JPMorgan Chase and Co., in collaboration with the World Institute on Disability (WID), has launched its Conference Accessibility Initiative, which will increase access to 10 major community development and civil rights conferences for people with disabilities.

 

Through this initiative, 10 of the largest community development and civil rights conferences in the United States, including the NAACP, National Fair Housing Alliance, National Housing Conference, National Urban League and the Corporation for Economic Development, will be, for the first time, fully inclusive of people with disabilities and enable them to both attend and fully participate in conference sessions.

 

“People with disabilities experience economic hardship at rates that exceed the national average. At JPMorgan Chase we believe that the private sector has both a responsibility and role to play in helping address economic and social challenges,” says Naomi Camper, head of the Office of Nonprofit Engagement at JPMorgan Chase.

 

“Through the Conference Accessibility Initiative, JPMorgan Chase is excited to create more inclusive advocacy and community development conversations and expand the way people think about diversity and inclusion,” she explains.

 

Highlights of the Conference Accessibility Initiative include:

 

• Concierge services for conference participants with disabilities.

 

• Scholarships provided for people with disabilities, including travel and registration costs.

 

• Integration into conference plenary sessions, panel discussions and awards (i.e., subject matter experts on panels, presenters with disabilities and closed captioning).

 

• Encouragement of organizations to have panel discussions about disability-related topics.

 

“We are so excited to be part of this Conference Accessibility Initiative,” notes Tom Foley, WID’s Deputy Director. “There are civil rights and community development organizations doing some amazing work to help to create opportunity for low- and moderate-income communities. And we know - we absolutely know - that when we're talking about these communities, we are talking about people with disabilities. Thanks to the partnership with JPMorgan Chase, people with disabilities will be able to attend these conferences. We will be at the table and part of the conversation.”

 

Large civil rights and community development conferences help to set the economic opportunity agenda. The conferences that JPMorgan Chase has selected attract key decision-makers from the nonprofit, business and public sector communities. The Conference Accessibility Initiative aims to fully integrate disABILITY access issues into the content and enable people with disABILITIES to fully participate in these critical national discussions of economic opportunity and inclusion.