July 26, 2020 marks the 30th Anniversary of the enactment of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). This historic milestone is taking place during a global COVID-19 pandemic which has further exposed inequality in our society.

The promise of the ADA and fight to end racial inequality and injustice in America creates a pivotal moment to ask, “How can the DEI help the Fortune 1000 and AM Law 200 achieve disability inclusion and equality for all?”

In response the DEI Advisory Committee, a diverse group of business leaders, policy experts and disability advocates has modernized the DEI by adding clarity to current weighted question sets and adding new non-weighted question sets that will go into effect in 2021 in the following categories:

  • Enterprise-wide Access;
  • Employment Practices: Benefits;
  • Employment Practices: Accommodations; and,
  • Supplier Diversity.

The 2021 DEI will measure calendar year 2020. Be sure to register your company for the DEI before 1/29/2021.

Updates include:

Enterprise-wide Access:

  • We added clarity to the existing seven (7) weighted question sets and added one (1) non-weighted question set about innovative technology to advance digital accessibility.

Employment Practices: Benefits:

  • We added clarity to the existing three (3) weighted question sets.
  • The previous non-weighted question set about Personal Assistance Services (PAS) was moved to Employment Practices: Accommodations and;
  • The Long-Term Care Coverage Benefit question set was deleted.
  • There are two (2) new non weighted question sets about:
    • Supplemental long-term disability;
    • Vision care coverage;
    • Wellness benefits;
    • ABLE (Achieving a Better Life Experience) savings account plan or special needs trust information;
    • Paid caregiver leave; and,
    • Delivering benefits information to employees in accessible formats.

Employment Practices: Accommodations:

  • We added clarity to the existing (4) weighted question sets.
  • Additional clarity was added to the existing one (1) non-weighted question set, the non-weighted Personal Assistance Services (PAS) question set from Employment Practices: Benefits was added along with two (2) new non-weighted question sets about services for Deaf and hard of hearing employees and flexible work options for employees with disabilities.

Supplier Diversity:

  • We added clarity to four (4) question sets. No new questions were added to the sets. Six (6) question sets remain weighted and 2 remain non-weighted.