The Hill hosts summit on disability employment solutions

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Apr 04, 2023, 11:15 ET

SourceAmerica recognized for advancing diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility

VIENNA, Va., April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- SourceAmerica® is proud to sponsor Disability Employment Solutions: Achieving Employment for All, an inclusive, virtual summit bringing together policymakers, business and nonprofit leaders to discuss practical solutions to increase employment across the disability community. The Hill Editor in Chief Bob Cusack moderates the summit, which aired March 29 and is now posted online.

Keynote speakers include Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-MI), co-chair of the Bipartisan Disabilities Caucus, and Rep. Mike Bost (R-IL), chairman of the Committee on Veterans Affairs. The summit centers on the panel discussion, Increasing Employment Across the Disability Community. Panelists include Day Al-Mohamed, director of disability policy, White House Domestic Policy Council, Armando Contreras, president and CEO of United Cerebral Palsy, and Rhiannon Parker, chief innovation officer of The Valuable 500.

Despite the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) prohibiting employment discrimination against qualified individuals with disabilities, only 21.3% of the more than 32 million people with disabilities in the United States were employed in 2022, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

"We want to lower the unemployment rate for people with disabilities while creating jobs with stability, competitive wages, and advancement potential to build careers," said Richard Belden, president and CEO of SourceAmerica. "It's critical that the government and public and private businesses work together to remove structural barriers that make it difficult for many people with disabilities to join the workforce."

The summit explores how federal agencies implement accessibility into their day-to-day operations and promote disability employment. In addition, participants examine how hiring practices can better consider candidates' unique skills and address historical inequities in the hiring process.

Expert speakers also discuss practical solutions to disability hiring and how leaders in the public and private sectors are modeling best practices.

SourceAmerica is a force for job creation within the disability community, connecting government customers and other organizations to a national network of nonprofit agencies that hire people with disabilities. With 450 AbilityOne® authorized providers in its network, the AbilityOne® Program is one of the nation's most significant sources of employment for people who are blind or have significant disabilities. There are approximately 36,000 AbilityOne employees in the SourceAmerica network.

To watch the summit in its entirety, visit https://thehill.com/events/3877805-the-hills-disability-summit/.

About SourceAmerica:
SourceAmerica connects government customers and other organizations to a national network of nonprofit agencies that hire a talented segment of the workforce – people with disabilities. Established in 1974, SourceAmerica is committed to increasing economic and social inclusion and advocating for a more accessible future of work for people with differing abilities. As a leading job creator within the disability community and distinguished as an AbilityOne-authorized enterprise, SourceAmerica harnesses the momentum and boosts the capability of its network and customers. To learn more, visit SourceAmerica.org and follow @SourceAmerica on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn.

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