Jacobs values the unique insights and talents that people with disabilities bring to its culture and business practices and is very excited to announce its first top score of 100 in the 2021 Disability Equality Index (DEI). The DEI is a join initiative of the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD) and Disability:IN, the leading nonprofit resource for business disability inclusion worldwide.
First launched in 2015, the DEI is a benchmarking tool for the Fortune 1000 and America’s top 200 revenue grossing law firms (Am Law 200) to compare their level of disability workplace inclusion with competitors in terms of culture and leadership, enterprise-wide access, employment practices, community engagement supplier diversity, and non-U.S. operations. Top-scoring businesses (those who score an 80 percent or higher) are recognized as “Best Places to Work for Disability Inclusion.”
Jacobs’ first top score (the firm scored 90 in 2020’s DEI) is the result of a continued commitment to driving a step change in disability awareness, led by its grassroots employee networks, particularly ACE, which promotes accessibility, connection, and empowerment for carers and anyone identifying as neurodiverse, Deaf, living with disability, or chronic illness.
Jacobs’ DEI success reflects similar progress being made with other key benchmarking organizations. As part of the The Valuable 500, Jacobs is part of the world’s biggest community for disability business inclusion. The firm was recently recognized in Forbes’ Best Employers for Diversity 2021, and for three years in a row it has received a top score of 100 on the Human Rights Campaign’s Corporate Equality Index (CEI).
Although 100 represents a “top score” in the DEI, this doesn’t mean Jacobs’ efforts to promote disability inclusion will in any way slow down. Its leadership and employee networks continue to advocate for better outcomes and opportunities for people with disabilities as part of its commitment to the business objectives laid out in the firm’s new PlanBeyond sustainability strategy.
Source: Jacobs
