SMG Tip: Celebrate the 25th Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act

Many have called the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 the most groundbreaking legislation since the Civil Rights of the 1960s.  This year, the ADA will turn 25. That’s 25 years of leveling the field to provide equity of opportunity regarding employment, transportation, building access and telecommunications. The ADA held companies accountable to ensure that people with disabilities could participate in all aspects of daily life, have access to jobs, and transportation that would enable them to get to wherever they needed to go. The ADA was a game changer not only for people who have disabilities, but also the companies who made a conscious decision to move beyond compliance to reaching a new market.

We’re a little more than a month from the ADA’s anniversary. What is your organization doing to recognize this milestone legislation? We have a few ideas that can help engage employees:

1. Host an event that features the positive impact on the ADA in your company and industry.
2. Create digital ads that demonstrate your organization’s commitment to the disability market.
3. Engage your organization’s marketing and HR departments to hold an executive roundtable to identify how to bolster engagement of people with disabilities, as employees and consumers. SMG suggests taking a step further and creating a 6 months action plan will allow your company to begin 2016 with the disability market on the radar.
4. Provide a forum for your Employee Resource Group for employees with disabilities to meet with executives, and have candid discussions about how the company can be a Best Place to Work for employees with disabilities.
5. Become a corporate sponsor of the ADA Legacy Project, which is showcasing events throughout the country. To learn more visit www.adalegacy.com.

We hope these tips will help your organization celebrate the 25th Anniversary of the ADA!

If you’d like to learn how to understand, penetrate and retain the disability market contact the SMG Team for a 30-minute discovery call to gain further insights.   To schedule, send a message to cbeaty@disability-marketing.com.