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GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Meijer earned the title of Best Place to Work for Disability Inclusion from the Disability Equality Index (DEI) for the sixth year in a row, demonstrating its ongoing commitment to championing a culture of dignity and respect for its team members.
The DEI is a unique, joint initiative of Disability:IN and the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD). It measures key performance indicators across organizational culture, leadership, accessibility, employment, community engagement, support services and supplier diversity.
“We appreciate the ongoing recognition of our efforts to sustain a culture of inclusion that celebrates and supports our team members and customers with disabilities,” said Timothy Williams, Meijer Vice President of Diversity & Inclusion. “So much of our success is a direct result of the passion our team members bring to supporting the disability community across our six states, especially through the Meijer Disability Awareness and Advocacy Group.”
The mission of the Meijer team member resource group “mDAAG” is to advance the company’s commitment to respecting and valuing diversity and inclusion by serving as a resource and liaison on issues of disability inclusion and equality.
The group held a series of virtual and in-person events throughout the year, tackling issues like caregiving and mental health, in addition to volunteer opportunities. In 2020, mDAAG led Meijer to partner with Aira to provide blind and low vision customers free access to the live visual support app in all its stores, making Meijer one of the first retailers in the Midwest to offer such a service.
“There is no single best way to practice disability inclusion. However, the companies taking the DEI share the desire to create a workplace that fosters the concept of bringing your whole self to the office,” said Maria Town, President and CEO of AAPD. “We look forward to working with all of the participants to help identify meaningful ways to build upon their current practices as we continue on the disability inclusion journey together.”
