In May of this year, I brought colleagues together to start an employee resource group for those of us at work who are classified as being protected under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
Our organization has been in the midst of a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion effort for several years now, but for some reason has not included disability as part of that effort, until we joined in May as VOICE. In fact, our organization has never had an employee resource group for people with disabilities, even though the ADA was passed 32 years ago this month. As someone working at Metropolitan for almost 20 years, and a Type 1 diabetic for 12 of those years, I thought now was the right time to change what has been the pattern of silence, and give workers like me formal representation and a recognized avenue to be heard.
My hope is that VOICE will last as a fruitful resource for one of the most vulnerable, stigmatized and least recognized minorities in our workforce long after I retire.
Odilonvert 