PBN Diversity Equity & Inclusion 2023 Awards
Nonprofit/Social Services: Rhode Island Developmental Disabilities Council Inc.
ORGANIZATIONS STRIVING TO DO BETTER to be more diverse, equitable and inclusive is becoming commonplace across the area. With Rhode Island Developmental Disabilities Council Inc., Kevin Nerney, executive director of the Warwick-based nonprofit, says making such strides to do better includes partnering with other organizations to help reach communities that have been traditionally underrepresented.
In 2009, the council created The RI Cross Disability Coalition to focus on individuals with various disabilities connecting and discussing what is essential in their lives. It is an opportunity to become familiar with different services available from agencies in Rhode Island and learn what these agencies can do to meet the needs of individuals. The council’s power is through representation, garnering a seat at the table, and giving a voice to those previously excluded from the workplace and hiring conversations.
Recently, the coalition spearheaded a project titled A New Way of Thinking, helping individuals with disabilities and their families to have a better future, including getting connected with jobs.
The coalition’s project is funded through the R.I. Department of Behavioral Healthcare, Developmental Disabilities and Hospitals. It heads up a collaborative effort by 14 organizations and agencies, including the R.I. Office of the Secretary of State’s business services division, to professionally train the agencies’ staff members with new approaches to connect and engage with Rhode Island employers as they relate to the disability community.
“The mission of the council is diversity, equity and inclusion,” Nerney said. “More than just ensuring access to the community for people with developmental disabilities, we are also promoting real and active inclusion through relationships, employment, housing and leadership activities.”
Sue Babin, the council’s special projects director who is also the coalition’s transformation grant project director, says the coalition’s primary mission is to advocate for the inclusion of people with disabilities within local communities, “just like any other citizen.” She said the council’s Speakers Bureau, which has 15 members and all with various disabilities, promotes the value and contributions that people with disabilities offer to communities through various speaking presentations around the state. The coalition, along with the council, also provides entrepreneurship classes and networking meetings led by people with disabilities for those who need such guidance.
Another major coalition DEI initiative has been a statewide effort to conduct employer informational interviews to identify their workforce needs and potentially provide opportunities for people with disabilities to obtain employment within those businesses. This effort has resulted in several individuals with disabilities becoming successfully employed across the state.
The work doesn’t just stop at employment and entering the workforce. The coalition established a collaboration with the council and Skills for Rhode Island’s Future and helps transform and enhance the state’s workforce model. This model educates employers about the abilities of people with disabilities and their potential for contributions to improving the state’s economic development.
From training agencies’ staffs, to educating prospective employer businesses throughout Rhode Island, to job development opportunities and placement for those within the disability community, the model has built a sustainable foundation for years. The joint effort with the secretary of state’s office expanded the state’s online training resources by creating a three-part Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility series offered to local businesses in the fall of 2023.
Additionally, the council offers weekly networking and informal training sessions for people with disabilities who have started their own operations. Each participant in these sessions is assigned a mentor who helps guide the entrepreneur to ensure a fully realized business and marketing plan for their operation, as well as direct sales opportunities that are available at the time their business launches.
“By fostering a culture of diversity to appreciate and value individual differences, employers benefit from varied perspectives on addressing workforce challenges and achieving greater success,” Babin said. “As employees, people with disabilities enhance the viewpoints businesses need by offering different ideas on how to solve problems and implement more-creative strategies.” n
