The Army and Air Force Exchange is a federally mandated orga-nization that has as a target that two percent of our new hires should be people with targeted disabilities. Last year we exceed-ed that goal, reaching 2.4 percent. Our overall work force of people with disabilities is 9 percent.

We value people with disabilities and are committed to the full inclusion of people with disabilities in the work-place. Our disabilities employment program, A.B.L.E. (Able, Believe, Lead, Empower), is a federally mandated program that supports the employment efforts of disABLEd associates by ensuring equal opportunity in the areas of recruiting, hiring, promoting and training. The ABLE mis-sion is to achieve a work force in which disABLEd associ-ates are represented at every level in the organization.

We work to attract people with disabilities by attending various recruiting conferences. We also recruit through the Workforce Recruit Program. As you would expect, AAFES has reasonable accommodations, policies and procedures for employees and applicants with disabilities.

For training purposes, AAFES utilizes the Equal Employment Opportunity web. The company provides yearly training to Special Emphasis Program Managers (SEPM). PDJ

18 Profiles in Diversity Journal M AY / J U N E 2 0 11

LEADing COMPAniEs FOr EMPLOyEEs wiTh DisABiLiTiEs

Company: Army and Air Force Exchange Service

headquarters: Dallas, Texas

website: www.aafes.com

business: Military Retailer

revenues: $9 billion

employees: 45,000

we are proud to bestow on the companies below the 2011 Award for Leading Companies for Employees with Disabilities. Their commitment to provide meaningful employment to persons with disabilities is as inspiring as the individuals them-selves. Our regret is that we could not print their full responses to the questions we put before them to qualify for this award. however, we are posting their full responses on our website so that other companies can learn from their example.

Let their commitment, understanding, compassion and determination be a guide and inspiration to other companies, regardless of size, industry or location. We salute these firms as the best of the best! Congratulations!

Bruce A. cAsellA, Major General, CEO

www.diversityjour nal.com M AY / J U N E 2 0 11 19

LEADing COMPAniEs FOr EMPLOyEEs wiTh DisABiLiTiEs

As a federal contractor, Booz Allen hamilton has a robust diversity and affirmative action program focusing on equal employ-ment opportunity for all and good faith efforts for hiring, promotion, and outreach to individuals with disabilities, as well as veterans, women, and minorities.

Our investment in diversity and inclusion guides our ability to more

actively partner with organizations that align our recruiting efforts with this demographic, such as Gallaudet University, Emerging Leaders, American Association for People with Disabilities and others. Booz Allen also hosts a vibrant em-ployee resource group, diverseABILITY, that is focused on the successful on-boarding, mentoring and career advance-ment of our staff that identify as having a disability.

Employee support and development programs are an integral part of the Booz Allen culture. The firm offers a wide array of best-in-class programs and processes designed to develop employee skill sets, provide coaching and feed-back, and network across organizational groups and proj-ects, and trainings that address workplace challenges.

The programs are not exclusive to our disabled employ-ees, and all employees are encouraged and expected to engage in development activities as they relate to their in-dividual career goals. One accommodation provided to our hearing impaired employees is sign language interpretation at these firm-sponsored events.

Booz Allen supports 14 formal employee resource groups. The diverseABILITY forum is responsible for coordination and execution of the disability mentoring day held at Gallaudet University, and development and delivery of “brown bag” presentations on a variety of disability-related topics; serves as a communication channel for accommodations information; and guides mentoring and on-boarding of new and existing staff. This all results in enhanced employee engagement of our disabled population by creating a sense of affinity. PDJ

in addition to adhering to all applicable laws, BCBsF actively solicits opportunities for persons with disabilities (PwD) within our communities through providing paid internships, career mentor-ing, and job skills development. These opportunities have en-abled individuals with disabilities to become gainfully em-ployed both within BCBSF and at other local companies.

Our human resources poli-cies outline how our company handles accommodations and the resources available for individuals with disabilities. We offer training on disability awareness to leadership teams throughout the company as well as training to our general workforce. Company programs, such as Wellness, offer multiple options for participation for those with disabilities.

To recruit and attract people with disabilities, BCBSF provides local community partners with all job postings that become available. We also provide internships through the First Coast Business Leadership Network and other community agencies that allow individuals to gain work experience. Through the internship programs, we have been able to hire individuals with disabilities and place them in long term assignments. PDJ

Company: Blue Cross and Blue Shield Florida

headquarters: Jacksonville, Florida

website: www.bcbsfl.com

primary business: Health Solutions

revenues: $8 billion

employees: 5000+

Company: Booz Allen Hamilton

headquarters: McLean, Virgina

website: www.boozallen.com

primary business: Professional Services, Consulting

revenues: $5+ billion

employees: 25,000

“we offer training on disability aware-ness to leadership teams throughout the company as well as training to our general workforce.”

Shrader

KAthy hAsKins, VP Human Resources, and suzAnne horne, VP Senior Counsel – Employee Resource Group Sponsor

rAlph shrAder, Chairman, CEO, and President