Celebrating National Disability Employment Awareness Month w/Megan Gausemel and Ben Collins

John Mellor, WorkInSports former CEO who passed away after battling cancer his summer had a dream for the company. An avid supporter and volunteer with Special Olympics, John wanted Work In Sports to help place developmentally and physically disabled individuals in the sports industry.

There was no revenue attached to this idea, this was just deep within john’s heart.

October month is National Disability Employment Awareness Month – and I hope now, you are aware of this concept, but let’s go deeper. We need to get past awareness, we need to think about our contributions to the solution as employing people with disabilities is another pillar in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion efforts that employers are putting in. Beyond the fact that including people of all backgrounds is flat out the right thing to do, here are a few stats to emphasize just how important it is to be a diverse, equitable, and inclusive work environment:

• Inclusive companies are 120% more likely to hit financial goals.
• Inclusive companies see 1.4 times more revenue than ones who aren't inclusive.
• Inclusive companies enjoy more millenials actively engaging in their work.

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Joining me on the WorkInSports Podcast are Megan Gausemel, Director of Awareness planning and Operations at Special Olympics International, Ben Collins – 40 year special olympic athlete, and the first athlete with a intellectual disability to be hired at Special Olympics headquarters – that what was 29 years ago.

When I was first introduced to Ben, the last line of his bio nearly made me cry – he said  “If I didn’t have Special Olympics in my life I would be sitting at home or on the sidelines doing nothing at all.” His story is absolutely inspiring and I hope you enjoy listening to the full episode.