Kessler Foundation Provides $100,000 Initial Investment Grant

To influence systematic change in employment practices for individuals with disabilities, Kessler Foundation provided a $100,000 initial investment grant for the May launch of "Employing Abilities at Work Certificate" by SHRM Foundation, the 501c (3) philanthropic arm of the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM).

Developed in partnership with the St. Augustine, FL-based consulting firm Global Disability Inclusion, the free certificate program aims to educate human resource (HR) professionals, people managers, and business leaders about the benefits of providing a more equitable, diverse workplace for individuals with disabilities. The program will prepare human resource professionals to confidently attract, hire, and retain this population successfully in the workplace.

According to CDC data, more than one in four (26 percent) of the U.S. population identifies with a disability. This community provides a large, unrealized pool of candidates consisting of considerable skills and strengths.

"People with disabilities have the talent and ability to fill the many employment opportunities in today's job marketplace," said Elaine E. Katz, MS, CCC-SLP, Senior Vice President, of Grantmaking and Communications, Kessler Foundation. "The new SHRM Foundation certificate program provides a roadmap for HR professionals to enable authentic disability inclusion, which allows all employees to feel welcome, included, and respected," she says, adding, "more importantly, this certificate is free, enabling SHRM members and others to effect change and growth in companies looking to diversify their workforce."