Spaulding Rehabilitation Recognized Again as a Top Scoring Company in the 2023 Disability Equality Index®
For the seventh year in a row, Spaulding is honored as one of the 2023 “Best Places to Work for Disability Inclusion.”
Boston, MA – Disability: IN and American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD) released the 2023 Disability Equality Index (DEI) – the eighth year measured by the Index. Among the record 485 corporations was the Boston-based Spaulding Rehabilitation, a member of Mass General Brigham, which earned the highest score possible of 100 on the Index for the fifth straight year. In 2023, participating corporations, included 71 Fortune 100, 207 Fortune 500, and 249 Fortune 1000 utilized the DEI to benchmark their disability inclusion efforts.
“Fostering diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility as guiding principles is vital to producing better outcomes for patients. All of us at Spaulding are proud that we are once again being recognized for our ongoing commitment to creating an inclusive workplace. This will honor will fuel us to keep these efforts at the forefront of all we do,” said Dr. Ross Zafonte, President, Spaulding Rehabilitation.
The DEI was created by the DEI Advisory Committee, a diverse group of business leaders, policy experts and disability advocates. The DEI exists to help business impact the unemployment/underemployment of people with disabilities. The 2023 DEI measured: Culture & Leadership; Enterprise-Wide Access; Employment Practices (Benefits, Recruitment, Employment, Education, Retention & Advancement, Accommodations); Community Engagement; Supplier Diversity; and Non-U.S. Operations (Non- Weighted). New for this year, the DEI included a new, non-weighted Community Engagement question that asked whether a company included an accessibility statement on their public facing website.
“Businesses have the power to drive the global advancement of disability inclusion, and we’re thrilled to see more companies than ever leverage the Disability Equality Index to measure their progress. We recognize these top-scoring companies as a ‘Best Place to Work for Disability Inclusion’ for their passion and efforts to lead the way in creating greater equity for people with disabilities in the workplace, marketplace, and supply chain,” said Jill Houghton, President and CEO of Disability:IN.
"These top-scoring companies understand deeply that people with disabilities represent a tremendous source of talent and innovation for their workforce and market share for their brands, and they are trailblazers in our journey towards full disability inclusion in business," said Maria Town, President and CEO of AAPD.
The recognition of being a “Best Place to Work for Disability Inclusion” is reserved for those companies that have scored 80 or above on the DEI. Read the full company list.
"To maintain a top score for a fifth straight year takes the full commitment at all levels of an organization and the willingness to change, improve and innovate when possible. As an employer and caregiver, we know how vital employment is to overall wellness and having a work force that reflects the communities we are a part of serves to enhance that. We look forward to continuing to create a model we encourage others to adopt,” said Lynne Brady Wagner, Chief Learning and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer, Spaulding Rehabilitation.
About Spaulding Rehabilitation
A member of the Mass General Brigham Health System, Spaulding Rehabilitation includes Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, with a main campus in Charlestown the 3rd ranked rehabilitation hospital in the country by U.S. News & World Report, along with Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital Cape Cod, Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital Cambridge, Spaulding Rehabilitation Nursing and Therapy Center Brighton, and over 25 outpatient sites throughout Eastern Massachusetts. An acclaimed teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School and home to the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Spaulding is recognized as a top residency program in the U.S. in the Doximity Residency Navigator. Spaulding also was recognized by the 2023 Disability Equality Index as a “Best Places to Work for Disability Inclusion.” For more information, visit www.spauldingrehab.org.