In October, Booz Allen was pleased to offer a month of programs celebrating Disability Employment Awareness Month. Employees with disabilities are an important part of Booz Allen's diverse and inclusive culture.

All month, the Diversity Recruiting Committee hosted a series of weekly movie nights and disability-focused Brown Bags. Topics ranged from creating a disability friendly workplace to the ways in which Booz Allen seeks to provide internships for high school students with disabilities. In addition, the committee co-sponsored Disability Mentoring Day with the Disability Forum.

Disability Mentoring Day is designed to enhance internship and employment opportunities for young people with disabilities by bringing them together with employers from the public, private, non-profit, and educational sectors for a day of job shadowing and other hands-on career exploration activities. Sponsored by the American Association of People with Disabilities, Booz Allen is proud to take part in this exciting day each October.

The Disability Forum serves as a resource to foster a cooperative, accessible and supportive environment to the Booz Allen community. The forum works with the firm to educate the community by increasing awareness and understanding of disability related issues, including:

• Assessing the effectiveness of current disability programs
• Providing sensitivity and awareness training on disability issues
• Developing recommendations that promote the inclusion of employees with disabilities

"The Disability Forum provides employees with disabilities with a voice on key issues like accommodation and hiring, but, equally important, the forum represents a unique commitment by the firm to understand the diversity of disability and to celebrate the achievements of the disability rights movement leading to the ADA," said Robert Rudney, co-chair of the Disability Forum.

Celebrating Disability Employment Awareness Month, in addition to working hand in hand with the Disability Forum to create an accessible and inclusive work environment, is another way Booz Allen embraces the diversity of its workforce and strengthens its core values.

story posted November 22, 2005