We’re proud to be named a 2021 Best Place to Work for Disability Inclusion, demonstrating our ongoing commitment to championing a culture of dignity and respect on our teams.
This recognition comes from the 2021 Disability Equality Index (DEI), which is a unique, joint initiative of Disability:IN and the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD). It measures key performance indicators across organizational culture, leadership, accessibility, employment, community engagement, support services and supplier diversity.
“The events of the last year highlighted gaps workplaces face in supporting members of marginalized communities,” said Timothy Williams, Meijer Vice President of Diversity & Inclusion. “We continue to learn how to better support our team members with disabilities every day and appreciate seeing those efforts recognized again this year.”
Much of our success in the disability inclusion space is a direct result of passionate team members driving innovation, especially our Meijer Disability Awareness and Advocacy Group (mDAAG). The group’s mission is to advance our commitment to respecting and valuing diversity and inclusion by serving as a resource and liaison for all team members on issues of disability inclusion and equality.
mDAAG sponsored a number of virtual team member events despite the COVID-19 pandemic and partnered with the business to emphasize the importance of mental health. Last year, mDAAG led Meijer to partner with Aira to provide blind and low vision customers free access to the live visual support app in all its stores. mDAAG has also championed many other innovations in our stores including improving the accessibility of our shopping carts.
"Meijer has a longstanding reputation for engaging people with disabilities in the workplace and empowering all their employees toward greater disability awareness and inclusion,” President and CEO of Disability:IN Jill Houghton. “Their top score in the 2021 Disability Equality Index reflects this commitment and we're proud to be partnering with Meijer on this important journey."