Nedra Dickson: Accenture's Innovative Employment Methods

Welcome to Disability Matters with your host Joyce Bender. All comments, views, and opinions expressed on the show are solely those of the host, guest, and callers. Now the host of Disability Matters, here's Joyce Bender.

Hi everyone, welcome to the show to everyone in the United States and around the world. I have to thank China United Kingdom. Uh, oh my goodness, so many countries are now listening to the show. Uh, Australia, even Saudi Arabia. Now, in some of these countries, like Mongolia, there is sometimes only one listener. I just want to tell that one listener how important it is what you're doing, because one person can make the difference. One person. Thank you everyone. Keep spreading the news about quality of life for people with disabilities in any English-speaking venue. Make sure you share this show. And speaking of international, I want to thank my friends from the U.S. State Department, starting with Richard Roberts, who I first worked with the embassy in South Korea and then in Okinawa. And he is just the most awesome person. And speaking of South Korea, Gang Yong Cho is wonderful. He's such an advocate for people with disabilities. Cheryl Harris, who was with Tunisia, is now at the U.S. State Department. She's a Beaver, Pennsylvania girl. How about that? Love you, Cheryl. Love you. Venue mean in Kazakhstan. A great person that's a close friend. So thank you everyone, and I have to have that special shout out to Miss Yoshiko Dart. Yoshiko, we love you, and we're going to keep that history and legend of Justin Dart alive. And Hi-Mark. Hi-Mark, what a great company they are. Thank you for being the lead sponsor for so many years now. Do you know this show has been on for 18 years? 18 years! Isn't that amazing? And I'm so love Voice America. I love them. Just a couple weeks ago, we had a movie star on, and that would be Mr. Yes, Mitty from RJ Mitty from Breaking Bad. And now he has his own movie coming out, and we also have the producer coming up from that very show. So awesome guest, but let me tell you, get ready to rock and roll with Nedra Dixon. I mean it. If you want to meet the most fantastic fireball and advocate for people with disabilities around the world, around the world. It is Nedra Dixon, the Managing Director of Global Supplier Diversity and Sustainability Programs at Accenture. Nedra, welcome back to the show.

18 years, that is amazing.

That is amazing, isn't it? I know it is such— I love it, Nedra. You know, when you love something, it's like so easy to do this. And I just want to say to everyone listening around the world, I meant what I said about Nedra. She really fights to try to help people with disabilities, so you need to follow Miss Nedra Dixon. And Nedra, I want to start with something a little bit different. You know, there are people around the world that don't know who you are and where you grew up and how you ended up in supplier diversity and really just what makes you the passionate passionate person that you are. So how about if you tell our listeners a little bit about you?

Absolutely. Well, once again, thank you very much for having me once again on your amazing show. And I love to tell my story. I think I'm extremely blessed, and I, I I think it's just a privilege to be able to share this with you and your global listeners. I grew up in a small town in Arkansas, in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, and I just grew up in a town where everyone knew everyone, everyone helped everyone. And little did I know that sort of laid the foundation of the type of work that I do now in supplier diversity. My mom was— is a retired nurse, and that can tell you from wanting to help people. And as well as my dad was a high school football coach and taught mathematics. And so I think I had the privilege of having a combination of both. And so I left Arkansas and went to do my studies at Florida State University. And from there, I also moved to California to where I did my MBA at the University of Southern California. I think I have a, maybe a passion for some warm weather there. But I learned technology, which I didn't want to do. I was reluctant. In really trying to learn technology, and— but it came really easy. And then I learned to really love how technology can really help other people, and I think that is just something that continued to where I found myself. And when I started with Accenture in New York in Last week I celebrated 21 years at Accenture.

Well, there you go. Congratulations to you.

Thank you very much. And when I was in New York, I started in our consulting practice, really working to help a lot of financial companies with their SAP and PeopleSoft. I'm telling my age here. And then I had an opportunity to move to Atlanta to really kind of help on one of our projects with BellSouth, which is now AT&T. And in that, I had to come internal to procurement. And Joyce, this is where my childhood life kind of meets my adult life. And I think I have one of the coolest roles at Accenture. And I started getting into procurement and I started seeing we were spending a lot of money with, you know, big corporations and big suppliers. And I noticed that we were not spending as much with small and diverse businesses. And in true Accenture fashion, they say, why don't you come in and grow this capability? So, fast forward to now and 20 countries later, I have the honor, I think, of having a role that I actually get to make a difference. And making that difference is not checking the box. It is literally making the difference to show everyone the value, show everyone the reason, the economic impact of why you get to include small and diverse businesses and how to successfully integrate them into your supply chain. And so I, I just have the honor of really doing that every single day, and I get to introduce small businesses to the great things that you do. And I hope we'll talk about IDisAbility I'd like to share something with you on that as well. But I do love my journey now of looking at my childhood and now being able to really help businesses grow.

That is so awesome. I just want everyone to know she is not only beautiful, which she is, but she's beautiful on the inside. She is so kind. She has always been Joyce Bender, so nice to me and to everyone. But I want to point out something. As you all know, I'm living with epilepsy and hard of hearing. And what does that mean? That means I'm a certified disability-owned business enterprise. And this is what she's talking about. And Accenture has included disability-owned business Enterprises. So once again, I'm telling you all this so you'll know that she's the real deal. And I want to tell you, Nidra, you have been— you've been so successful in your career. Could you explain to our listeners in a little bit more detail what you do at Accenture and also how large is Accenture?

Wow, Joyce, as of now we are Are you ready for this number? 674,000 employees globally at Accenture.

Oh my goodness. Wow.

That is— in the last year and a half, we've added over 100,000 more people who have started and not been in an office. So we are definitely in different times right now. With people starting in such large corporations. And so one of the, the things that I get to do is I get a chance to meet and really get to know companies as Bender Consulting to understand the great innovation that you're able to bring to the market. And it's very difficult sometimes for small and diverse-owned businesses to really work with large corporations. So it is my role to make sure that I let everyone know the myths are not true, that you're not too small to work with, you're not too risky to work with. It's about finding that right opportunity, and it takes time. To grow. And I have to say thank you for your level of patience that you have for large corporations. We sometimes make things difficult for no reason. And the patience that I think a lot of entrepreneurs and small, you know, medium firms have is a gift. And what I get to do is when I find a firm like Bender Consulting and getting to know you, it is my role at Accenture to try and find how can we leverage the great skill sets that you have and not only integrate that into Accenture and into our supply chain, but I'm tasked with helping our clients do that as well. And a lot of our clients come to Accenture for that consulting. To help them build a strategy. So a part of my role is to help companies find a strategy on how to leverage companies such as Bender Consulting. And I get a chance to go around and share with them about iDisability and how we can show our diverse suppliers on our supply chain that there's another small diverse business, as we call Adobe, disabled-owned business enterprise, that can help them make their company accessible. So I look at my day as connecting the right dots, but then I also get to watch a business grow. I get to see the dollars that we put into a small diverse business, they would in turn put that into the economy. Now we're looking at job creation. That is to me the most important thing that I can ever do. And I love my quote to say, you know, service is the rent that we pay to live on this earth. And— I have to do my duty in that.

That is so awesome. Well, you definitely do that, Nedra. Hey, Nedra, I only— like 2 years ago, wow, you were like 500,000 people. I cannot believe how much you've grown during this pandemic. That is unbelievable.

That is— it's unbelievable. That is— that's how large we have become.

Well, I'm going to tell you something that I admire Accenture so much for. As you know, I also do a lot of work finding employment for people with disabilities in fields like IT, finance, engineering, mathematics. But I must say, and Ted Kennedy, Ted Kennedy and I talked about this, it would seem like I would have to go through so much when I'm talking to explain how there is a return on investment, you know, when you employ people with disabilities. And then Ted talked to Accenture, and Accenture pro bono did this incredible research that produced the Accenture report. And now, hey, it isn't just me talking about this. Now we have the data, which again, I want you all to know, this is why I said to someone the other day, Accenture is part of helping people with disabilities gain employment because of what they did. So, Nidra, would you mind talking about that with our listeners?

Absolutely. And you're right, Joyce, this was in the data, and this was the research paper you are referencing. Is getting to equal, the disability inclusion advantage. And that's the narrative that we need to make sure everyone understands. It's an advantage. And in this research, extensive research, they were right there in the data. It's a vast untapped market. And if you— what we found, and I think it was back in 2018, we went back as there were about only 29% of Americans in the working age between 16 and 64 with disabilities that participated in the workforce compared to about 75% of Americans without a disability. So we're leaving an untapped market there. The GDP could get a boost, and I'm going to say this very slow, up to $25 billion if just 1% of more persons with disability join the US labor force. So if we just think about those numbers in that research, it was astonishing. So if everybody just took— imagine if every corporate just went to learn And there's so many things that we're still learning, but if we each just took that chance to learn, look at what we could contribute to the US labor force. And that's just in the US. So imagine to your listeners that are around the globe, if we were to do this on a global basis, it's that wide employment gap that we would be closing, and that's what we want to do. This research paper, and it's, it's still there on our website on Accenture.com, and you can search on the Getting to Equal research report. And it was so detailed that I was so honored to share this with everyone because a lot of it is creating that awareness. Again, one of the things that we leverage this report in, we got a chance to partner with our clients. We've done it with Bristol-Myers Squibb. We're doing it now with Merck. Joyce, that's something you do very well. You connected us with Merck, and we're getting ready to really employ people now on the spectrum of autism at Merck, as we did with Preston Myers in very technical roles in the pharmaceutical industry. And it is just opening up so much doors and creating so much awareness. So thank you for that.

Oh, hey, every time someone gets an opportunity to work for the first time, they have freedom in this country because you cannot buy a car, you cannot go on vacation. You cannot live the American dream until you are employed. So to me, that is fantastic, and, and there isn't anyone I'd rather partner with than Accenture because of the work you did, because clearly you showed that companies that hire people with disabilities are more profitable than those that do not, and you also clearly showed the importance of supplier diversity, which of course you are over at Accenture. So to me, what Accenture did is said, you know, that getting to equal, okay, it's not like just a nice thing to do. It's not charity. It's the facts. It's the data. And that is what I love about it. So I hope You will go to Accenture.com to Getting to Equal and read that and tell all other businesses you know. Tell everyone you know because it is so impactful when you see that. So impactful. And by the way, Nedra, I love that. Getting to Equal. Oh, I love that. Yeah, that's like a civil rights march.

I love that. Yes, it's, it's, it's going to be— it just makes that statement. It's getting to equal.

Now, before I talk about Disability:IN, Nedra, I know you're on the executive board of Disability:IN, and I want to congratulate you and the board on something you did, and that is changing the name to Disability:IN, not Differently Abled:IN, not Diversibility:IN, not Abilities:IN, not Handicapable:IN. But disability in. That is what the grassroots and disability community of people like Maria Towne, the CEO of Accenture, and Marcy Roth, the CEO of World Institute on Disability, and of course the great Judy Heumann talk about all the time. Don't relabel us. So I just want you to know I want to compliment the board on doing that because I just think, I just, that just makes me so happy. So, Nedra, what is happening at Disability:IN during this pandemic that we've been through? I mean, are you still growing? Is everything still moving forward at Disability:IN? What's going on during this pandemic?

Joyce Bender: Oh, Joyce, it's everything. I've never been more excited to be a part of a board that is going all the way in. If you know NOW, and it started out a few years ago where 6 CEOs decided they were in, and that was the campaign, "Are you in?" And what does that mean? Are you committed to making changes? Are you committed to getting equal? And I was very proud that our CEO, Julie Sweet, was one of the first 6. But guess how many that Jill, the CEO— now that's a powerhouse, she can move anything— she has now 100 CEOs that are committed to making sure that this is a part of their fabric. 100, and it continues to grow.

100. That is amazing, Nedra. And that is Jill Houghton. That is Jill. That's Jill. Yeah, she is— yeah, she is just, as you said, dynamic fireball, break down barriers. I mean, she is without question one of the best CEOs, period. She has done and continues to do a phenomenal job. And may I mention, she too is going to be on the radio show in a month or two months. So everyone, you get ready. When you hear her— wait, every time I think of her, I think of one thing: are you ready to rock and roll? I mean, that's what I think of.

And as a matter of fact, so her—

yeah, you know, her Go ahead.

I was just going to say it's Jill's leadership that has continued to grow Disability:IN during a pandemic, making sure of the accommodations for when everyone had to stay at home. She did not hesitate to reach out to her corporates and say, is there anything that we can do to help everyone? She again put the needs of everyone first. It's her leadership that fuels so much of that growth. And this past year with the virtual conference broke attendance records. So, it's so easy for us as a corporate to want to continue to grow with what Jill and her team is putting forth, and they're continuing to grow at the right pace. So what I love about Disability:IN and those 100 CEOs that are in, they know why they're in. They know what they're getting. Disability:IN with, with Jill and Jenny LaFleur and Chad Gerdy, the now chair of the board, have really showed that this is the time for us to have our place side by side. And that's why I continue to serve on that board. And when I tell you, Joyce, everyone that's on that board works, and that's what I like about it. And it represents the community. And so, we want everyone to— I look forward to this year, hopefully, of seeing everyone in person in July, so they can see all of the great growth that's been put in place with Disability:IN. I also co-chair the Procurement Council with Raul from Merck, and what Philip wants to do in the supplier diversity space is we're continuing to let a lot of the corporates know this is a journey for you to make sure you're becoming as accessible as you can, but you have an organization that can help you. And I think that's what Disability:IN brings to the table. They're like, we're here to help you. How can we help you? And we get to see the results because Jill is driving those results, and she is ready to rock and roll. If you talk to her, you're ready to do the same when you talk to Jill.

Oh, that is so true. Well, you know, one of the greatest things she did was introduce me to you.

I remember when I met you.

Yes. And she told me, wait till you meet this person, they remind me of you on fire. And she was, she was right. So I am so glad. So there you go. That is another great thing that you did, Jill, who is going to be on. And you mentioned Raul Suarez Rodriguez. Rahul, if you're listening, remember, you better have those socks at the conference. We have a little contest on most bizarre socks. And Nidra, he had me on a— uh, Mark had me on an event talking, and does he not bring that up? Which I could barely maintain not like bursting out laughing. Uh, but Raul, I know you're going to be on. When you're on my show, you better have those socks on. So, Nedra, I'm so glad to hear that about Disability:IN still growing. What, what would you say overall is the goal of the organization?

Oh wow, that is, that is such a, um, I guess it's so many goals. But I think the goal is always what you said earlier. It is about employing people because now you can— that is the American dream. You can now be able to get employment to be, you know, to be self-sustainable. And there are people that can help you do that. And they're not stopping just in the US. With Inclusion Works, they are moving this globally at so fast and so efficient. And that is the goal of making sure that every person can have that dream, that employment is your right. And we as corporations have to understand what our commitment is and how we can carry that out. So Disability:IN plays so many roles in this, and education is one that is so near and dear to me, because what people don't know, they don't know. And Disability:IN continues to provide educational training. They're continuing to introduce us to amazing young students coming out of college, entering the workforce, of how daunting that can be. They're making sure and helping the young people of this generation find that employment. I mean, the best thing is if you've ever attended a Disability:IN conference, and when Jill stands up there, even virtually or in person, And she states about how many people have found employment and which corporations are employing people right there on the spot. It makes you want to go back and I'm like, why have we not done more? And it's wanting to do more. It's— you see it and it's so— it's real action that Disability:IN, but they do employment as well as Finding the amazing businesses that we can partner with. And with my father being a disabled veteran, 2 tours in Vietnam, this was near and dear to me. I know he would be proud of me to see the work, and I could hear him now, "You can do more." And that's why it's always like, okay, I can continue to do more. And Disability:IN is providing that. They're providing that framework for us to be able to employ people, to give them that freedom, as you said. And it gives us that also the connections to amazing and innovative businesses that corporations can work with. So I just think they're known for so much, but education and employment is two things that I absolutely love about Disability:IN.

What do they do, Neetra, with education? What do they do?

With education, I think it's really important to understand where do you begin. And I think that is why so many corporations or businesses or even higher education, government, organizations aren't sure where to begin. When you say, are you accessible? Are— can an employee come in to work? Will you have the needs for that employee? Do you have the right training for people? And I think that is where it's so important as a starting point, because sometimes if you don't know where to start, you will continue to procrastinate on not starting it. And that goes back to that money that we're leaving on the table by not employing people with disabilities and getting to learn and understand what those needs are. And that just takes a simple education and creating the right awareness. And now, you know, and I take it the connecting me with you, And you being patient with us and us leveraging iDisability, I'm now getting ready to offer that to where I'm trying to set up a fund for us to pay for that for small businesses to receive iDisability.

Wow, that is amazing, Nedra, that is amazing. I wanted to ask you, and I'm so glad you're supportive of iDisability, and you're going to be surprised, Nedra, some big things that are happening. And, you know, I would tell everyone iDisability is an e-learning software product that trains people how to work with and communicate to people with disabilities. And, you know, people don't know as you said, what they don't know. And that's just how it is, you know. And when you interview someone with autism, for example, they could look the other direction, you know, they could back away from you, and you miss a great person. If, you know, you may know what to do, but just as Nedra said, they have 600,000 employees, and of course not everyone knows what to do. And you could be losing someone. Same thing with how do you accommodate a veteran with post-traumatic stress disorder? How do you do that? So, you know, there are so many things that you can learn from this that I hope you will look into it because to me, to have Nidra and Accenture behind this, That just is quite an honor. And Nedra, you mentioned your father. So on a personal note, I have to say today is my father's birthday, who is a World War II veteran that was in the Navy, and he is— ready for this, Nedra? 97 today.

Oh my goodness, that is amazing. Happy birthday. Happy birthday, Jimmy! 97! Amazing! Today, 97 years young.

Yes, and he is one— you know, someone was telling me the other day there used to be 16 million veterans in World War II, and now it's down to like 200,000. So he's one of those 200,000, uh, and it is he that put me through college because we did not grow up in a privileged area. But my dad owned his own inspection station. And then when you hear this, 9 to 3 and then 4 to 12, he worked 4 to 12 at a cement company for 17 years to put me through college. So that is just how he is. He would not accept help because, as I said, that's just him. So yeah, happy birthday, Dad, the best father anyone could ever have. And Nedra, you are a tremendous disability rights leader, and you did work to get iDisability on board, and you know, you made it happen. It's you, Nedra, it's you that made it happen. So I wanted to ask you, why are you so committed to helping people with disabilities?

Joyce Bender, I always said where I am today in my career, someone helped me. So who am I if I don't pay that forward? And I think it's so important for everyone to understand that if you just have a conversation with someone, If you sit down and learn about a person, you will be amazed at what you can contribute to the world. And I think when I met you— and again, I love how you call everyone such a firecracker— but I was just so amazed by your energy, by your, you know, sheer willingness to help someone, that in turn, that energy makes me want to also get on board to help someone else. And I think with iDisability, and even with just Bender Consulting, 'cause there's so much more to you than that, is that your goal is to train people and to create that awareness and to really help people understand what they don't know. So to me, I think that is a part of my passion is I have to help someone because I am where I am because someone helped me. And that is exactly what I want to make sure that I do going forward. And I want to continue to do that. And I have the honor of, of having a career in supplier diversity that allows me each day to introduce someone else to all of the great things that come along with working with small and diverse businesses. And if this person has a disability, then you're lucky. You get to see how double awesome they are. And that's the awareness that I want to make sure that I'm creating for people to learn. And the energy that I received from you is when I knew we were going to be connected for a long time. And it's continuing to grow. It's already been, wow, 5 or 6 years, maybe 7.

I know, I know, it's amazing. It's amazing. And Nedra, I'll tell you, one of my very closest friends is Mary Esther Van Schuur, and Mary Esther is a big disability rights leader. And she is best friends with the Bidens, President Biden. And I told her, I said, you haven't met Nedra. I told her you were going to be on the show. And I said, but if Nedra and I get together and we start going to different companies, look out, because iDisability will be across America. That's what a fireball I think you are, Nedra. So I tell everyone, look out, we're coming your way. Look out. Yeah, look out. And I told her, you can tell this to the president, we, the two of us, we're going to go to all these companies, Nedra's customers, people I know, companies I know that I could introduce Nedra to, and look out what we're going to do. Isn't that right?

Absolutely, that is right. That is, that is my goal. And I— if there are any corporations that are listening, I think what we have to do is to really go side by side with the businesses and understand the small and diverse business. Go side by side and, and take them to one and continue to multiply. So Joyce, I'm looking forward, that's a part of my goal. And my role has expanded to where I do take this to our clients. And this is where I wanna continue to share and educate and bring what you're doing to more. 'Cause think, the more we bring this to, the more of that number we're going to get in closing that gap that we mentioned in that report earlier.

And that is the whole point.

That is the tangible action item.

That's why I started doing this. I know there's a stigma. You heard the numbers that Neidra gave you. If we, through iDisability, break down stigma, you're going to see people get hired. So look out, we're coming to the White House. You wait. Neidra and I are going to make a difference. You watch what I said, because you put the two of us together, oh my goodness, it's beyond a fireball. It's a bonfire. It's an explosion. So, we put two people like us together, there's no stopping us. Isn't that true, Nedra? There's no stopping us.

There is no stopping us. And the only thing I'll add to that is we're just now getting started.

That's right, that's right, we're just getting started. So you wait. If there are two people that I believe can have an impact on the employment of people with disabilities together, you're hearing it right now. So as I said, get ready, get ready, we're going to be coming to the White House. Get ready to see what we've done. Uh, and, and Nedra, you have talked a lot about, you know, disability-owned business entrepreneurs. And I know that when I was one of the first, we only had like, I don't know, 30, 40. How approximately, how many do we have now certified disability-owned business enterprise?

I think they have reached over 300. Oh, and it's increasing. And again, it's about really what Jill and her team has done with Philip and Inclusion Works. I mean, they're constantly expanding the right way and making sure that they're helping the businesses. So that's why I said you're so amazing that you've got to see this growth. You've been a part of this growth. And I think you're just now getting started. You've been a part of when it was right there, and now to see what Disability:IN is doing in that growth spurt, there's no slowing down for them. There's so many more businesses that are coming up now because I think there's so much that can be helped with a lot of these corporations, and so many of the entrepreneurs can help us.. And, and we can now go in. So think about it, 30 to over 300. Amazing.

That is amazing. And if you are listening and you are an entrepreneur, I don't care how small the business is, if you're an entrepreneur with a disability, you've got to go to disabilityin.org and look into this because It will introduce you to people like Nedra and Raul and Regina Hayward. And I mean, it's so many people, David Casey, so many people that I love so much. It will help you certified by Disability:IN. As you know, Nedra, companies are looking for DOPIs now, you know, whenever they— Absolutely. They are looking in supplier diversity. They are looking for Dobies now, and I don't know if you know this, Nedra, but Jill has appointed me as the master mentor. So I am the person that will be training Dobies on how to— wait a minute— get companies to— here comes— sign the contract.

Yes, that is it. Sign the contract and continue to help you grow. That is where I think we do. And, and I learned from Regina. Oh, her financial mind is just— you can be a sponge around Regina when she gets to talking about financials and, and wealth and how to grow a business the right way. And I just I love to listen to her talk about it. So there's so many resources and so many corporations that are looking for these businesses. So the time is now. They were at center stage. And I hope that there's anyone listening that needs to be certified, there are many corporations that's willing to help you get certified as well. And that's the other thing, corporations are there to help. We're waking up slowly, but we're there. We're getting there.

Yeah, we are. We are getting there. We are. And you know, uh, Miss Regina Hayward and Miss Nedra Dixon are on the Bender Advisory Board with Tony Coelho, the chair, author of the ADA, Ted Kennedy Jr., and Dorothea Bush. Than, you know, other disability rights leaders and CEOs. And you can see the people that I choose are people that I know are also the real deal. And you know what, Nedra, I did want to talk about one thing, you know, before we're ending the show today, and that is about company investors looking at a company's ESGs now? You know, looking at, of course, Disability:IN has the Disability Equality Index, DEI, which is a great index tool that looks at what you're doing with disability and what you should be doing with disability inclusion. Uh, Nidra, do you think investors are going to be looking more at that, at the disability Equality Index and see, hey, what are you doing with disability? What do you think about that, Nedra?

Absolutely, I'm all for it. I think what Becky has been doing with the DEI Index, it's just amazing. And now the, your shareholders, the investors, they're all wanting to know What are you doing in this? So the disability rights are gaining traction for ESG. And I just wanna say about time. And that is exactly where, you know, Jill and her team has been focusing on making sure that they're letting them know. I believe they did a segment about that around, you know, what is that, what are investors really looking for? And I think now they're holding corporates and their boards accountable for making sure that it is a true inclusion. And that's what the word inclusion is. It's creating that marketplace for everyone. And that's in the workforce as well as our supply chain. And I think now is the time that Long gone can we put out a statement. Action has to come with those statements.

Yes, that's right. Don't talk the talk. That's why I tell people, when you say to me— you've just met me for the first time and you say, "Oh, Joyce, it's so wonderful what you do," I'll say, "Really? Did you hire anyone with a disability?" Because that's where the rubber meets the road. Not saying how— it's not a charity. You know, Bender Consulting is a for-profit company. No pity. People with disabilities don't want pity. They want paychecks. They want to work. No pity. And I think this says it all when the efforts of Disability:IN, Ted Kennedy Jr. And by the way, I have to give a shout out to the American Association of People with Disabilities, which I'm on the board of, because AAPD worked with when it was called the USBLN to create the Disability Equality Index, which to me is the greatest thing because I know I'll meet a company and, Nedra, they're looking at that. You know, Fortune 100 companies that really haven't moved the bar forward are looking at that. They're looking at the DEI.

Absolutely. And that's, and that's what it is. It's like now is they're looking and they're putting the dollars behind it. And that's what's important. It's like if I'm going to be all in, just as Disability:IN got the CEOs, the investors are in as well. CEOs are in and investors are in.

Well, Nedra, obviously, as everyone can tell, I just love you and think you're such a great person. So I have to ask you, who would you consider your role model? Because something impacted you.

You know, it— I will have to say that, that those were my parents. Um, my mom worked as a nurse, and my mom worked as a nurse in a hospital that my grandmother couldn't couldn't go to. And my mother was so committed to helping people, and that's how she built the foundation. And she said, "You always have to help someone." And that always sticks with me, is that I have to help someone. And when you're put in a position to be able to do that, It's like you said, it's not a handout, it's not checking the box, it's genuinely helping someone become a better person themselves so that they can pay it forward. So it would be my mom.

She's always helped her mom. Oh, what a great, what a great— She did a good job, Nedra. And I just want to say, if you want to follow Nedra Dixon, go to LinkedIn,. You'll see this beautiful woman and all the incredible accomplishments she has made. And Nedra, thank you so much for being with us.

Thank you, Joyce Bender. It is my pleasure, and I look forward— White House, here we come! We're just getting started.

White House, here we come! And I end every show with a quote, and today it is: A business that makes nothing but money "Disability is a poor kind of business," said Henry Ford. Get ready, we're coming your way, everyone. This is Joyce Bender, America's Voice, where disability matters, at voiceamerica.com. When you go out in your day, remember, choose joy.

Voice America would like to thank you for tuning in. Please join us next Tuesday at 11 AM Pacific time and 2 PM Eastern time for another installment of Disability Matters, right here on the Voice America Variety Channel. We are the leader in live internet talk radio. VoiceAmerica.com.