DiversityInc - October 2006

SCORECARD
How Well Do Disability Organizations
Score on Diversity?

The demographics of the country are changing dramatically, with people of color expected to be the majority by 2050. We review the Web sites of five national advocacy groups for people with disabilities to see if they are culturally competent for people of color and other groups. Here are the grades:

National Organization on
Disability (N.O.D.)
www.nod.org

Founded: 1983

Headquarters: Washington, D.C.

Grade: A-

National Council on
Disabilities (NCD)
www.ncd.gov

Founded: 1978

Headquarters: Washington, D.C.

Grade: A-

American Association
for People with Disabilities
(AAPD)
www.aapd.com

Founded: 1995

Headquarters: Washington, D.C.

Grade: B+

WHAT’S GOOD

■ A “diversity” search yields 58 hits, the first of which links to an article on how workplace-diversity programs benefit employees with disabilities. ■ The homepage features N.O.D.’s efforts to bridge gaps between faith-based and disability communities. ■ N.O.D.’s Emergency Preparedness Initiative partners with the Religion and Disability Program to help congregations accommodate people with disabilities in disaster preparedness. ■ Multicultural images highlight diversity related to disability, gender and race.

■ The homepage links directly to a paid-internship program for students with disabilities—Start on Success— to help “close the employment gap.”

WHAT’S BAD

■ The events calendar last included an event for GLBT people with disabilities in 2002, the San Francisco State University Disability Queer Conference at San Francisco State University— the first international conference for GLBT people with disabilities.

WHAT’S GOOD

■ A search for “diversity” yields more than 200 hits. First on the list is NCD’s Cultural Advisory Committee, which provides recommendations to the agency on issues affecting culturally diverse disability communities. The committee is comprised of 12 members, including both men and women of color.

■ NCD’s Youth Advisory Committee, accessible within two clicks of the homepage, recently launched a national initiative to recruit “ members from cross-disability sectors, diverse cultures and in underrepresented areas of the country.” ■ Users can click on a homepage link to translate the site into other languages. ■ Resource section includes links to the Human Rights Campaign and

Lambda Legal.

WHAT’S BAD

■ The news and events sections feature some corporate supporters but lack information on corporate outreach, particularly with respect to education and employment.

WHAT’S GOOD

■ A note on the homepage requests feedback from diversity professionals among other experts on disability issues.

■ Employment opportunities, featured just one click from the homepage, include information on Disability Mentoring Day, a national initiative to promote career development and networking for students with disabilities. ■ The site highlights companies that impact diverse communities through sponsorship of programs such as Disability Mentoring Day. Verizon Communications, Sun Trust, Hewlett-Packard and BellSouth, all in The 2006 DiversityInc Top 50 Companies for Diversity®, are among the companies cited for their efforts. ■ Employment opportunities, featured one click from the homepage, include information on Disability Mentoring Day, a national initiative to promote careeer development among students with disabilities.