The Future of Disability Employment
Workers with disabilities have been disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The disability community is an important resource in addressing this demand for talent, yet it often goes underutilized. This session will present how organizations can attain leadership buy-in through a clear business case for disability inclusion in the workplace. We hope to feature a newly made campaign from Saatchi & Saatchi as well as highlighting the voice of employees with disabilities during the session.
Learning Objectives:
- Provide an overview of effective ways to engage with leadership and secure their buy-in for disability employment initiatives.
- Highlight the business case for including people with disabilities in the workplace.
- Recognize how the COVID-19 pandemic presents an opportunity to advance opportunities for disability employment.
Kandi Pickard
Kandi Pickard is the President & CEO of the National Down Syndrome Society (NDSS) where she provides vision and leadership, working collaboratively with individuals and organizations to support the entire Down syndrome community. Kandi holds a degree in business administration and brings two decades of experience in operations and effective administration management to her role at NDSS. Kandi’s involvement in the Down syndrome community first began as a local volunteer and advocate after her youngest son, Mason was born with Down syndrome. Nine years later, she leads NDSS with a focus on building community and keeping people with Down syndrome at the center of everything the organization does. Kandi’s vision for the future of NDSS includes resources, programs and support for individuals with Down syndrome and their families from birth to adulthood, with a special focus on caregiving, public health and supporting aging adults.
David J. Egan
Egan is a trail blazer and champion of the rights of persons with disabilities having served as a Special Olympics Sargent Shriver International Global Messenger and a Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. Public Policy Fellow. He serves on several Boards and represents individuals with Down syndrome on the NIH DS Consortium. He is the author of “More Alike Than Different: My Life with Down Syndrome.” With over 20 years of competitive employment from a clerk position to a career of advocacy, he currently works at SourceAmerica as a Community Relations Coordinator in Vienna VA.
Elizabeth Jenswold
Elizabeth leads the HR function for the Global Services organization in the Commercial Bank.
Prior to joining JP Morgan Chase in June 2012, Elizabeth lived in Shanghai, China where she developed an HR consulting practice and worked as Head of Marketing for the Jane Goodall Institute.
Elizabeth’s career has spanned an array of progressive HR leadership roles for large multi-national organizations including Morgan Stanley, Toyota Financial Services and Mary Kay Cosmetics. She has lived and worked in Dallas, Vancouver, Los Angeles, Chicago and Shanghai.
Elizabeth is a graduate of Texas Christian University’s School of Communications, the University of the Chicago Booth School of Business Leadership Program, and she studied Mandarin at the Mandarin Language School in Shanghai, China. Elizabeth serves as a Board Member for Child Care Associates and is the Chair of the Board of Visitors for the Bob Schieffer School of Communications, Texas Christian University.
Elizabeth lives in Fort Worth with her husband, Jonathan, and three rowdy dogs. Her daughter, Katherine, recently graduated from the University of California San Diego and is now living and working in La Jolla, California.
Colleen Hatcher
Colleen Hatcher is the Senior Manager, Community Relations for the National Down Syndrome Society (NDSS) where she has worked for four years to strengthen relationships with and among NDSS supporters, community members, families and affiliate organizations across the country. Colleen and her team support and engage the Down syndrome community through personalized outreach, as well as programs and resources developed to meet the needs of individuals with Down syndrome and those who support them. Colleen has a bachelor’s degree in elementary special education and a master’s degree in elementary special education, severe disabilities from the University of Maryland.