OVERLAND PARK, Kan.,
July 9, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The
annual Disability Equality Index (DEI) has recognized Sprint (NYSE:
S) as one of the "Best Places to Work for Disability Inclusion" for
the fourth year in a row. Sprint received a top score of 100 for
the company's commitment to ensuring that people with disabilities
are included within the workplace, customer base and supply chain
practices.
The DEI is a joint initiative between American Association of
People with Disabilities (AAPD) and the US Business Leadership
Network (USBLN), jointly designed by disability advocates and
business leaders as the nation's most trusted comprehensive
benchmarking tool for disability inclusion. The Index measures key
performance indicators across organizational culture, leadership,
accessibility, employment, community engagement, support services
and supplier diversity.
"Our commitment to disability as part of diversity and inclusion
begins at the top and permeates throughout the entire
organization," said Ismat Aziz,
Sprint's Chief Human Resources Officer. "Fostering and reflecting
disability and diversity in our workforce, partnerships and
marketing communications is not only the right thing to do, it also
helps us to better serve our diverse customers and communities and
makes Sprint a great place to work."
Sprint drives its inclusion and diversity initiatives through
its employee resource groups (ERGs), multicultural marketing,
recruiting efforts and supplier diversity. All of the groups work
together to ensure that inclusion and diversity are infused into
all aspects of our business. ERGs are among Sprint's strongest
assets. Sprint has seven ERGs with more than 5,000 members
nationwide, including Resourceful, Empowering, Awareness, Limitless
for Disabled Employees Accessing Life (REAL DEAL) ERG. REAL DEAL
provides a platform for employees throughout Sprint to share your
voice and passion towards helping People with disabilities in the
workplace.
Since the DEI's inception in 2015, Sprint has been listed among
the top ranked companies every year, earning four straight
DEI scores of 100 for demonstrating significant business
leadership, going beyond compliance activities, and driving
business success through leading disability inclusion policies and
practices.
"AAPD is thrilled to see increased participation in this year's
DEI. The commitment to disability inclusion is becoming a priority
for more and more corporations," said Helena Berger, President and CEO of AAPD. "While
we have made great strides since the passage of the Americans with
Disabilities Act, the number of disabled individuals getting hired
has not significantly increased. The DEI was created to help
advance employment opportunities and outcomes for people with
disabilities."
"We applaud those companies that choose to take the DEI year
after year and truly commit to advancing disability inclusion,"
said Jill Houghton, President and
CEO of USBLN. "Although we are far from true inclusion of people
with disabilities across the enterprise, the DEI signals corporate
America is recognizing inclusion as a competitive edge and
beneficial for all."
About Sprint:
Sprint (NYSE: S) is a communications services company
that creates more and better ways to connect its customers to
the things they care about most. Sprint served 54.6 million
connections as of March 31, 2018 and
is widely recognized for developing, engineering and deploying
innovative technologies, including the first wireless 4G service
from a national carrier in the United
States; leading no-contract brands including Virgin Mobile
USA, Boost Mobile, and Assurance
Wireless; instant national and international push-to-talk
capabilities; and a global Tier 1 Internet backbone. Today,
Sprint's legacy of innovation and service continues with an
increased investment to dramatically improve coverage, reliability,
and speed across its nationwide network and commitment to
launching the first 5G mobile network in the
U.S. You can learn more and visit Sprint
at www.sprint.com or
www.facebook.com/sprint and www.twitter.com/sprint.
About the DEI:
The Disability Equality Index (DEI) is a unique, joint project of
US Business Leadership Council and The American Association of
People with Disabilities (AAPD). It serves as the nation's most
trusted annual benchmarking tool allowing America's leading
corporations to self-report their disability policies and
practices. This evolving survey then scores each corporation on a
scale from 0 to 100—100 representing the most inclusive. The DEI
was developed by the two national leaders in consultation with the
appointed DEI Advisory Committee, a diverse and voluntary group of
experts in business, policy, and disability advocacy.
About the American Association of People with Disabilities
(AAPD):
The American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD) is a
convener, connector, and catalyst for change, increasing the
political and economic power of people with disabilities. As a
national crossdisability rights organization, AAPD advocates for
full civil rights for the 56+ million Americans with
disabilities.
About the US Business Leadership Network® (USBLN®):
USBLN (US Business Leadership Network) unites business around
disability inclusion in the workplace, supply chain and
marketplace. USBLN has more than 130 corporate partners spanning
the technology, healthcare, financial, transportation,
entertainment, and retail industries. USBLN serves as a collective
voice of nearly 50 Business Leadership Network Affiliates across
the United States, representing
over 5,000 businesses. USBLN has various nationally recognized
tools and programs, such as the Disability Equality Index and the
leading disability-owned business enterprise (DOBE) certification
program, to bridge inclusive companies with people and
organizations within the disability community.
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SOURCE Sprint