On behalf of the Disability:IN Wisconsin advisory board, I would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to all our members, advocates, volunteers, and everyone else that has helped advance the cause of disability inclusion. Together we achieved a strong foundation of membership, engaged and supportive community, and business structure. This strength in base will allow us a year to expand our reach and deepen our engagement.
We would not be where we are today without the support of our members. In a business environment challenged by COVID-19, your members remained engaged and provided resources and talent to maintain positive momentum. This includes 40 active volunteers from 20 different companies across all our committees. Without this engagement, our ability to provide valued content would not be possible. A special thank you to ManpowerGroup for their leadership and support in executing the 2020 Virtual Wisconsin Ability Summit. The team’s ability to quickly adapt to a virtual delivery model was exceptional. We are also thankful for our partnership and collaboration with the Chicago affiliate. We are looking forward to advancing this partnership with Chicago and other affiliates across the country to enhance our content and create more access to peer leadership for our membership.
We are excited to share our 2021 strategic plan with a programmatic focus on digital accessibility, mental wellness and defining disability inclusion. This will include expanding our outreach via podcasts, videos, and open forum chats. We will expand on the current engagement of our members and create an active feedback loop among the ERG/BRG leadership to share best practices, challenges, and opportunities. We are committed to helping position our members to expand their talent bases to include individuals with disabilities and sharing stories of success. Lastly, we are focused on the continued development of results-driven content to enhance the culture of our members and create a more diverse workforce including individuals with disabilities.
It has been humbling to be part of this mission. Our accomplishments to date would not be possible without the engagement and leadership of our membership.
- Derek Smith, Disability:IN Wisconsin Board Chair
