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Dear Friends,
Happy National Disability Employment Awareness Month! October is a great time to celebrate the progress we are making in Minnesota. Still, many people with disabilities want to work but struggle to find good jobs. We are working hard to close this gap, make workplaces open to everyone, and help local businesses grow. To help out this month, please share your favorite disability-owned businesses and makers with us at info@di-mn.org. We will feature them in our next newsletter so everyone can buy great holiday gifts from them! We also invite you to join our upcoming online events. Local leaders will talk about how to make jobs accessible and how companies can work with disability-owned suppliers.
We also have some great learning opportunities to help local employers support their workers. Managers can attend free training sessions to learn about disability laws, job accommodations, and helpful Minnesota state programs. Recently, Deanna Ekholm and I spoke on a panel at Metro State University. We met with educators and leaders to talk about helping students with disabilities transition into great careers after school. Don't miss upcoming Disability:IN affiliate meetings with leaders across the Midwest to share new ways to improve inclusion and accessibility. Finally, we want to welcome our newest member, ReThink Care, and thank all of our returning partners. Your support helps us create equal opportunities for workers across Minnesota!
Warmly,
Shannon Perry, Board Chair
| | ID: Headshot of Shannon Perry, a woman with shoulder-length brunette hair. Shannon is wearing a navy blue blouse and smiling at the camera. | | ID: Four panelists sit in a row before large windows overlooking outdoor greenery, including a woman speaking into a microphone. The image includes the Disability:IN logo in the top right and a banner across the bottom featuring "WORKFORCE READY" alongside the Minnesota Inclusive Higher Education Consortium logo. | | |
Thank You for Hosting Us!
Minnesota Inclusive Higher Education Consortium Conference
Board Chair Shannon Perry and Board Secretary Deanna Ekholm participated in the Employer Panel at the Minnesota Inclusive Higher Education Consortiums 2026 “Workforce Ready” Conference this month.
Participants explored ways to broaden access for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities and create stronger pathways to employment. Employers play an important role in recognizing talent, removing barriers, providing the right supports, and creating workplaces where people of all abilities can experience belonging, purpose, growth, and meaningful contribution.
Disability:IN Minnesota was grateful to be part of a conversation that brought higher education, community partners, advocates and employers together around a shared goal: ensuring that opportunity doesn't end when someone completes their education, but continues into a workplace where their talents are recognized and valued.
| | ID: An promotional graphic for a Disability:IN Minnesota event titled "Inclusive Practices in Action: Insights from Community Leaders," honoring National Disability Awareness Month. The event is a panel discussion taking place on Tuesday, October 27th, from 12–1 PM, featuring partner organizations including Lifeworks, MDI, Rise, and Touchstone Mental Health. | |
Don't Miss Out!
October Member Event
Tuesday, October 27, 2026
12 p.m. to 1 p.m. CDT
Virtual Event
Register Now!
Join Disability:IN Minnesota for an insightful panel discussion honoring National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM). This dynamic panel brings together leading voices from MDI, Rise, Lifeworks Services Inc., and Touchstone Mental Health to share best practices, navigate complex challenges, and outline sustainable solutions for accessible workplaces and support systems.
Featured Panelists:
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Jeanne Eglinton – Vice President of Community Engagement, MDI
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Kassia Janezich – Vice President of Vocational and Housing Services, Rise
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Brian Begin – Director of Day and Employment Services, Lifeworks Services Inc.
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Kari Scanlon – Vice President of Human Resources, Touchstone Mental Health
| ID: A promotional graphic invites viewers to register for the November virtual meeting, "Keeping Supplier Inclusion Alive: A Cross-Sector Conversation," scheduled for Tuesday, November 17, from 11 AM to 12 PM CST. Set against a blue and turquoise gradient backdrop with the Disability:IN logo, the graphic features a green "Register Now" button at the bottom. On the right, a circular cutout shows a smiling woman wearing a hearing aid and a green blazer while holding a coffee mug. | |
Register Now!
November Event
Tuesday, November 17, 2026
11 am to 12 pm CST
Virtual Event
How can your business build a stronger, more inclusive supply chain in today's changing landscape? 🤝🌐
Hear directly from corporate leaders and certified disabled business owners about what it takes to keep supplier diversity strong, strategic, and competitive. Plus, we're spotlighting disability-owned businesses all November long—just in time for holiday sourcing!
What You’ll Learn:
- Actionable ways to champion inclusive procurement
- The legal framework shaping today's supplier diversity programs
- How corporate partners and DOBEs can collaborate more effectively
Hosted in collaboration with Disability:IN Chicagoland, Minnesota, DC Metro, and Wisconsin.
| ID: An image of a holiday graphic on a light blue background. In the upper-left, there is a stylized green pine branch with clusters of red berries. Large blue text in the center reads, "Support Disability-Owned Businesses This Giving Season!". Below the blue text, smaller green text reads, "Send us your favorites!". A snowline runs across the bottom of the image, and a large red gift box with a green ribbon and bow sits on the right side of the snowline. | |
Help Us Build A Holiday Gift Guide Featuring Disability-Owned Businesses!
This holiday season, let’s turn gift giving into an opportunity to support the disability community. We’re looking for disability-owned businesses and products made by people with disabilities to feature in our November newsletter. Have a favorite business, product, or maker? Send us your recommendations and help us support the disability community and shop with more intentionality this year.
Email us your suggestions!
info@di-mn.org
| | ID: This promotional graphic advertises a free webinar series presented by Evolve Employment divided into three color-coded vertical panels. The dark blue left panel highlights "ADA at Work: What Employers Need to Know" on Thursday, October 22 accompanied by a photo cutout showing three professionals conversing in an office setting. The teal middle panel lists "Understanding Disability In Today's Workforce" on Thursday, November 12, while the yellow right panel features "Making Work 'Work': Understanding Workplace Accommodations" on Thursday, December 10, alongside a photo cutout of a smiling woman holding a tablet. All events are from 1 pm to 2 pm Central Standard Time. | |
ADA at Work: What Employers Need to Know
Free Webinar - Register Today
Thursday, October 22, 2026
1 pm to 2 pm CT
ADA basics & workplace framework
- Navigating disability disclosure & conversations
- Practical solutions for everyday HR questions
- Free Minnesota resources to support hiring & assistive tech
The Americans with Disabilities Act touches many parts of the employment experience, and employers do not need to be legal experts to understand the fundamentals. This practical introductory session will help business leaders, HR professionals, supervisors, and hiring managers better understand how the ADA applies in the workplace, when ADA-related questions may arise, and how to approach disability disclosure and workplace conversations with greater confidence.
Through this upcoming webinar series, participants will learn about common employer considerations, available support through Minnesota State Services for the Blind’s Evolve Employment program, and resources that can help businesses strengthen hiring, employee support, and retention practices.
Don't miss out—register today to empower your workforce!
| | ID: Event banner for the Disability Inclusion Opportunity Summit 2026, hosted by Old National Bank on October 22nd. Top right features the Disability:IN Chicagoland logo over a blue and green gradient background. | | |
You Won't Want to Miss This Conference
Chicagoland Disability Inclusion Opportunity Summit
Thursday, October 22, 2026
8:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. CT
Old National Bank
333 W. Wacker Drive, 36th Floor Chicago, IL 6060606
Join corporate leaders, disability inclusion champions, HR and talent professionals, ERG leaders, supplier diversity and accessibility experts, and employees with disabilities for Chicagoland’s premier corporate disability inclusion conference.
The Summit will bring together thought leaders and practitioners to share actionable strategies, meaningful conversations, and opportunities to connect with others who are advancing disability inclusion in the workplace, marketplace, and supply chain.
Speakers and the full agenda will be announced soon.
| | ID: Logo for RethinkCare featuring the word "Rethink" in bold black letters, followed by "Care" in a thin font. A spiral symbol is the the left of the words in teal blue. | |
Thank you for renewing your membership!
| | ID: The logo for nVent is on the left, with the logo for Special Olympics Minnesota on the right. | | Updates from Disability:IN National | | ID: A graphic featuring the text "Momentum at Work: Disability and Career Mobility" on a dark blue patterned background above a blue pill-shaped banner containing logos for LinkedIn and Disability:IN. | | |
In collaboration with LinkedIn, this landmark analysis uncovers a surprising trend in how talent with disabilities are advancing their careers and what it means for today’s most competitive organizations.
| | Disability, Employment, and the Future of Business | | ID: A graphic features the text "Disability Employment Awareness Toolkit" in bold white lettering on a blue and green gradient background, above a bright green "Download" button with an arrow icon. | | |
Disability Employment Awareness Toolkit
Of the organizations that participated in the 2026 Disability Index Report, only 6% have a Board of Directors that includes someone who openly identifies as having a disability.
| | ID: A video thumbnail shows an artist wearing an apron, extending her paint-covered gloved hand outward to pour liquid light blue paint from a container onto the floor in front of a colorful, horizontally striped illuminated backdrop with a white play icon overlaid in the center. | | |
Disability:IN & Artlifting
"Storytelling is powerful, it gets people to open up, so people aren't afraid to open up about their challenges or relationship to disability."
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Events
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Oct 14th (1 pm CT) - State of Minnesota Resources for Deaf, DeafBlind and Hard of Hearing - Webinar Registration
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Oct 22nd (1 pm CT) - ADA At Work: What Minnesota Employers Need to Know - Webinar Registration
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Oct 22nd - Disability:IN Chicagoland Disability Inclusion Opportunity Conference - Get Ticket
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Oct 27th (12 pm CT) - Disability:IN Minnesota panel discussion honoring National Disability Employment Awareness Month - Webinar Registration
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Nov 17th (12pm CT) - Keeping Supplier Inclusion Alive: A Cross-Sector Conversation - Webinar Registration
Holiday Observations
- Indigenous Peoples Day: October 12th
- Election Day: November 3rd
- Veterans Day: November 11th
- Thanksgiving Holiday: November 26th & November 27th
- Christmas Eve: December 24th
- Christmas Day: December 25th
| | Add Your Event to Our Calendar! | | Planning your own event? Contact us today to add your disability inclusion event to our calendar! Invite Disability:IN Minnesota members to your event and increase the visibility of your company's disability inclusion efforts. | | |
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.
| | ID: Graphic reads "Are you IN?" in dark blue and green text against a white background. | | | | |
