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May 31, 2022

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CEOs take a stand for disability inclusion in the workplace

Since 2019, 108 CEOs have signed a letter from Disability:IN as part of its “CEOs Are IN” campaign. Disability:IN is the global organization driving disability inclusion and equality in business. In the letter, CEOs call on peers to follow their lead and evaluate their corporate inclusion progress by taking the Disability Equality Index or DEI.

Five companies — The Boeing Co., Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc., Micron Technology Inc., TripAdvisor Inc. and The Estée Lauder Cos. Inc. — have become the latest signatories, joining Fortune 500, tech and health care CEOs who are making disability inclusion a business priority. The original six signatories of the letter, released in December 2019, are the CEOs of Accenture PLC, CVS Health Corp., Intel Corp., Microsoft Corp., Voya Financial Inc. and Walmart Inc.

Aware of how diversity impacts culture, management and financial performance, corporate leaders are increasing their commitments to ensure people with disabilities are represented at all company levels. The Disability:IN CEO Letter on Disability Inclusion is designed for CEOs to take action to build inclusive, accessible and equitable workplaces through their companies’ participation in the DEI.

“Amid the Great Resignation, companies are increasingly competing in a marketplace that values leadership on social issues. Diversity, equity and inclusion are the keys to creating sustainable companies, and by encouraging CEOs to make disability inclusion a business priority, these signatories are joining IN to positively transform lives and create financial and social impact,” said Jill Houghton, president and CEO, Disability:IN.

Now in its eighth year, the DEI is the only global tool for analyzing and measuring disability progress across the enterprise and gives companies a comprehensive assessment of their own disability inclusion and equality practices. The program is administered by Disability:IN and the American Association of People with Disabilities. Each company receives a score — on a scale of zero to 100 — with those earning 80 and above recognized as Best Places to Work for Disability Inclusion.

There are 10.7 million people with disabilities unemployed or underemployed in the United States, making disability inclusion a social and governance issue. Environment, social and governance, or ESG, is now moving into the measurement phase, as disclosure of the number of people with disabilities at all the levels of the company — including the C-suite and boardroom — empowers investors and shareholders to make informed choices.

“Equity, diversity and inclusion are foundational to our values and how we operate our company. Each member of our global team brings a unique perspective to Boeing, and we grow stronger when people of all abilities have an opportunity to contribute. I am honored to sign the CEO letter and encourage others to join us in working to destigmatize disability and strengthen inclusion for all,” said Boeing President and CEO David Calhoun.

The desire to create an atmosphere that embraces the value and contributions of all people motivated The Estee Lauder Cos. President and CEO Fabrizio Freda to sign the letter. “We are deeply committed to doing even more to facilitate a culture of equity, inclusion and belonging within our company and our communities,” he said. “The Estée Lauder Cos. is proud to partner with Disability:IN as part of our commitment to taking action to drive disability inclusion, ensuring an accessible and equitable environment for all.”

Companies participating in the Disability Equality Index or DEI* 

23andMe Inc.

Accenture PLC

Alaska Airlines Inc.

Ally Financial Inc.

American Airlines Group Inc.

American Water Works Co. Inc.

Avanade Inc.

BAE Systems Inc.

Bank of America Corp.

The Bank of New York Mellon

Baxter International Inc.

Bayer US LLC

Becton, Dickinson and Co.

Best Buy Co. Inc.

Biogen Inc.

Black Knight Inc./Dun & Bradstreet Holdings Inc.

Blue Shield of California Life & Health Insurance Co.

Boehringer Ingelheim USA Corp.

The Boeing Co.

Boston Scientific Corp.

Bristol Myers Squibb Co.

CAI International Inc.

Cargill Inc.

Centene Corp.

Chemonics International Inc.

Children’s National Health System

Cigna Corp.

Cox Communications Inc.

CSX Corp.

Cubic Corp.

CUNA Mutual Group Ltd.

CVS Health Corp.

Deloitte LLP

Dick’s Sporting Goods Inc.

Discover Financial Services

Dominion Energy Inc.

Eli Lilly & Co.

Equitable Holdings Inc.

Ernst & Young LLP

The Estee Lauder Cos.

Fiserv Inc.

Grant Thornton LLP

Hewlett Packard Enterprise Co.

Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc.

Honeywell International Inc.

Humana Inc.

International Flavors & Fragrances Inc.

Intel Corp.

Jabil Inc.

Jacobs Engineering Group Inc.

KPMG LLP

The Kroger Co.

Land O’Lakes Inc.

Lowe’s Cos. Inc.

Marriott International Inc.

Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Co.

Mayo Clinic

Medtronic PLC

Micron Technology Inc.

Microsoft Corp.

Moderna Inc.

Motorola Solutions Inc.

Northrup Grumman Corp.

Novant Health Inc. Pension Plan

NuMotion

Old National Bank

Pearson PLC

PPL Corp.

Protiviti Inc.

Prudential Financial Inc.

Purple Communications Inc./CSDVRS LLC dba ZVRS, divisions of ZP Better Together LLC

PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP

Raytheon Technologies Corp.

ResMed Inc.

Robert Half International Inc.

RSM US LLP

S&P Global Inc.

Salesforce Inc.

Schneider Electric SE

Siemens USA Holdings Inc.

Snap Inc.

Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc.

Southwest Airlines Co.

Starbucks Corp.

State Street Corp.

Synchrony Bank

Target Corp.

TD Bank NA

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd.

Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc.

Teachers Insurance & Annuity Association of America

T-Mobile US Inc.

Trane Technologies PLC

TripAdvisor Inc.

UKG Inc.

United Natural Foods Inc.

United Airlines Inc.

United Parcel Service Inc.

U.S. Bancorp

US Cellular Inc.

Verizon Communications Inc.

Vistra Corp.

Voya Financial Inc.

Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc.

Walmart Inc.

WithumSmith+Brown Inc.

*As two companies changed leadership, the new CEOs became signatories. 

Save the date

Disability: IN 2022 Global Conference & Expo

July 18-21 

Sheraton Dallas Hotel

400 Olive St.

Dallas, Texas 75201 

The event includes matchmaking, Inclusion Awards Gala Dinner and breakout sessions focused on such topics as building an accessibility culture, neurodiversity hiring and emotional well-being. Guest speakers include actor Marlee Matlin and diversity & inclusion advocate Lachi.

For registration and other information, go to disabilityin.org/2022conference.