DIVERSEABILITY AND VETERANS GROUP INITIATIVES
ALL IN
Moving the Needle on Disability Inclusion in the Workplace
You might find it surprising that about 15 percent of the world’s population, or more than 1 billion people, have a disability. If you didn’t know that, here’s probably the reason why: 70 percent of them have a disability that is unseen. Those numbers were provided by Jill Houghton, president and CEO of Disability:IN and the featured speaker at a July 2021 webinar titled “DiverseAbility: The Importance of Disability Workforce Jill Houghton Inclusion and Development.” The event was sponsored by Holland & Knight’s DiverseAbility Affinity Group and hosted by its co-chairs: Partner Dan Sylvester (CHI), Staff Attorney Michelle DeVos (MIA) and Practice Development Manager John Eix (DAL). Ms. Houghton’s nonprofit organization works with companies – more than 270 leading brands to date – to build an inclusive global economy where people with disabilities can participate fully and meaningfully in the workforce. These goals mesh with the DiverseAbility Affinity 5
Group’s mission to attract, support and promote Holland & Knight attorneys and staff affected by all types of physical and mental disabilities and help maintain an inclusive, challenging and supportive environment where employees can maximize their personal and career success. This support also extends to employees who take care of disabled family members at home. The main question that Houghton poses to employers: “Are you IN?” “We rebranded a couple of years ago because we believe a disability is a strength. It’s part of the human experience – a natural one,” said Ms. Houghton, who herself is learningdisabled. “If we don’t have a disability today, over time we’re likely to encounter one.”
