News

The MyAbilities ERG and the Supply Chain Leadership team partnered in January of this year to place the first intern from a program at National-Louis University designed to transition young adults with multiple intellectual, learning and developmental disabilities to independent living. Greg Brown, a student in the program, began his two-day per week internship on…

The Chicago disability community lost a great champion last month with the passing of disability advocate and longtime Disability:IN Chicagoland partner, Marca Bristo. A renowned leader in Chicago and across the country, Marca founded local disability rights organization, Access Living and helped author the Americans with Disabilities Act nearly 30 years ago. She touched the lives of…

Special thanks to Disability:IN Chicagoland partners CAI and Comcast, who worked together to produce a new video highlighting some of their efforts at inclusion in the workplace and marketplace, as well as showcasing the power of the local business network around disability inclusion. The video was show to a crowd of more than 2,000 at…

On July 17, 2019 Disability:IN named the 2019 Best Places to Work for Disability Inclusion through its announcement of the top scorers on this year’s Disability Equality Index (DEI). The DEI is the most comprehensive benchmarking tool for disability inclusion. Companies who score 80% or higher receive the distinction of Best Places to Work for…

On February 27th Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel announced the release of a new report from his Task Force on Employment and Economic Opportunity for People with Disabilities. The 26 member Task Force, led by Karen Tamley, Commissioner of the Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities (MOPD), includes representatives from workforce agencies, local disability leaders, job seekers, employers and…

Last October the Chicagoland Business Leadership Network changed its name to Disability:IN Chicagoland to signal its commitment to creating an economy where people with disabilities participate fully and meaningfully. The name change was part of a larger rebranding effort by the United States Business Leadership Network, which changed its name last summer to Disability:IN, giving…

On January 15th, Disability:IN Chicagoland, in partnership with CDW, hosted 40 representatives from Chicago-area businesses for a peer-to-peer conversation and networking. The event entitled, Tools to Mitigate Stress and Promote Mental Health in the Workplace,featured presentations from Disability:IN Chicagoland partners Erica Gliege, Senior Analyst, Total Rewards at Horizon Pharma and Kaiti Buehring, Good Life Senior Consultant…

New research recently released indicates that companies who employ and support workers with disabilities outperform their peers.

To propel business disability inclusion domestically and internationally, the USBLN recently rebranded as Disability:IN. With this new national brand comes new branding for the local Affiliates as well and at last month’s Disability Inclusion Opportunity Summit, the CBLN unveiled its new brand – Disability:IN Chicagoland.

On Friday, October 19th, Disability:IN Chicagoland hosted its 4th Annual Disability Inclusion Opportunity Summit at Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois in Chicago. The sold-out, day-long conference brought together nearly 250 business leaders, talent acquisition, human resources and diversity & inclusion professionals. The program included sessions on timely topics such as: the power of owning a disability identity; supporting…