The Last Word: Latosha Herron Bruff on the DRC’s New Disability Inclusion Toolkit

“Oftentimes, this population is overlooked and under championed.”

Latosha Herron Bruff
SVP of Diversity, Inclusion, and Community Engagement
Dallas Regional Chamber
.…on the DRC’s new Disability Inclusion Toolkit, via WFAA.

The Dallas Regional Chamber has unveiled a new tool that aims to support employees with disabilities in the region—while also helping boost prosperity for area businesses. The DRC’s Disability Inclusion Toolkit gives businesses insights on the best ways to recruit, retain, include, and support employees with disabilities.

“It’s not just because it’s the right thing to do,” Herron Bruff told WFAA. “Companies that lead on disability inclusion are two times more profitable.”

Writing on LinkedIn, the DRC’s Nicole Ward says the toolkit offers “data, personal narrative, and resources all in one place to move beyond a PR tactic, and make a difference.”

In a statement posted with the toolkit, DRC President & CEO Dale Petroskey calls the topic a new focus of the chamber’s DEI efforts.

“When President George H.W. Bush signed the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in 1990, he had this message for the business community,” Petroskey writes: “You have in your hands the key to the success of this act, for you can unlock a splendid resource of untapped human potential that, when freed, will enrich us all.”

Meryl Evans, a local disability inclusion consultant who’s deaf, was interviewed during the making of the toolkit, and told WFAA that people who’ve dealt with disabilities know how to overcome obstacles, “overcommunicate,” and get creative and innovative.

Available free to all businesses, the toolkit is now live on the DRC website.

You can watch the WFAA report here.

For more of who said what about all things North Texas, check out Every Last Word.

Get on the list.
Dallas Innovates, every day.

Sign up to keep your eye on what’s new and next in Dallas-Fort Worth, every day.

One quick signup, and you’re done.

R E A D   N E X T

  • The City of Dallas will recognize Digital Inclusion Week from October 2-6 with activities across the city. Digital Inclusion Week is an annual initiative hosted by the National Digital Inclusion Alliance to raise awareness of digital equity and access throughout the county. Hundreds of organizations, advocates, and elected officials participate to help spotlight programs to improve home internet access, provide devices, offer digital skills training, and more. Dallas joins the alliance's national awareness campaign with activities hosted by the Dallas Public Library, Dallas Innovation Alliance, Office of Arts and Culture, and community partners including one-on-one tech help sessions, digital skills…

  • According to the CDC, up to one in four adults in the United States has a disability. That’s 61 million people, and roughly 13% of that number have cognitive and/or learning disabilities that affect concentrating, remembering, or making decisions. That’s nearly eight million people—or 80 Cowboys Stadiums filled to capacity.  “Cognitive disabilities can impact a person in ways that you can observe and ways that are non-apparent,” said Michael Thomas, founder and CEO of ConnectIDD (pronounced: connected), a disability empowerment agency in North Texas. “Think about how many people you interact with daily—friends, coworkers, family members, even strangers. You have…

  • To help fill those jobs, the DRC—with support from Bloomberg Philanthropies—recently launched a new workforce development tool called the DFW Health Care and IT Talent Pipeline Portal. The online tool provides "expansive, up-to-date data on the supply of and demand for talent for middle-skill jobs."

  • Parents, students, and teachers cheer the opening of the My Possibilities school

    A first-of-its-kind in North Texas—and possibly the country—My Possibilities in Plano is growing in size and scope to train its "Hugely Important People" for roles in sectors from retail to hospitality. It’s not a moment too soon as the disability community continues to grow, and the workforce gets stretched.

  • Williams was just one of the experts on hand at the Dallas Regional Chamber's late August Q3 Executive Circle event. Presented by McKesson at AT&T’s Dallas headquarters, the panel focused on the impact of AI on how companies do business and shared practical insights into how companies can navigate and utilize AI.