Dive Brief:
- The American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD) and Disability:IN, a nonprofit organization for advancing business disability inclusion and equality, are advocating for greater inclusion at the board level. The organizations jointly submitted letters to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Acting Chair Allison Lee and Nasdaq President and CEO Adena T. Friedman requesting that Nasdaq include people with disabilities in its proposed board diversity rules, according to a Feb. 23 announcement.
- In December, Nasdaq filed a proposal asking the SEC to consider requiring the companies listed on Nasdaq’s U.S. exchange to provide diversity statistics on its boards of directors. “The rules would require most Nasdaq-listed companies to have, or explain why they do not have, at least two diverse directors, including one who self-identifies as female and one who self-identifies as either an underrepresented minority or LGBTQ+,” according to the announcement. AAPD and Disability:IN noted that people with disabilities are not included in the definition.
- “Including disability diversity in the corporate boardroom would mark a major turning point for disability rights and have the single largest impact on the economic independence and quality of life for millions of people with disabilities,” Ted Kennedy, Jr., chairman of the AAPD, said in a statement. “If this omission persists, then Nasdaq and the SEC will miss an enormous opportunity to ensure that corporate leadership reflects the diversity of the U.S. and the world.”
