NOD and Corporate Partners to Celebrate 40 Years of Disability Inclusion Progress and Honor Long-time NOD Chairman Governor Tom Ridge and President Carol Glazer
NOD to Welcome President & CEO of The Hershey Company for Important Message
NEW YORK, NY (August 10, 2022) – The year 1982 delivered many memorable moments: Doctors performed the first implant of a permanent artificial heart; Disney’s futuristic park EPCOT opened; Michael Jackson’s album Thriller debuted; and the National Organization on Disability (NOD) was founded. Every day since, NOD has worked to advance employment opportunities for the 60 million Americans with disabilities, as well as break down the barriers that often prevent people with disabilities from being part of the workforce. To commemorate its 40th anniversary, NOD, along with its title sponsors, The Hershey Company and Prudential Financial, additional corporate partners, disability rights advocates, and civic leaders will convene in our nation’s capital for NOD’s Annual Forum, NOD at 40: Honoring the Past; Innovating the Future.
The celebration will be held on September 29, 2022 and will celebrate 40 years of NOD and the accomplishments of the disability rights movement; explore the future being built by ADA Generation innovators; and honor the man who has served as NOD’s Chairman for the last 17 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.
“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,” said NOD President Carol Glazer. “NOD is proud to have been at the center of this progress throughout our forty-year history and is fortunate to have had some amazing leaders, like NOD founder Alan Reich and Governor Tom Ridge, guide us toward successes. We also couldn’t do it without the support of some of the world’s most recognized brands including The Hershey Company, Prudential Financial, and Toyota Motors North America, for their contributions and tireless commitment to hiring people with disabilities. I am very much looking forward to gathering with our colleagues and friends in Washington D.C. to celebrate 40 years of progress and talk about the next employment challenges that must be solved for the disability community.”
NOD will recognize all its corporate sponsors and partners, to date, at the annual forum including:
- Title Sponsors: The Hershey Company and Prudential Financial
- Lead Sponsors: Charter Communications, Hilton Worldwide, T-Mobile US, Toyota Motor North America
- Platinum Sponsors: Comcast NBCUniversal, DiversityInc, PwC
- Gold Sponsors: Colgate-Palmolive Company, Cox Enterprises, Eli Lilly and Company, Kaiser Permanente, Northrop Grumman, Target
- Silver Sponsors: American Heart Association, AmeriHealth Caritas, DirectEmployers Association, General Motors, Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey, The Kellogg Company, Kessler Foundation, L’Oréal USA, Marriott International, Maybelline New York.
“The Hershey Company’s long relationship with NOD has been instrumental in helping us open doors of opportunity for people with disabilities,” said Michele Buck, CEO, President and Chair of the Board for The Hershey Company. “As NOD turns 40, we are pleased to honor Carol Glazer and former Pennsylvania Governor Tom Ridge. As a member of our Board of Directors for over a decade, we have first-hand knowledge of Governor Ridge’s passion, leadership, and tremendous service. The results of his contributions on behalf of people with disabilities are evident in workplaces from Wall Street to Main Street, including Hershey.”
Every year, NOD also honors the Leading Disability Employers for their exemplary hiring and employment practices for people with disabilities. The NOD Leading Disability Employer Seal is awarded to the top performers on NOD’s Employment Tracker™, a free and confidential assessment that benchmarks companies’ disability inclusion programs and is a pre-requisite for recognition by DiversityInc.
“Prudential salutes NOD’s dedication to improving the employment gap by highlighting the competitive advantages of hiring individuals with disabilities,” said Lata Reddy, senior vice president, Inclusive Solutions, Prudential Financial. “Our partnership with NOD has been an integral part of strengthening our efforts to advance visibility, accessibility and inclusion for our employees.”
The National Organization on Disability’s Annual Forum is a must-attend event for the corporate diversity and inclusion community. Sponsorships for NOD at 40: Honoring the Past; Innovating the Future are still available; contact Priyanka Ghosh at ghoshp@nod.org.