2018 Disability Equality Index Awards Sprint Top Score for Fourth Consecutive Year
OVERLAND PARK, Kan., July 9, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The annual Disability Equality Index (DEI) has recognized Sprint (NYSE: S) as one of the "Best Places to Work for Disability Inclusion" for the fourth year in a row. Sprint received a top score of 100 for the company's commitment to ensuring that people with disabilities are included within the workplace, customer base and supply chain practices.
The DEI is a joint initiative between American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD) and the US Business Leadership Network (USBLN), jointly designed by disability advocates and business leaders as the nation's most trusted comprehensive benchmarking tool for disability inclusion. The Index measures key performance indicators across organizational culture, leadership, accessibility, employment, community engagement, support services and supplier diversity.
"Our commitment to disability as part of diversity and inclusion begins at the top and permeates throughout the entire organization," said Ismat Aziz, Sprint's Chief Human Resources Officer. "Fostering and reflecting disability and diversity in our workforce, partnerships and marketing communications is not only the right thing to do, it also helps us to better serve our diverse customers and communities and makes Sprint a great place to work."
Sprint drives its inclusion and diversity initiatives through its employee resource groups (ERGs), multicultural marketing, recruiting efforts and supplier diversity. All of the groups work together to ensure that inclusion and diversity are infused into all aspects of our business. ERGs are among Sprint's strongest assets. Sprint has seven ERGs with more than 5,000 members nationwide, including Resourceful, Empowering, Awareness, Limitless for Disabled Employees Accessing Life (REAL DEAL) ERG. REAL DEAL provides a platform for employees throughout Sprint to share your voice and passion towards helping People with disabilities in the workplace.
Since the DEI's inception in 2015, Sprint has been listed among the top ranked companies every year, earning four straight DEI scores of 100 for demonstrating significant business leadership, going beyond compliance activities, and driving business success through leading disability inclusion policies and practices.
"AAPD is thrilled to see increased participation in this year's DEI. The commitment to disability inclusion is becoming a priority for more and more corporations," said Helena Berger, President and CEO of AAPD. "While we have made great strides since the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act, the number of disabled individuals getting hired has not significantly increased. The DEI was created to help advance employment opportunities and outcomes for people with disabilities."
"We applaud those companies that choose to take the DEI year after year and truly commit to advancing disability inclusion," said Jill Houghton, President and CEO of USBLN. "Although we are far from true inclusion of people with disabilities across the enterprise, the DEI signals corporate America is recognizing inclusion as a competitive edge and beneficial for all."
About Sprint:
Sprint (NYSE: S) is a communications services company that creates more and better ways to connect its customers to the things they care about most. Sprint served 54.6 million connections as of March 31, 2018 and is widely recognized for developing, engineering and deploying innovative technologies, including the first wireless 4G service from a national carrier in the United States; leading no-contract brands including Virgin Mobile USA, Boost Mobile, and Assurance Wireless; instant national and international push-to-talk capabilities; and a global Tier 1 Internet backbone. Today, Sprint's legacy of innovation and service continues with an increased investment to dramatically improve coverage, reliability, and speed across its nationwide network and commitment to launching the first 5G mobile network in the U.S. You can learn more and visit Sprint at www.sprint.com or www.facebook.com/sprint and www.twitter.com/sprint.
About the DEI:
The Disability Equality Index (DEI) is a unique, joint project of US Business Leadership Council and The American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD). It serves as the nation's most trusted annual benchmarking tool allowing America's leading corporations to self-report their disability policies and practices. This evolving survey then scores each corporation on a scale from 0 to 100--100 representing the most inclusive. The DEI was developed by the two national leaders in consultation with the appointed DEI Advisory Committee, a diverse and voluntary group of experts in business, policy, and disability advocacy.
About the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD):
The American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD) is a convener, connector, and catalyst for change, increasing the political and economic power of people with disabilities. As a national crossdisability rights organization, AAPD advocates for full civil rights for the 56+ million Americans with disabilities.
About the US Business Leadership Network® (USBLN®):
USBLN (US Business Leadership Network) unites business around disability inclusion in the workplace, supply chain and marketplace. USBLN has more than 130 corporate partners spanning the technology, healthcare, financial, transportation, entertainment, and retail industries. USBLN serves as a collective voice of nearly 50 Business Leadership Network Affiliates across the United States, representing over 5,000 businesses. USBLN has various nationally recognized tools and programs, such as the Disability Equality Index and the leading disability-owned business enterprise (DOBE) certification program, to bridge inclusive companies with people and organizations within the disability community.
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