National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM) By Tari Hartman Squire, CEO EIN SOF Communications, Inc.

October, National Disability Employment Awareness Month, like African-American, Hispanic and Asian Heritage months, is a great launch pad for year-round disability-inclusive diversity commitments. 2011’s theme is Profit by Investing in Workers with Disabilities. The U.S Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP)’s Assistant Secretary Kathleen Martinez leads this effort ~  www.dol.gov/odep.

ODEP awards two-year ADD US IN: Disability-Inclusive Diversity smALL Business Initiative grants to a dynamic consortium: EIN SOF, World Institute on Disability (WID), Always Good To Go, National Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce, California Department Of Rehabilitation and Career Opportunities for Students with Disabilities (COSD) to strengthen connections between diversity-owned businesses, supplier diversity, youth, veteran and disability-organizations. The first event, Hollywood Salutes: Veterans with Disabilities, hosted by Television Academy’s Diversity Committee, will raise awareness, review resumes and speed interview veterans with disabilities, from historically-excluded communities to develop careers in entertainment/broadcasting.

During NDEAM, AMC theatres are showing US Business Leadership Network’s PSA, I Can, I Am, I Do to raise awareness. USBLN® just honored AT&T as Market Share Corporation of the Year, and the Council of State Administrators of Vocational Rehabilitation as Partner of the Year.

PBS’ Independent Lens premieres Lives Worth Living October 27 – a media milestone chronicling the disability movement.

Disability-Inclusive Diversity:
Graft disability onto cross-divisional efforts. AT&T’s Advisory Panel on Access & Aging provides feedback on accessible products/services, Web accessibility, marketing, CSR and HR.  By building strategic alliances with external disability and aging partners, companies gain key insights to raise its bottom line from sophisticated “market-segment ambassadors.”

Nonprofits Fortify Disability Cause-Related Marketing:
•    COSD bridges gaps between university-based career and disability services and AT&T; Cisco, DiversityInc, Dow, Ernst & Young, Lockheed Martin, Merck, Microsoft, NBCUniversal, Nordstrom, Northrop Grumman, P&G, Shell and Walmart. Visit www.cosdonline.org.
•    WID created Proyecto Vision technical assistance for Latinos with disabilities, Disability and Veterans Benefits 101, Access to Assets, and international initiatives to build economic self-sufficiency of civilians and vets with disabilities. Global companies should visit  www.wid.org.

About EIN SOF Communications, Inc.:
Tari Hartman Squire’s EIN SOF Communications, leading strategic marketing, PR and accessible events firm specializing in disability, diversity and public policy, launched disability strategic and niche marketing with its My Left Foot campaign, and developed disability-inclusive campaigns for AT&T; Universal Home Entertainment (DVS® DVD of Ray for blind audiences); Mattel/Toys “R” Us launch of Becky®, Barbie’s wheelchair user friend; Bank of America, AOL, Microsoft, Macy’s, Nickelodeon, and HP.

EIN SOF, a GSA Federal Contractor, specializes in Market Research & Analysis; Worked on U.S. DOL’s Six-City Listening Tour, co-developed three dynamic Sector Summits (Entertainment, Healthcare and Financial) for DOL’s ODEP, and co-conducted field research in five sectors (entertainment, telecommunications, retail, banking and pharmaceutical) for U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs’ Veterans Rehabilitation & Employment Services.

EIN SOF is strategic marketing consultant for COSD and UCLA Anderson School of Management’s Leadership Institute for Managers with Disabilities. Squire co-chairs National Disability Leadership Alliance’s Employment Team and serves on the Diversity Committee of the Television Academy.

EIN SOF’s Disability Community Market Research Initiative was featured in AdWeek and Fortune Small Business and Squire advised AP Stylebook on disability-savvy semantics.

EIN SOF means business in helping corporations tap brand-loyal and oft-ignored $220 billion disability market segment. Contact Tari@EINSOFcommunications.com or visit www.EINSOFcommunications.com.