NOD Award Press Release

The Viscardi Center Recognized for Commitment to Building an Inclusive Workforce

ALBERTSON, NY (October 1, 2022) – Recently, at the National Organization on Disability (NOD)’s Annual Forum, entitled NOD at 40: Honoring the Past; Innovating the Future, The Viscardi Center was honored as a 2022 NOD Leading Disability Employer. Now in its eighth year, the NOD Leading Disability Employer Seal recognizes companies for measuring and achieving strong talent outcomes for people with disabilities. With this recognition, NOD shines a light on those employers that are committed to building an inclusive and diverse workforce by adopting exemplary employment practices for people with disabilities.

“For the past forty years, the National Organization on Disability has envisioned a world where all people with disabilities enjoy full opportunity for employment, enterprise and earnings and employers know how to make the most of their talents,” said NOD President Carol Glazer.  “I congratulate all of this year’s winners for their leadership and commitment to hiring and retaining people with disabilities. Together we can reimagine the future by harnessing the power, creativity, and innovation of disability-inclusive diversity in the workplace, marketplace, and communities across America.”

The 2022 Leading Disability Employers are as follows: 

• Accenture
• American Heart Association
• American Water
• AmerisouceBergen Corporation
• Bell Textron Inc
• Capital One Financial Corporation
• Centene
• CircuSense/Omnium Circus
• Colorado Springs Utilities
• Comcast NBCUniversal
• Consumers Energy
• Dow
• DXC Technology
• Endeavors Unlimited
• EY
• First Busey Corporation
• FirstEnergy
• The Hershey Company
• Hilton Worldwide
• Idaho National Laboratory
• Independence Care System
• KeyBank
• KPMG LLP
• Leidos Inc.
• Lockheed Martin
• L’Oréal USA
• M&T Bank Corporation
• Martinsburg Veterans Affairs Medical Center
• Mayo Clinic
• Northrop Grumman
• Oshkosh Corporation
• PRIDE Industries
• PSEG
• Puerto Rico Industries for the Blind, Corp.
• Randstad
• Reed Smith LLP
• Regions Bank
• Roche Diagnostics Corporation,
• Sanofi US
• Sempra
• TD Bank
• Tennessee Valley Authority
• T-Mobile, USA
• S. Bank
• Unum
• Vectrus
• The Viscardi Center
• VSP Global
• Walgreens
• WeCo Accessibility Services
• Wells Fargo & Company
• W. Grainger, Inc.

The fifty-two winning organizations were recognized at the annual NOD Forum, on September 29, 2022, before an audience of more than 300 corporate partners, disability rights advocates and civic leaders in the nation’s capital.  The Forum was emceed by Michael Smerconish, veteran political commentator, and host to programs on both CNN and SiriusXM, who also paid tribute to fellow Pennsylvanian and outgoing NOD Chairman Governor Tom Ridge for his tireless commitment fighting for the rights of people with disabilities. The Forum featured two keynote speakers: Dr. Anjali Forber-Pratt, Director of the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR) in the Administration for Community Living, disability activist, and a two-time Paralympian and Marc H. Morial, President and CEO of the National Urban League, the nation’s largest historic civil rights and urban advocacy organization.  In addition, special messages were given by Michele Buck, CEO of The Hershey Company, Christopher J. Nassetta, CEO and President of Hilton Worldwide, and many more.

In addition, the Forum featured to two dynamic roundtables entitled: Honoring the Disability Rights Movement Over the Last 40 Years and Focusing on the Future with Innovators in the ADA Generation which included distinguished and talented professionals including Judy Heumann, Disability Rights Leader and Principal of the Oscar-Nominated Higher Group Netflix documentary CRIP CAMP, Taryn M. Williams, Assistant Secretary for Office of Disability Employment Policy, U.S. Department of Labor, and Day Al-Mohamed, Disability Policy Director, White House Domestic Policy Council.

About the NOD Leading Disability Employer Seal + Employment Tracker

The NOD Leading Disability Employer Seal is a selective award given to companies demonstrating positive outcomes in recruiting, hiring, retaining, and advancing people with disabilities in their workforces. To see current and past winners of the NOD Leading Disability Employer seal, visit www.NOD.org/seal.

Winners are determined based on data provided by companies on the NOD Employment Tracker™, the onlyassessment tool available that focuses on the workforce, to help companies evaluate their disability inclusion policies and practices. Organizations wanting to compete for the NOD Leading Disability Employer Seal voluntarily opt in to be considered. Those companies’ responses are scored, considering both disability employment practices and performance. Scoring prioritizes practices that are associated with increased disability employment outcomes over time, and companies receive additional points based on the percentage of people with disabilities in their workforce. At NOD’s Annual Forum, the cohort of winners are revealed by name; no specific scoring or ranking is disclosed.

To be considered for the 2023 NOD Leading Disability Employer Seal, companies must complete the annual Employment Tracker survey during the qualifying window. Sign up to be notified when the 2023 Employment Tracker opens this November.

About The Viscardi Center
The Viscardi Center, a network of non-profit organizations based in Albertson, provides a lifespan of services that educate, employ, and empower people with disabilities. Its programs and services include Pre-K through High School education, school-to-work transition services, vocational training, career counseling and placement, digital accessibility services, entrepreneurship, and workforce diversification assistance to children, adolescents, and adults with disabilities and businesses. It was founded in 1952 by Dr. Henry Viscardi, Jr. who himself wore prosthetic legs, served as disability advisor to eight U.S. Presidents, from Franklin D. Roosevelt to Jimmy Carter, and became one of the world’s leading advocates for people with disabilities.