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Talent for Hire! Finding Accessible Employment in the Work-from-Home Era

This National Disability Employment Awareness Month, MDA announces a DEI Coalition that will facilitate people with disabilities entering the workforce.

NEW YORK, NY -- October 5, 2021, Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) today announced it is joining forces with other disability experts and advocates to bridge the gap between people living with disabilities and organization's ability to connect with the largest untapped pipeline of talent in this country. As employers begin to embrace that remote work is here to stay, they realize that the workplace is now infinitely more accessible to people with disabilities. Furthermore, showing a commitment to a diverse and accessible workplace is a selling point that can attract talent. Throughout Disability Employment Awareness Month, MDA will take meaningful steps toward providing people with disabilities access to the same opportunities to gainful employment so they can achieve professional and financial independence.

"We are uniting with partners at the New York City Mayor's Office for People with Disabilities and Inclusively, the technology-centered employment platform for job seekers with disabilities, to help industries overcome challenges and cultivate employment opportunities for people with disabilities," said Kristine Welker, Chief of Staff for MDA. "Our programs during National Disability Employment Awareness Month are just the beginning—we are committed leading toward an inclusive workplace that reflects that national population of 1 in 4 people living with disability."

"The NYC Mayor's Office for People with Disabilities is pleased to work with MDA and Inclusively to amplify the work of our public-private workforce development initiative, NYC: ATWORK," said Martha Jackson, Assistant Commissioner, Employment and Business Development, NYC Mayor's Office for People with Disabilities (MOPD).

MDA will kick off a series of programs and platforms on Tuesday, October 5, when MDA, the New York City Mayor's Office for People with Disabilities, and Inclusively convenes with a distinguished group of other DEI authorities and advocates, educational leaders, and industry executives in a roundtable discussion to discuss disability employment topics, share experiences and expertise, and explore steps to help employers and job candidates find success in the workplace.

MDA is also leveraging their partner Inclusively to find talent for open positions. Inclusively will use its job matching technology to source candidates with jobs at MDA that align their experience and expertise the needs of the organization.

MDA recognizes the journey begins with providing students access to working professionals to create the pathways that will lead to a successful entry into the workforce. To this end, MDA is expanding the STEM Connections Program, a continuation of its partnership with General Motors (GM). Beginning in October and into November, mentors will be matched with youth ages 16-21 who are living with a neuromuscular disease to learn about higher education and job pathways in STEM. This mentorship program will build confidence and instill workplace readiness skills as participants work with mentors.

As a result of MDA's decades of effort to provide the best quality care and treatment for people living with neuromuscular diseases, the MDA community are living longer, more productive lives. Through this latest endeavor to promote the adoption of an inclusive workforce, MDA continues to fulfill its mission to advocate for those living with disabilities.

And this works fits right into the mainstream cultural shift around workplace norms. The latest issue of MDA's magazine, Quest, focuses on the work-from-home era and reports that a survey conducted by PwC in late 2020 found a positive change in employers' attitudes toward working from home, with 83% saying the shift to remote work has been successful for their company. MDA will continue to use the Quest content platform to keep the community informed on progress made through the new DEI Coalition's collective efforts around facilitating steps toward the inclusive workplace.

About the Muscular Dystrophy Association

For 70 years, the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) has been committed to transforming the lives of people living with muscular dystrophy, ALS, and related neuromuscular diseases. We do this through innovations in science and innovations in care. As the largest source of funding for neuromuscular disease research outside of the federal government, MDA has committed more than $1 billion since our inception to accelerate the discovery of therapies and cures. Research we have supported is directly linked to life-changing therapies across multiple neuromuscular diseases. MDA's MOVR is the first and only data hub that aggregates clinical, genetic, and patient-reported data for multiple neuromuscular diseases to improve health outcomes and accelerate drug development. MDA supports the largest network of multidisciplinary clinics providing best-in-class care at more than 150 of the nation's top medical institutions. Our Resource Center serves the community with one-on-one specialized support, and we offer educational conferences, events, and materials for families and healthcare providers. MDA Advocacy supports equal access for our community, and each year thousands of children and young adults learn vital life skills and gain independence at summer camp and through recreational programs, at no cost to families. During the COVID-19 pandemic, MDA continues to produce virtual events and programming to support our community when in-person events and activities are not possible. MDA's COVID-19 guidelines and virtual events are posted at mda.org/COVID19. For more information, visit mda.org.