The USBLN, in partnership with the American Association of People with Disabilities, is pleased to announce that registration is now open for the 2018 Disability Equality Index (DEI) Survey.

The DEI is an aspirational and educational tool intended to help companies identify opportunities for continued improvement, as well as help build its reputation as an employer of choice. Since first introduced in 2012, the DEI survey has become the nation’s most trusted annual benchmarking tool, allowing America’s leading corporations to self-report their disability policies and practices.  2017 brought a historic 110 corporations to our benchmark.

This year, top Fortune 1000 companies and AmLaw 200 law firms will be invited to participate. Other interested companies and organizations are welcome to complete the survey, provided they had 500 or more full-time employees in the U.S. as of January 1, 2017.

Top-scoring companies are named a DEI “Best Place to Work for Disability Inclusion,” an honor that creates goodwill and loyalty among current and future employees, investors, customers, and people with disabilities, their families, and friends.

92% of the American public view companies that hire people with disabilities more favorably ¹, and 87% of the public would prefer to give their business to companies that hire people with disabilities.

Since the DEI’s first pilot in 2013-2014, we have seen this tool and the enthusiasm of our corporate partners result in collaborative gains in inclusivity and diversity.  America’s business leaders understand the importance of disability inclusion and equality, and are open to receiving objective scores based on their company’s policies and practices. They’re so committed, in fact, that in an effort to ensure long-term sustainable results, 75% participate multiple times.

The DEI offers businesses the unique opportunity to receive an objective score on their disability inclusion policies and practices. On a scale from zero to 100, the DEI measures a wide range of criteria based on four specific categories:

• Culture & Leadership
• Enterprise-Wide Access
• Employment Practices
• Community Engagement & Support Services

Every participating company receives:

• A complimentary copy of the 2018 DEI Report, which consists of detailed aggregate results and benchmarking information from the 2018 DEI.
• A scorecard outlining areas in which they excel, as well as those in need of improvement.
• Access to customized DEI consulting services specifically geared towards increasing their DEI score.
• Exclusive networking opportunities at the USBLN Annual Conference.

While other disability inclusion measurement standards do exist, including the USBLN’s 503 Compliance Tool, none compare to the comprehensiveness of the DEI. This in-depth analysis and insight brings a level of quality, trust and accuracy that other methods cannot provide.

The nation’s two leaders in disability inclusion, the top business-to-business networking organization and the largest disability rights organization, developed the DEI in an effort to collectively advance the inclusion of people with disabilities in the workplace.

Eligible companies interested in participating in the 2018 Disability Equality Index have until January 13, 2018, to register. More information on how to participate is available on the DEI website.

¹National Survey of Consumer Attitudes