JenTen Productions

Compelling Storytelling

disability inclusion

NDEAM Event-Apalooza!

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“The theme for National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM) 2021, ‘America’s Recovery: Powered by Inclusion’ reflects the importance of ensuring that people with disabilities have full access to employment and community involvement during the national recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.” – Office of Disability Employment Policy

We averaged two Hearts of Glass events a week throughout October. We worked with small liberal arts colleges, big state universities, nonprofits and state agencies to catalyze conversations about inclusion inside and outside of the workplace. Twelve different Vertical Harvest employees participated in panel discussions with a few speaking at multiple virtual events. They all shared valuable insights about challenges and opportunities during the pandemic.

Focusing on Employers, Employment and Futures

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As usual, our Hearts of Glass events involved a variety of partners from across the nation including a school district in Washington State, a center for mental health and intellectual disabilities in Texas, and the largest employer in Minnesota.

For our event in Washington with the Washougal School District, our conversation focused on employment and futures. There was a similar focus to our lively conversation with a group of self-advocates in Texas who use services provided by the Transition Support Team at the Nueces Center for Mental Health and Intellectual Disabilities.

The Mayo Clinic and its disability-focused employee resource group MaxAbility have an incredible commitment to disability inclusion. For their event, they rallied amazing partners — The Arc Minnesota, Region 10 Quality Council, Rochester Area Chamber of Commerce, and Workforce Development, Inc. It was exciting to have Dr. Anjali Bhagra, Director of Mayo Clinic’s Office of Equity, Inclusion and Diversity, on the panel.