Investors encourage their portfolio companies to capitalize on the opportunities of disability inclusion
Investors representing more than $2.8 trillion in combined assets, led by New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli and Oregon State Treasurer Tobias Read, are calling on companies they invest in to create inclusive workplaces that can benefit from employing the millions of talented people with disabilities who remain underrepresented in the workforce.
For people with disabilities, the very experiences that have resulted in exclusion from all levels of corporate America are what make them such important assets to corporations. People with disabilities are regularly forced to adapt to an inaccessible world, and these experiences have sharpened their problem-solving skills and their capacity for innovation; they are a large untapped labor force market due to inaccurate assumptions about their abilities; they represent a significant consumer population; and they bring different perspectives.
Companies that are disability-inclusive are thus better positioned to execute responsible governance, effective risk management, and optimal decision-making, as well as enhanced customer alignment, employee engagement, and transparency, as compared to those without.
It is no surprise that investors care about disability inclusion because it is critical to achieving a holistic approach to environmental, social, and governance (“ESG”) criteria, as disabilities cut across virtually every “S” issue in ESG. More specifically, it is integral and material to good human capital management.
Learn more about the case for disability inclusion in ESG investing with our position paper.
Check who’s IN
- Bank of America
- TD Bank, America’s Most Convenient Bank
- Rodney O. Martin, Jr., Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Voya Financial, Inc.
- Dieter Waizenegger, Executive Director, CtW Investment Group
- Christopher J. Ailman, FSA, Chief Investment Officer, California State Teachers’ Retirement System (CalSTRS)
- Thomas P. DiNapoli, New York State Comptroller
- Scott M. Stringer, New York City Comptroller
- Tobias Read, Oregon State Treasurer
- Shawn T. Wooden, Connecticut State Treasurer
- Michael W. Frerichs, Illinois State Treasurer
- Deborah B. Goldberg, Massachusetts State Treasurer
- Joseph M. Torsella, Pennsylvania State Treasurer
- Thomas “Thom” Williams, Executive Director, Employees’ Retirement System of the State of Hawaii
- Richard Trumka, President, American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO)
- Xander den Uyl, Vicechair, Pension Fund PWRI, The Netherland
- William H. Apfel, CFA, Chief Investment Officer, Boston Trust Walden
- Seth Magaziner, Rhode Island State Treasurer
- Sheila Morgan-Johnson, Executive Director, District of Columbia Retirement Board
- Clifton S. Robbins, Chief Executive Officer, Blue Harbour Group, L.P.
- Beth Pearce, Vermont State Treasurer
- Brian Bodager, Chief Executive Officer, The Pension Boards-UCC, Inc.
- Matthew W. Patsky, Chief Executive Officer, Trillium Asset Management LLC
- Boston Common Asset Management
- Carole Laible, Chief Executive Officer, Domini Impact Investments LLC
- Avera Health
- Matt Nacard, Chief Executive Officer, Ethical Partners Fund Management
- Dr. Jeffrey Haggray, Executive Director, American Baptist Home Mission Societies
- Julie Hammerman, Executive Director, JLens
- Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary
- Sister Jean Steffes CSA, General Superior, Congregation of Sisters of St. Agnes
- Sisters of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Aberdeen SD
Supporting Disability Organizations:
- American Council of the Blind
- ADAPT
- American Association of People with Disabilities
- Association of Programs for Rural Independent Living
- Association of University Centers on Disabilities (AUCD)
- Autistic Self Advocacy Network
- Autistic Women & Nonbinary Network
- Communication Service for the Deaf
- Disability:IN
- Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund
- Little People of America
- National Coalition of Mental Health Recovery
- National Council on Independent Living
- National Federation of the Blind
- National Organization of Nurses with Disabilities
- Not Dead Yet
- Paralyzed Veterans of America
- Self Advocates Becoming Empowered
- United Spinal Association