WINSTON-SALEM, N.C., July 26, 2023 – Novant Health announced today that it has been recognized for the fourth consecutive year as one of the “Best Places to Work for Disability Inclusion” by Disability:IN and the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD). Novant Health achieved a score of 90 on the Disability Equality Index (DEI), the world’s most comprehensive benchmarking tool that gauges an organization’s level of disability workplace inclusion relative to other businesses.
“Novant Health values the perspectives and life experiences of each team member, which we believe foster an environment of mutual respect and trust,” said Carmen Canales, senior vice president, chief people and belonging officer, Novant Health. “We are honored to receive this recognition for the fourth consecutive year as a reflection of our commitment to become a workplace in which our team members feel they belong and have the resources to thrive.”
Globally, people with disabilities represent over 1 billion people. Disability is a natural part of the human experience, and it crosses lines of age, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, race, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status and religion.
“Businesses have the power to drive the global advancement of disability inclusion, and we’re thrilled to see more companies than ever leverage the Disability Equality Index to measure their progress. We recognize these top-scoring companies as a ‘Best Place to Work for Disability Inclusion’ for their passion and efforts to lead the way in creating greater equity for people with disabilities in the workplace, marketplace and supply chain,” said Jill Houghton, president and CEO of Disability:IN.
Examples of what Novant Health is doing to create an inclusive environment for individuals with disabilities include:
- Following the national best practice to invite employees to self-identify as caregivers and as individuals with disabilities to help Novant Health better understand the needs of its workforce.
- Becoming the first large health care system in North Carolina to join Recovery Friendly NC and designating Novant Health as a “Recovery Friendly” environment to create positive change and eliminate barriers for those impacted by substance use.
- Hosting “A RemarkABLE World” disability inclusion exercise across the Novant Health footprint that exposes individuals to a world filled with communication barriers that are experienced by people who are deaf, deaf-blind and hard of hearing.
- Creating an Accessibility Toolkit with details on how to improve Novant Health’s online education to make it accessible for all team members and provide an equal opportunity of learning.
- Providing the Persons with Disabilities business resource group to help understand the needs of persons with disabilities in Novant Health’s workforce, patient population and the communities it serves.
About the Disability Equality Index®
The Disability Equality Index (DEI) is a comprehensive benchmarking tool that helps companies build a roadmap of measurable, tangible actions that they can take to achieve disability inclusion and equality. Each company receives a score, on a scale of zero (0) to 100, with those earning 80 and above recognized as a “Best Place to Work for Disability Inclusion.”
The DEI is a joint initiative of the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD), the nation’s largest disability rights organization, and Disability:IN, the global business disability inclusion network, to collectively advance the inclusion of people with disabilities. The organizations are complementary and bring unique strengths that make the project relevant and credible to corporations and the disability community. The tool was developed by the DEI Advisory Committee, a diverse group of business leaders, policy experts, and disability advocates. Learn more at: www.DisabilityEqualityIndex.org.
About the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD)
AAPD is a convener, connector, and catalyst for change, increasing the political and economic power for people with disabilities. As a national cross-disability rights organization AAPD advocates for full civil rights for the 60+ million Americans with disabilities. Learn more at: www.aapd.com.
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