The Harkin Institute is thrilled to announce its new partnership with the CEO Commission for Disability Employment, a D.C.-based collaborative. In this new partnership, THI and the CEO Commission will work together to advance disability inclusive employment by inspiring and engaging business leaders to drive change through policy, practice, and culture.

“What is exciting to me about increasing our collaboration with the CEO Commission, is the potential it has to create competitive, integrated employment opportunities for disabled people,” said Daniel Van Sant, Director of Disability Policy at The Harkin Institute. “When companies join the CEO Commission, they are making a commitment to recruit, hire, retain, and promote people with disabilities at all levels of the company. At The Harkin Institute, we find that even enthusiastic companies are often unsure where to begin in meeting this commitment. As a member of the CEO Commission, The Harkin Institute is available to provide consulting, advice, and opportunities to member companies to help them meet these goals.”

“As a founding member of the CEO Commission for Disability Employment, the National Down Syndrome Society (NDSS) is dedicated to increasing opportunities for individuals with Down syndrome and other disabilities to be employed and included in their communities,” states NDSS President and CEO Kandi Pickard.  “Sen. Harkin’s contributions to landmark legislation, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), has forever shaped our country. Now, through partnerships with private, public, and nonprofit sector leaders, THI and the CEO Commission continue to build on this legacy and shape a brighter future for individuals with disabilities.”

Previously, the CEO Commission worked with THI to sponsor Harkin Belfast 2022. Both organizations also worked together to release a research paper, Competitive, Integrated Employment: A Driver of Long-Term Value Creation, which showed that companies that make a commitment to competitive, integrated employment for persons with disabilities enjoy a competitive advantage and are positioned to capitalize on a $13 trillion global disability market.

About the CEO Commission: The CEO Commission was founded by Voya Financial, the Society for Human Resource Management, and the National Down Syndrome Society. The CEO Commission works to increase opportunities for people with disabilities to obtain and maintain employment by building a diverse coalition of private-sector organizations, including both for-profit and non-profit entities. Through collaboration and research, the CEO Commission promotes best-practices across the entire business community to decrease barriers individuals with disabilities face in accessing employment.