Disability:IN DC Metro

November 2024

Celebrate NDEAM all year.

Become a Member of DC Metro to support your organization's disability inclusion journey!

Veterans Day November 11, 2024

Veterans Day is always observed officially on November 11, regardless of the day of the week on which it falls. The Veterans Day National Ceremony, like most ceremonies around the nation, is held on Veterans Day itself. However, when Veterans Day falls on a weekday, many communities choose to hold Veterans Day parades or other celebrations on the weekend before or after November 11 so that more people can participate.

November 11th is the one day set aside each year to honor those who have served and continue to serve our nation. Not to be confused with Memorial Day, the day we pay tribute to fallen service members, Veterans Day offers a great opportunity to teach civilians about the sacrifice service members and their families make year-round. 

How do you plan to celebrate this year?

Disability:IN DC Metro encourages you to learn more about the Veteran organizations showcased below and support them.

Disability:IN

Professional Resource Groups

Much like your own organization's ERG (Employee/Associate/Business Resource Groups/Networks or ERG,ARG,BRG, ERN!), DC Metro recently launched our Professional Resource Groups. Each PRG meets quarterly to share and discuss topics of interest to the group.

Thank you, Ron Drach, for your service ! Happy Veterans Day!

This month, we invite our members to join our Veterans PRG in honor of Veterans Day 2024. Ron Drach serves as the Veteran PRG Lead. Ronald is a subject matter expert in military and veterans issues with more than 50 years of experience. After losing a leg as a result of combat in Vietnam, Ron medically retired from the U.S. Army in 1967 with a Purple Heart. Soon after, he focused his life on working to help his fellow disabled veterans. Ron currently works on the Clear2Connect Coalition raising awareness about the value of captioned telephone services to the veteran community.

Ron has been an invaluable leader in DC Metro's Veterans focus, connecting VETS, PVA, Wounded Warrior Project, and so many more organizations. He also works for Concepts Communications, another DC Metro member organization. Both Ron and Karen Herson, President at Concepts are certified Disability-owned Business Enterprises (DOBE).

Our VETS PRG will come together for its first meeting in January 2025. Contact Ron or Katherine McCary to add your voice!

Celebrating Veterans Day

"A Legacy of Loyalty and Service"

This year's theme reflects the dedication and commitment of veterans to the United States. This year's winning poster was designed by Myisha Godette, a retired, disabled Army Veteran from Queens, New York.

Washington, DC Celebrations

Ways to Honor Those who Served

Veterans Day 2024 “Special Service and Celebration”

Nov. 10, 2024, 10:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. ET

National Veterans Day Parade

Nov. 10, 2024, 12:00 to 3:00 p.m. ET

Which is the correct spelling of Veterans Day?

1. Veterans Day
2. Veteran’s Day
3. Veterans’ Day

Veterans Day (choice a). Veterans Day does not include an apostrophe but does include an “s” at the end of “veterans” because it is not a day that “belongs” to veterans, it is a day for honoring all veterans."

Wounded Warrior Project

MISSION

To honor and empower wounded warriors.



VISION

To foster the most successful, well-adjusted generation of wounded service members in our nation’s history.

Wounded Warrior Project (WWP) began in 2003 as a small, grassroots effort providing simple care and comfort items to the hospital bedsides of the first wounded service members returning home from the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. As their post-service needs evolved, so have our programs and services. Today, through our direct programs in mental health, career counseling, and long-term rehabilitative care, along with our advocacy efforts, we improve the lives of millions of warriors and their families.

This effort requires the passion and commitment of friends, supporters, and like-minded organizations that enable us to fulfill our mission. With their collaboration and support, we strive to ensure that when those who serve come home, they’re afforded every opportunity to be as successful as a civilian as they were in the military.

Paralyzed Veterans of America

PVA was founded by a band of service members who came home from World War II with spinal cord injuries. These wounded heroes made a decision not just to live, but to live with dignity as contributors to society. 

Since 1946, Paralyzed Veterans of America has been on a mission to change lives and build brighter futures for our seriously injured heroes. We’ve had a single-minded mission—to empower our brave men and women to regain what they fought for: their freedom and independence.

Paralyzed Veterans of America, a congressionally chartered veterans service organization founded in 1946, has developed a unique expertise on a wide variety of issues involving the special needs of our members – veterans of the armed forces who have experienced spinal cord injury or dysfunction.

PVA will use that expertise to be the leading advocate for:

• Quality health care for our members,
• Research and education addressing spinal cord injury and dysfunction,
• Benefits available as a result of our members’ military service,
• Civil rights and opportunities that maximize the independence of our members.

To enable Paralyzed Veterans to continue to honor this commitment, we must recruit and retain members who have the experience, energy, dedication, and passion necessary to manage the organization and ensure adequate resources to sustain the programs essential for Paralyzed Veterans of America to achieve its mission.

Veterans Employment and Training Service

Our Vision

To enable all veterans, service members, and military spouses to reach their full potential in the workplace.

Our Mission

We prepare America's veterans, service members, and military spouses for meaningful careers, provide them with employment resources and expertise, protect their employment rights, and promote their employment opportunities.

Our Values

Integrity, Commitment, Respect, Excellence and Innovation.

Our Priorities

1. Getting the military to civilian employment transition right. 
2. Leveraging partnerships to maximize employment outcomes.
3. Promoting and advancing equity, inclusion and accessibility for underserved communities.

WHAT'S HAPPENING- Events Summary

• Creating a Trauma-Aware Workplace, Supporting Employees with PTSD, Nov 7

• What's Next? The Impact of the November Election on Disability Policy, Nov 21

• Section 508 Best Practices Webinar: Essential Strategies for Creating Accessible Social Media Content, Nov 26

• Harnessing ESG for Disability and Neuro-Inclusion, Dec 4

KEY NEWS ARTICLES

• Celebrating International Day of People with Disabilities
• BroadFutures is currently accepting applications to our National Internship Program in partnership with Booz Allen Hamilton!
• AI & Inclusive Hiring Framework
• ADA Title II Updates: The DOJ's New Rule
• Major Corporations To Get Neurodiversity Training
• 6 Companies with Neurodiversity Recruitment Programs

Upcoming Events in the Capital Area Region

and Beyond

What's Next?

The Impact of the November Election on Disability Policy

Nov 21, 2024 1:00 PM ET

Register

Join an esteemed panel of speakers for a critical post-election discussion as we analyze the outcomes and explore how they will shape the future of disability policy. This is a vital opportunity to engage with experts and stakeholders in a bipartisan context on the path forward for disability inclusion and advocacy.

PANELISTS:

Congressman Jim Langevin | Former Congressman, Rhode Island (D) & NOD Policy Ambassador

Charles E. Catherine-Caldaro | Director, Corporate & Government Relations, NOD

MODERATOR:

Beth Sirull | President & Chief Executive Officer, NOD

Accessibility: Captions and ASL Sign Language Interpreter will be provided.

Accommodations + Questions: Please contact events@nod.org with your request or inquiry.

Section 508 Best Practices Webinar: Essential Strategies for Creating Accessible Social Media Content

Tuesday, November 26th 1:00 – 2:30 p.m. (ET),

Every day, millions of Americans use social media to engage with their favorite brands and influencers – including the federal government. Federal agencies have a crucial duty to engage the public effectively, share important information, and provide essential services to all Americans, including individuals with disabilities. Among other requirements, Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act mandates that federal agencies ensure equal access to social media content, data, and platforms.

Participants will gain a range of valuable techniques for crafting inclusive social media posts, writing effective alternative (alt) text, checking color contrast, using hashtags and emojis thoughtfully, and ensuring that video content is properly captioned, among other important topics.

For more details or to register, visit the Great Lakes ADA Center’s webinar webpage. Sign Language and Real Time Captioning will be available. Questions for the presenters can be submitted during the registration process.

Learn More about the 508 Best Practices webinar.

Harnessing ESG for Disability and Neuro-Inclusion

December 4, 2024

10 am ET

Register now to learn more! 

Integrating DEI into your ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) strategy isn’t just the right thing to do - it’s essential for social impact and business success. Globally, disabled and neurodivergent individuals face significant employment barriers; in the UK, for example, only 53% of disabled working-age adults are employed, compared to 83% of non-disabled peers.

Join us to learn how disability and neuro-inclusion can enhance your DEI and ESG efforts, creating real value. Our expert panel featuring Jill Houghton, President & CEO, Disability:IN, Diane Lightfoot, CEO, Business Disability Forum, and Marcia Dukes, DEI Lead, MassMutual will share practical steps for embedding disability inclusion into your organization. Plus, gain valuable insights from Caroline Casey, Founder of the Valuable 500, as she shares actionable strategies to end disability exclusion and set attainable goals.

Ideal for Business Leaders, HR Professionals, DEIB (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Belonging) DEIA (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Accessibility) (Specialists, Training & Development Leads, Employee Engagement & Staff Performance Managers, ERG Leads, Disability & Neurodiversity Champions.

Business News

International Day of People with Disabilities

The Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities is an international human rights treaty of the United Nations intended to protect the rights and dignity of people with disabilities.

Since its inception in 1945, the United Nations (UN) has outlined and reiterated its commitment to calling for the creation of inclusive, accessible and sustainable societies and communities – most notably with the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948. Over time, the UN has honed its focus on promoting the well-being and welfare of people living with disabilities, and in 1992 called for an international day of celebration for people living with disabilities to be held on December 3 each year.

International Day of People with Disabilities is not owned by the UN – it is owned by everyone: people, organisations, agencies, charities, places of learning – all of whom have a vital role to play in identifying and addressing discrimination, marginalization, exclusion and inaccessibility that many people living with disabilities face. International Day of People with Disabilities is one day on the international calendar, yet it symbolizes the actions we should take every day, in order to create diverse and accepting communities.

What is IDPWD for?

•  Celebration – to recognize and value the diversity of our global community, and to cherish the role we all play, regardless of our abilities;
•  Learning – to understand and learn from the experiences of people with living with a disability;
•  It is a day for optimism – to look towards the future and the creation of a world where a person is not characterised by their disabilities, but by their abilities;
•  Action – where all people, organisations, agencies and charities not only show their support for International Day of People with Disabilities, but take on a commitment to create a world characterised by equal human rights.

Apply to the National Internship Program

BroadFutures is currently accepting applications to our National Internship Program in partnership with Booz Allen Hamilton! This could be a fantastic opportunity for you if you have coursework or experience in:

• Software engineering or web expertise
• Software development
• DevOps engineering
• Low-Code/No-Code Solutions engineering
• Software architecture
• Cloud computing and application architecture

Eligible applicants must identify as neurodivergent and have graduated or are currently taking a gap year from a 4 year college/university.

Interns will join a cohort for a paid 10-week internship that will launch in January. Gain career experience, impact critical missions, and thrive in an inclusive workplace. See eligibility requirements and apply by December 6th using the link below.

AI & Inclusive Hiring Framework

Make your artificial intelligence-powered hiring technology more inclusive for disabled job seekers.

Get Started

Welcome to the Artificial Intelligence (AI) & Inclusive Hiring Framework! This resource can help guide you through the process of making your AI-enabled hiring tools more inclusive and accessible for disabled job seekers. Below are a few important notes to help you get started.

• Pace yourself: Implement this resource in stages. You do not need to tackle everything at once.
• Focus on your organization: Start with the Focus Area that makes the most sense for your organization. While the Focus Areas have numbers, they do not need to be completed in a specific order.
• Skip around: The Focus Areas are divided into practices, actions, and goals that you can work on in any order. You do not need to complete a Focus Area before moving to a new one.
• Discover more: Explore details about this resource to learn how and why the AI & Inclusive Hiring Framework was created.

Ready to start? Select a role (or the one that aligns with your goals the best) in the tables below. That will take you straight to a list of goals that are most relevant to you.

ADA Title II Updates: The DOJ’s New Rule

Author: Jon Avila

For years, digital accessibility advocates, along with state and local governments, have expressed frustration over the lack of clarity in the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the scope of Title II, particularly regarding the accessibility of digital experiences. That will now change, at least in part.

In April 2024, the U.S. Attorney General signed a final rule addressing the accessibility of digital experiences under Title II of the ADA. This rule requires state and local governments to ensure that their services, programs, and activities meet web accessibility standards and are accessible to individuals with disabilities.

This rule was originally proposed in August of 2023 by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and marks a continuation of the DOJ’s longstanding efforts to clarify the ADA’s application to the digital world.

Not sure if your organization needs to comply or which standards apply to you?

In this post, I’ll explain the DOJ’s new rule under Title II of the ADA, including what kinds of organizations are impacted. I’ll also outline what compliance means, in practical terms, and provide recommendations for aligning with these requirements ahead of the DOJ’s deadlines.

Visit our Title II resource hub for a clear understanding of ADA Title II requirements and guidance on how to achieve compliance.

Read more of Jon's article

Major Corporations To Get Neurodiversity Training

In an effort to bolster employment for individuals with autism and other disabilities, Wells Fargo is partnering with a university to help Fortune 500 companies create neurodiversity initiatives.

The financial services company said it will foot the bill for neurodiversity workshops for corporate leaders as part of a $3.75 million grant to the University of Connecticut’s Center for Neurodiversity and Employment Innovation.

The full-day workshops will bring together leaders from 10 to 15 organizations to learn from academics at UConn and executives with Wells Fargo’s neurodiversity program how to form neurodiversity initiatives at their companies.

6 Companies with Neurodiversity Recruitment Programs

SAP Ernst & Young Microsoft J.P. Morgan

Hewlett Packard Freddie Mac

Read the entire Tallo article on neurodiversity hiring

Neurodiversity refers to a group of people who have neurological differences such as autism, ADHD. and dyslexia. Put simply, people who are neurodiverse think differently — and that’s a good thing! We need a diverse workforce with special talents and thought processes to help us solve future problems and progress humanity. 

We also know that that majority of Gen Z job seekers are on the lookout for companies who offer employee resources for candidates who are neurodiverse: 80% of Gen Zers would be more likely to apply to a place of work that had readily available materials and resources for employees who identify as neurodivergent. What’s more, Tallo Data Insights shows that 1 in 5 Gen Zers have decided not to apply to a place of work because they lacked materials and resources for employees who identify as neurodivergent.

The only problem? Many neurodivergent job seekers can’t make it past the interview stage in order to launch their careers. For instance, young professionals with autism often struggle to make eye contact, while those with ADHD are prone to fidgeting. Both of these habits can tank a traditional interview — and, ultimately, destroy an applicant’s shot at landing a good-paying job.

Thank You to Our Sponsor Partners!

NOVEMBER -DECEMBER EVENTS

THE ARC OF NORTHERN VIRGINIA GALA

Saturday, November 9, 2024

Hilton McLean Tysons Corner

The Gala will bring together hundreds of our community members, elected officials, and leaders in the business and philanthropic communities, alongside our longstanding supporters and partners.

This glamorous evening will start with an open-bar cocktail reception and silent auction, proceed to a seated, gourmet dinner, followed by our program and live auction, and will end with music and dancing.

The Gala helps raise important funds that make possible all of our programs, services, and advocacy education for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities of all ages and their families. Sponsorship opportunities are available and include tickets for the event.

For more information on our 2024 Gala, please visit our 2024 Gala website at thearcofnova.org/gala or contact us via email at events@thearcofnova.org.

2024 Harkin International Disability Employment Summit

 Register for the Harkin Summit 

Washington, DC at the JW Marriott Hotel

December 18-19.

Register Now!

$450 for on-site.

The Harkin Summit brings together key champions and implementers from around the world to increase the employment of people with disabilities.

The Harkin International Disability Employment Summit has occurred annually since 2016 and has gathered private employers, government leaders, and disability advocates from more than 40 countries to address the barriers to competitive, integrated employment for persons with disabilities.

More exciting announcements about our agenda and speakers will be coming soon! You can follow our Harkin Summit social media accounts for the latest announcements:

Facebook: HarkinSummit

LinkedIn: Harkin-Summit

X (Twitter): @HarkinSummit

SAVE THESE DATES FOR 2025

OMINUM CIRCUS!

WID

AAPD

Billion Strong

The Resource Network

The Valuable 500

Blind Institute of Technology

Standard Accessibility Reporting

BroadFutures

Lingvano

RespectAbility

Soniccloud

Level Access

Omnium Circus

Disability:IN Minnesota

Disability:IN Wisconsin

Disability:IN Chicagoland

Center for Disability Inclusion

Virginia Ability

Disability:IN DC Metro

“Think Globally, Act Locally”

Patrick Geedes  

Join Today!

Promoting Inclusion

Expanding Disability Education and Awareness

Our focus is on Culture Change!

Founded in 2006

Twice honored as Disability:IN Affiliate of the Year

 Led by The Hon. Katherine McCary

Founding Chair of Disability:IN National and

CEO, Executive Director of Disability:IN DC Metro

Disability:IN DC Metro (DC Metro) is an employer-led membership-based business association that creates business to business connections, dialogue, and learning within our geographic region of Washington, DC, Virginia, and Maryland, an area known as the National Capital Region. Our offerings, however, are not limited to geographic location. All DC Metro corporate member employees enjoy member benefits regardless of their physical geography. You don't have to live in the National Capital Region to engage and enjoy DC Metro's Professional Development Courses and topical Hybrid Programming!

Our Vision

“Cultivate workforces and workplaces where talent with disabilities are recruited, included, promoted, retained and valued as both internal talent and innovative vendors.”

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