Every March is Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month (DDAM) when the National Association of Councils on Developmental Disabilities (NACDD) and its partners work together to showcase how people with and without disabilities unite to create strong, inclusive, diverse communities. A central point raised is how people with disabilities should not be sidelined but rather included in ALL aspects of life in their communities. …
CVS is a champion of people with developmental disabilities (DD), those at risk of becoming homeless, Through their Workforce Initiatives effort, CVS Health has established itself a leader in diversity and equity in employment, including their Abilities in Abundance program, focused on hiring people with disabilities. But CVS also recognizes that employment is just one part of the quality of life, as evidenced by …
In a powerful article about how companies fail people with disabilities, Harvard Business Review highlights a number of important accessibility best-practices that address common errors including: Expecting users to do the lion’s share of development work of a new product Under-resourcing accessibility maintenance Failure to address accessibility throughout the entire customer experience Not integrating accessibility into internal workflows At Cognitopia, …
Amidst the minefield of potentially harmful, social media apps that have so many young people trying to simply keep up by looking cool, there are some amazing online tools that build rather than break down one’s sense of self-worth. Enter Cognitopia with its MyLife multimedia digital portfolio that transforms how students can effectively communicate their strengths, goals, and learning styles …
Person-Centered Planning (PCP) is a common process employed by agencies that provide supported living and employment services to individuals with disabilities. Mandated by the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services at the federal level, one goal of the PCP process is to facilitate access to employment services in community settings for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), and to …
