Leading Disability Organization releases step-by-step guide to making businesses more inclusive amid nomination period for Ruderman Best in Business Award
Boston, MA — Did you know that over 70% of people with disabilities in the U.S. are unemployed? For a community that represents 20% of the entire American population, people with disabilities are far underrepresented in the workplace and is a reflection of one of the biggest problems we face in today’s society.
The Ruderman Family Foundation, a national leader in disability inclusion, is currently accepting nominations for its annual Ruderman Best in Business Award, recognizing businesses that have demonstrated a history of employing people with disabilities, training and supporting them and developing innovative approaches to maximizing employee’s abilities.
But inclusion is something everyone can contribute to, and the Foundation has provided 5 simple steps that any business can implement to increase inclusion:
1. Use Technology: People with disabilities may need reasonable accommodations to do their jobs. Technology offers reasonably priced accommodations for a number of disabilities, such as speech-to-text software for a visually impaired employee or captioning screens for people who are deaf or hard of hearing.
2. Partner with a Job-Training Agency: Find the non-profit agencies in your community that are providing job coaching training for people with disabilities and partner with them to bring the supports that employees may need right to the job.
3. Include Disability Awareness Through your Company: Inclusion happens when everyone in your company understands the value of hiring a diverse workforce. Include regular trainings focusing on disability awareness and inclusion.
4. Accessible Environment: Make sure that your office or facility includes restrooms, hallways and storage space that are accessible for people of all heights and mobility.
5. Online Accessibility: Inclusion extends to your online presence. You can make your web site more accessible with simple steps like using alt tags that that translate visual images and captioning on videos.
Last year marked the inaugural year of the award, which is in partnership with the Jewish Week Media Group, highlighting businesses selected through a national nomination and review process by judges from the business and disability communities, including Richard E. Marriott, Chairman of Host Hotels & Resorts and the Marriott Foundation for People with Disabilities and John Hockenberry, NPR journalist and four-time Emmy award winner. This year, 18 businesses from the United States and Canada will be awarded.
For more information about the Ruderman Best in Business Awards and to nominate a business, please visit http://www.thejewishweek.com/
About the Ruderman Family Foundation
The Ruderman Family Foundation is an internationally recognized organization, which advocates for the full inclusion of people with disabilities in our society. The Foundation supports effective programs, innovative partnerships and a dynamic approach to philanthropy in advocating for and advancing the inclusion of people with disabilities throughout America.
The Ruderman Family Foundation believes that inclusion and understanding of all people is essential to a fair and flourishing community and imposes these values within its leadership and funding. For more information, please visit www.rudermanfoundation.org
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