Diversity and Inclusion

Diversity and inclusion have always been strong values since the founding of Ability Beyond more than 70 years ago. Today, we’re excited to announce that we’re holding Juneteenth celebrations across the entire organization.

We have celebrations and educational opportunities for both staff and clients and four of our major locations in both Connecticut and New York, including Bethel, CT and Chappaqua, NY.

Our own Chief Executive Officer, Jane Davis, also sat down with Dwayne Moore, who serves as Chairperson of our Breathe Equality Employee Resource Group, to discuss the history of Juneteenth and what is means today.  Breathe Equality works throughout the year to ensure equity and diversity continue to be an important part of the work we do. Learn more about Breathe Equality below. And don’t forget to check out the video of their discussion!

Out of the intense discussions surrounding the death of George Floyd, was born Ability Beyond’s first employee resource group, Breathe Equality. The mission of Breathe Equality is to educate, lead, inspire, and engage people in our organization and community to combat interwoven stereotypes and promote inclusivity and respect.

The group includes dozens of members who actively coordinate events and activities from speaking engagements to the annual Breathe Equality Cultural Festival.

Future goals include improving retention among Black employees, expanding the agency calendar to recognize a wide range of cultural holidays, and purchasing from a more diverse selection of suppliers in Connecticut and New York.

Ability Stronger is our agency’s initiative that works as the resource to ensure that all Ability Beyond employees are able to bring their “whole selves” to work. Ability Stronger is the overarching branch which connects Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging to all of our employees, as a safeguard to their humanity in the workplace.

We are excited to be in the final stages of creating our second, but certainly not our last employee resource group. We recently surveyed our employees about what groups they would like to see. We’re working hard to ensure that all our employees at Ability Beyond feel comfortable bringing their unique selves to work. It’s only through our diverse strengths that we can continue to grow.