family members. Through collaboration and partnership, our goal is to provide programs and services that increase employment for people with disabilities.

 

Media contacts:

Steve Aaron | 717.554.8614 | steve@sracommunications.com

Kim Lehman | 717.599.0891 | kalehmanpr@gmail.com

NOD Honors Revolutionary Disability Rights Activist Judy Heumann Who Died March 4th

Posted on by Daniel Golden

By Carol Glazer, President of the National Organization on Disability

Our world is mourning the loss of Judy Heumann.

She was responsible for many legislative advances, along with propelling forward the fundamental rights that people with disabilities enjoy today. She was a fierce advocate, spending her early life challenging the system and calling for needed change in education, public and private sector accessibility and an end to discrimination of people with disabilities.

Then, later in her life, she worked within the system to make improvements by joining the administrations of Presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama.

I worked closely with Judy during the last five years as she became a guide to me and our organization in creating a disability roundtable made up of 17 national disability organizations. It was not an easy process, and Judy, knowing how impactful the roundtable could be, gave her time generously to see it come to fruition.

Her stature within the disability community here, and across the globe, was enormous. She could be forceful, but always caring. You felt special and as though you were the only person in the room when she spoke to you.

I witnessed this many times, but one occasion will stick with me forever. My son, Jacob, who was born with hydrocephalus, walked by my computer during a virtual meeting with Judy and I introduced him to her. Judy immediately began asking him questions. As I often do, I provided the answers until Judy, nicely but firmly, explained that she wanted to talk to Jacob, not me.

We at NOD worked with Judy in 2020 when our nation marked the 30th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in partnership with the George and Barbara Bush Foundation. Judy was a strong presence, always behind the scenes, making sure the event celebrated the courage of people who reimagined what life could be like for those of us with disabilities. To recognize her role in our fight for equality, in that year, NOD honored Judy with a lifetime achievement award.

Judy Heumann sitting in a motorized wheelchair speaking into a microphone while sitting amongst a panel with Taryn M. Williams to her right.

And last September Judy spoke about “Honoring the Disability Rights Movement Over the Last 40 Years” at NOD’s 40th anniversary event in Washington D.C.

Speaking to our audience of largely corporate executives, she implored them to take up the work yet to be done to support meaningful employment for people with disabilities.

Judy will be remembered for her tenacity, courage and brilliance. I will also remember what she did to remind us all of the human connections we all should make. Everyone matters. That is an incredible legacy, indeed.

Re-Introduction of the Transformation to Competitive Integrated Employment Act (TCIEA)

Posted on by Daniel Golden

The National Organization on Disability thanks Senator Bob Casey and his colleagues in Congress for reintroducing the Transformation to Competitive Integrated Employment ACT (TCIEA). NOD has for many years been calling for the end of the subminimum wage for disabled people currently allowed under rule 14(c) of the Fair Labor Standards Act. TCIEA would end that practice.

In November 2019, former NOD Chairman Governor Tom Ridge spoke to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights on behalf of the National Organization on Disability on the importance of phasing-out 14(c).

Collectively, the NOD Roundtable, comprised of 15 leading disability organizations, and other disability advocates met with many members of Congress for their support of TCIEA. NOD hosted a Congressional Briefing, “Policy Issues Surrounding Employment for Individuals with Disabilities,” highlighting the work of several NOD Board Members, and tying their efforts to the importance of phasing out 14(c).

The NOD Roundtable sent letters to the Administration to request that the Disability Innovation Funds, led by the Department of Education, use their funds to support state Vocation Rehabilitation (VR) agencies to help community providers utilizing 14(c) certificates with the transition of their models to competitive integrated employment offerings for the individuals they serve. In April, RSA took up this call, and the Disability Innovation Funds are being used to help states transition away from 14(c).

Places that pay subminimum wage are called sheltered workshops, and they pay disabled people pennies on the dollar, usually in segregated workplaces where all the workers have disabilities and the people in charge are non-disabled. The bill would stop anyone new from being paid less than minimum wage immediately and also gives states and service providers funding to create better, integrated opportunities. Every person paid less than minimum wage right now would be transitioned to minimum wage by five years after TCIEA passes. 

 

NOD is proud to support this legislation.

Long Covid is a Disability. Here’s How to Ask for Workplace Accommodations.

Posted on by Daniel Golden

Coming clean on limitations posed by symptoms such as fatigue and brain fog is difficult for many.

Laura Casey

New studies offer clues about who may be more susceptible to long Covid, a term for lingering Covid-19 symptoms. WSJ breaks down the science of long Covid and the state of treatment. Illustration: Jacob Reynolds for the Wall Street Journal.

 

Many people with long Covid are legally entitled to accommodations at work to help them do their jobs. Still, some are finding it hard to ask for help.

Disability can encompass any number of physical or mental impairments. Often, managers can more easily comprehend the limitations imposed by static conditions, such as the loss of a limb or hearing. Symptoms can ebb and flow over time with chronic illness, such as long Covid, Crohn’s disease or lupus, making the experience more difficult to grasp, say disabled people and employers.

Because of that ambiguity, the onus is usually on workers to make the case for support. But coming clean on the limitations posed by long Covid is difficult for many.

“It was harder than I thought it would be, even though I knew my rights,” says Mindy Jackson, who works for the State of Washington as a vocational counselor for disabled people. She has had long Covid since her original infection in 2020. “I almost felt ashamed, which really surprised me.”

Ms. Jackson now works from home almost exclusively, has reduced her hours using Family and Medical Leave Act time off, and modified travel to avoid driving. She has also adapted her home office to help her maintain focus, adjusting the lighting and putting her screens in dark mode.

She joined the Covid-19 Longhauler Advocacy Project support group early in her illness.

“I don’t know what I would have done without being able to read the stories of those that came before me and be able to connect with people,” Ms. Jackson says.

In 2021, the federal government clarified that long Covid could be considered a disabilityunder the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Long-Covid symptoms and severity can vary greatly. People with long Covid frequently experience extraordinary levels of fatigue, which can be worsened by exertion, cognitive impairment, nervous-system dysfunction, as well as vascular, respiratory and immune-system issues.

Between 7.7 million and 23 million Americans have long Covid, according to a November report by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. In cases where the conditions limit at least one major life activity, the necessary accommodations might be temporary or permanent, depending on each worker’s case.

Woman looking at computer monitor while typing on keyboard.

“The law is set up so that it becomes a conversation,” says Jasmine E. Harris, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania’s Carey Law School.

A 2022 survey of nearly 3,800 managers found that 40% of them had employees with lasting physical or mental effects of a Covid-19 infection, and that 58% of those managers said the employees had received workplace accommodations, according to the Kessler Foundation, a nonprofit supporting people with disabilities, and the University of New Hampshire’s Institute on Disability.

“The one thing that I think people do when they’re unsure is they wait too long [to ask], and then they really start to have performance issues,” says Felicia Nurmsen, a managing director at the National Organization on Disability, a nonprofit that seeks to increase employment opportunities for disabled people.

Ms. Nurmsen, who has long Covid herself, says she found online support groups helpful when figuring out her own accommodation needs. Such communities share ideas of what types of modifications might be useful, as well as referrals to medical professionals familiar with their condition.

Employment attorneys and other disability experts say workers should consider their individual situation when deciding whether to disclose a disability and ask for accommodations. They can make a request orally or in writing, and who they contact first is also up to them. Some people might feel more comfortable talking to their manager directly, while others might believe their HR department will better understand ADA law.

In some cases, such as when a condition isn’t readily apparent, an employer may request documentation about the disability and need for accommodation. This can come from any appropriate medical professional—not just a physician, says Linda Carter Batiste, director of services and publications at the Job Accommodation Network, or JAN, which is funded by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy.

“Employers cannot ask for medical information unrelated to the disability at issue,” Ms. Carter Batiste adds.

Most workplace accommodations for chronically ill people involve a policy change, such as such as allowing for rest breaks or remote work, or developing a plan of action for when symptoms suddenly flare.

JAN research shows that more than half of accommodations cost employers nothing, while those requiring some expense typically cost about $500. Equipment-related accommodations can include creating an ergonomic workspace or adding antiglare screen protectors.

For those worried they were denied accommodations because of discrimination, disability lawyers say that workers can file complaints with appropriate state or local authorities, or the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. It would be a misconception to think that accommodations are a form of preferential treatment, they add.

“That’s why I think a lot of employees are afraid,” says Nicole Buonocore Porter, a professor at the Chicago-Kent College of Law at the Illinois Institute of Technology. “It’s not a leg up. It’s saying, because of the manifestations of whatever my disability is, I need that accommodation just to be able to perform my job.”

Focus Atlanta – Hiring Diversity

Posted on by Daniel Golden

Tuesday, February 6, 2023

In a recent interview with Focus Atlanta, NOD Chairman Luke Visconti discusses the increase in employment of people with disabilities during the Pandemic, as well as the tapering off of that success as the Pandemic has eased. 

Watch the interview to learn about why self-ID rates of employees with disabilities have recently decreased and what employers can do to help these employees feel comfortable in the workplace. 

Original post at cbsnews.com

Navigating Workforce More Challenging For Those With Disabilities, Advocates Say

Posted on by Daniel Golden
modernized handicapped sign is affixed to a door at the The Mall at Millenia in Orlando, Fla.

Originally posted January 31 2023 on ksby.com by Scripps National News

Remote work has opened up more opportunities for people with disabilities but as more companies adopt hybrid work schedules or require people to return to the office, disability advocates are worried about losing the gains made during the pandemic.

They say a big concern is people not feeling comfortable telling their employers about their disability.

“Self-disclosure rates are going down, which to me indicates a diminishing of trust that people don’t trust their employer,” said Luke Visconti, chairman of the National Organization on Disability.

A new report from the National Organization on Disability shows companies tracking retention of people with disabilities are reporting a 40% turnover rate.

The rate of people disclosing their disability decreased by 11% in 2022. It decreased by 15% the year before that.

“It’s not about doing something special for people with disabilities, it’s about being nice, and that transfers to everything you’re doing. Your customers, your suppliers, your investors,” said Visconti.

Disability advocates say it’s on companies, not workers, to build a relationship that will make someone feel comfortable disclosing their disability.

“In my experience of over 40 years in these companies, there’s no downside to this. There’s all upside,” said Doug Conant, a board member with the National Organization on Disability. “And these people are dying to contribute. All we need to do is give them the proper opportunity, and make sure the companies are prepared to follow up and deliver that opportunity consistently.”

Advocates say disabled workers looking for a job can look for signs on a company’s website that indicate it would be a good environment for someone with a disability.

Original post at www.ksby.com

NOD Appoints Prudential Head of U.S. Customer Service Roger Putnam to Board of Directors

Posted on by Daniel Golden

Roger Putnam Headshot

NEW YORK (January 24, 2023) – The National Organization on Disability (NOD) today announced Roger Putnam, Head of U.S. Customer Service at Prudential, as the newest member to join its Board of Directors. Mr. Putnam, a champion, and advocate for disability rights, will join 15 other civic and corporate leaders from across the country working to increase employment opportunities for Americans living with disabilities.

“The National Organization on Disability is proud to have Roger join our Board of Directors,” said NOD Chairman Luke Visconti. “The disability rights landscape has changed dramatically since our founding in 1982 and we are proud of the great strides we have made in advancing our mission of putting individuals with disabilities to work. Building on that success takes talented individuals such as Roger joining our team. His experience and commitment to championing people with disabilities will help us continue to advance our mission of disability inclusion in the workplace.”

Roger Putnam has been a long-time champion to create opportunities for people with disabilities and led a first-of-its-kind neurodiverse talent program within Prudential’s U.S. Contact Center. He’s a passionate advocate for fully inclusive workplaces that support the development and advancement of diverse talent.

“I’m honored to join the Board of Directors for the National Organization on Disability,” said Roger Putnam. “I believe strongly that Prudential employees should mirror the diversity of the customers we serve and I look forward to bringing that passion for inclusivity to the National Organization on Disability.”

 Roger joins the NOD Board with 30 years of transformative leadership and a unique background of experiences at the intersection of technology, financial services and insurance.  He joined Prudential in 2019 where he is responsible for delivering a world-class customer service experience across all of Prudential’s lines of business as the head of the U.S. Customer Service.  He earned his bachelor’s degree in business management from the State University of New York at Plattsburgh. He resides in Simsbury, Connecticut with his wife Lisa and their two children.

About National Organization on Disability (NOD)

The National Organization on Disability (NOD) is a private, non-profit organization that seeks to increase employment opportunities for the 60-percent of working age Americans with disabilities who are not employed. To achieve this goal, NOD offers a suite of employment solutions, tailored to meet leading companies’ workforce needs. NOD has helped some of the world’s most recognized brands be more competitive in today’s global economy by building or enriching their disability inclusion programs. For more information about NOD and how its professional services, Leadership Council and Employment Tracker™ can help your business, visit www.NOD.org.

Funds Support Efforts to Increase Employment Opportunities for Americans with Disabilities

Posted on by Daniel Golden

NATIONAL ORGANIZATION ON DISABILITY IS RECIPIENT OF $5M GIFT FROM PHILANTHROPIST MACKENZIE SCOTT

 

NEW YORK, NY (November 15, 2022) |  The National Organization on Disability (NOD) announced today it received a $5 million gift from philanthropist MacKenzie Scott. NOD is a nonprofit organization that envisions a world where all people with disabilities enjoy full opportunity for employment, enterprise, and earnings. The donation is the single largest contribution the organization has received from an individual donor in its 40-year history.

This transformational investment will advance NOD’s mission to increase its impact on employment prospects for more than 60 million people with disabilities in America today. The organization will expand its work with employers through programs such as the Leadership Council and Employment Tracker™ and grow the organization’s research capabilities, all with the goal of identifying practices that lead to greater talent outcomes and influencing changes in public policy and perception.

NOD’s President, Carol Glazer, noted that, “While America still has a long way to go, the disability rights landscape has changed dramatically and much has been accomplished since our founding in 1982. NOD is proud to have been dedicated to this progress throughout our forty-year history. This funding will help us make even greater advancements in the decades ahead. We are honored to be selected for this generous support and want to thank all our funders and supporters who made, and continue to make, our journey possible.”

About National Organization on Disability (NOD)

The National Organization on Disability (NOD) is a nonprofit organization that seeks to increase employment opportunities for working age Americans with disabilities who are not employed. To achieve this goal, NOD offers a suite of employment solutions, tailored to anticipate, and meet leading companies’ workforce needs. NOD has helped some of the world’s most recognized brands be more competitive in today’s global economy by building or enriching their disability inclusion programs. For more information about NOD and how its portfolio of professional services, Leadership Council and Employment Tracker™ can help your business, visit www.NOD.org.

2022 Leading Disability Employers

Posted on by Daniel Golden

THE NATIONAL ORGANIZATION ON DISABILITY ANNOUNCES THE 2022 LEADING DISABILITY EMPLOYERS AT ANNUAL FORUM CELEBRATING 40 YEARS OF DISABILITY INCLUSION PROGRESS

Fifty-Two Companies Recognized for Commitment to Building an Inclusive Workforce

NEW YORK, NY (October 3, 2022) – At the National Organization on Disability (NOD)’s Annual Forum, entitled NOD at 40: Honoring the Past; Innovating the Future, fifty-two organizations were honored as 2022 NOD Leading Disability Employers.  Now in its eighth year, the NOD Leading Disability Employer Seal recognizes companies for measuring and achieving strong talent outcomes for people with disabilities. With this recognition, NOD shines a light on those employers that are committed to building an inclusive and diverse workforce by adopting exemplary employment practices for people with disabilities.

“For the past forty years, we have envisioned a world where all people with disabilities enjoy full opportunity for employment, enterprise and earnings and employers know how to make the most of their talents,” said NOD President Carol Glazer.  “I congratulate these fifty-two organizations for their leadership and commitment to hiring and retaining people with disabilities. Together we can reimagine the future by harnessing the power, creativity, and innovation of disability-inclusive diversity in the workplace, marketplace, and communities across America.”

The 2022 Leading Disability Employers are as follows:  

  • Accenture
  • American Heart Association
  • American Water
  • AmerisouceBergen Corporation
  • Bell Textron Inc
  • Capital One Financial Corporation
  • Centene
  • CircuSense/Omnium Circus
  • Colorado Springs Utilities
  • Comcast NBCUniversal
  • Consumers Energy
  • Dow
  • DXC Technology
  • Endeavors Unlimited
  • EY
  • First Busey Corporation
  • FirstEnergy
  • The Hershey Company
  • Hilton Worldwide
  • Idaho National Laboratory
  • Independence Care System
  • KeyBank
  • KPMG LLP
  • Leidos Inc.
  • Lockheed Martin
  • L’Oréal USA
  • M&T Bank Corporation
  • Martinsburg Veterans Affairs Medical Center
  • Mayo Clinic
  • Northrop Grumman
  • Oshkosh Corporation
  • PRIDE Industries
  • PSEG
  • Puerto Rico Industries for the Blind, Corp.
  • Randstad
  • Reed Smith LLP
  • Regions Bank
  • Roche Diagnostics Corporation,
  • Sanofi US
  • Sempra
  • TD Bank
  • Tennessee Valley Authority
  • T-Mobile, USA
  • S. Bank
  • Unum
  • Vectrus
  • The Viscardi Center
  • VSP Vision
  • Walgreens
  • WeCo Accessibility Services
  • Wells Fargo & Company
  • W.W. Grainger, Inc.

The than 300 corporate partners, disability rights advocates and civic leaders in the nation’s capital.  The Forum, emceed by Michael Smerconish, veteran political commentator, and host to programs on both CNN and SiriusXM, paid tribute to fellow Pennsylvanian, outgoing NOD chairman Governor Tom Ridge for his tireless commitment fighting for the rights of people with disabilities. The Forum featured two keynote speakers: Dr. Anjali Forber-Pratt, Director of the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR) in the Administration for Community Living, disability activist, and a two-time Paralympian and Marc H. Morial, President and CEO of the National Urban League, the nation’s largest historic civil rights and urban advocacy organization.  In addition, special messages were given by Michele Buck, CEO of The Hershey Company, Christopher J. Nassetta, CEO and President of Hilton Worldwide, and many more.

In addition, attendees were invited to two dynamic roundtables entitled: Honoring the Disability Rights Movement Over the Last 40 Years and Focusing on the Future with Innovators in the ADA Generation whichincluded distinguished and talented professionals including Judy Heumann, Disability Rights Leader and Principal of the Oscar-Nominated Higher Group Netflix documentary CRIP CAMP, Taryn M. Williams, Assistant Secretary for Office of Disability Employment Policy, U.S. Department of Labor, and Day Al-Mohamed, Disability Policy Director, White House Domestic Policy Council.

About the NOD Leading Disability Employer Seal + Employment Tracker

The NOD Leading Disability Employer Seal is a selective award given to companies demonstrating positive outcomes in recruiting, hiring, retaining, and advancing people with disabilities in their workforces. To see current and past winners of the NOD Leading Disability Employer seal, visit www.NOD.org/seal.

Winners are determined based on data provided by companies on the NOD Employment Tracker™, the onlyassessment tool available that focuses on the workforce, to help companies evaluate their disability inclusion policies and practices. Organizations wanting to compete for the NOD Leading Disability Employer Seal voluntarily opt in to be considered. Those companies’ responses are scored, considering both disability employment practices and performance. Scoring prioritizes practices that are associated with increased disability employment outcomes over time, and companies receive additional points based on the percentage of people with disabilities in their workforce. At NOD’s Annual Forum, the cohort of winners are revealed by name; no specific scoring or ranking is disclosed.

To be considered for the 2023 NOD Leading Disability Employer Seal, companies must complete the annual Employment Tracker survey during the qualifying window. Sign up to be notified when the 2023 Employment Tracker opens this November.

About National Organization on Disability (NOD)

The National Organization on Disability (NOD) is a private, non-profit organization that seeks to increase employment opportunities for the 60-percent of working age Americans with disabilities who are not employed. To achieve this goal, NOD offers a suite of employment solutions, tailored to anticipate, and meet leading companies’ workforce needs. NOD has helped some of the world’s most recognized brands be more competitive in today’s global economy by building or enriching their disability inclusion programs. For more information about NOD and how its portfolio of professional services, Leadership Council and Employment Tracker™ can help your business, visit www.NOD.org.

NOD Celebrates 40 Years of Disability Inclusion Progress

Posted on by Daniel Golden

 

NOD at 40 logo

 

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 

NATIONAL ORGANIZATION ON DISABILITY AND ITS CORPORATE PARTNERS SEND A STRONG MESSAGE OF HOPE TO DISABILITY COMMUNITY AT ANNUAL FORUM: NOD AT 40: HONORING THE PAST; INNOVATING THE FUTURE

 

NOD Celebrates 40 Years of Disability Inclusion Progress in the Workplace and Honors Long-time NOD Chairman Governor Tom Ridge and President Carol Glazer

 

NEW YORK, NY (October 3, 2022) – The National Organization on Disability, along with its title sponsors The Hershey Company and Prudential, disability rights advocates, civic leaders and corporate global partners and sponsors convened at 101 Constitution Ave. in DC for NOD’s annual Forum: NOD at 40: Honoring the Past; Innovating the Future on September 29, 2022. More than 300 attendees celebrated 40 years of NOD and the accomplishments of the disability rights movement and specifically the advancement of disability employment rights in this country; explored the future being built by ADA Generation innovators; and honored the man who has served as NOD’s Chairman for the last 16 years, the nation’s first Secretary of Homeland Security, Governor Tom Ridge, as well as Carol Glazer who has served as NOD’s president for the last 13 years.

A sense of hope permeated throughout the day as attendees witnessed messages from Hershey CEO Michele Buck, Christopher J. Nassetta, CEO and President of Hilton Worldwide, Dr. Forber-Pratt, Director of the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR) in the Administration for Community Living, disability activist, and a two-time Paralympian and Marc H. Morial, President and CEO of the National Urban League, as well as energizing and innovative roundtable discussions led by industry leaders including Disability Rights Leader Judy Heumann, Day-Al Mohamed, Disability Policy Director, White House Domestic Policy Council and Xian Horn, Founder of Give Beauty Wings and Changeblazer, ForbesWomen Contributor.

“Hope is a simple idea, but is truly the steppingstone to resilience,” said NOD President Carol Glazer.  “When NOD began, we were filled to the brim with hope that we could make the world a better place for people with disabilities. For the last 40 years we have focused on being a catalyst for driving a positive perception and shattering misconceptions about people with disabilities in the workplace, marketplace, and communities across the United States. Today was an amazing day as colleagues and friends reflected on the past, but it was also a time to dive into the challenges that the disability community still faces in the years to come. Together I believe we can continue this journey of progress with perseverance, innovation, and hope.”

The celebration continued into the evening on the Roof Terrace with a beautiful tribute to Governor Tom Ridge for his 16 years of service as NOD Chairman, given by Michael Smerconish, the Forum’s emcee, and SiriusXM/CNN Host.  In addition, fifty-two organizations were honored as the 2022 NOD Leading Disability Employers.  Now in its eighth year, the NOD Leading Disability Employer Seal recognizes companies for measuring and achieving strong talent outcomes for people with disabilities. With this recognition, NOD shines a light on those employers that are committed to building an inclusive and diverse workforce by adopting exemplary employment practices for people with disabilities.

“I am partially paralyzed and a member of the disability community. Here it is simply: We have a right to go to work,” said incoming NOD Chairman Luke Visconti. “People with disabilities have the lowest labor participation rate of any group because most companies won’t hire us. I am proud of NOD for capturing data on corporate best practices and helping progressive companies, like the ones who sponsored this event and others who attended, to manage their human capital at peak performance. I am thankful to take the chair from Governor Tom Ridge who led this organization and board to its current wonderful shape.”

About National Organization on Disability (NOD)

The National Organization on Disability (NOD) is a private, non-profit organization that seeks to increase employment opportunities for the 60-percent of working age Americans with disabilities who are not employed. To achieve this goal, NOD offers a suite of employment solutions, tailored to anticipate and meet leading companies’ workforce needs. NOD has helped some of the world’s most recognized brands be more competitive in today’s global economy by building or enriching their disability inclusion programs. For more information about NOD and how its portfolio of professional services, Leadership Council and Employment Tracker™ can help your business, visit www.NOD.org.