NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Voya Financial, Inc. (NYSE: VOYA), announced today that it has been named a “Best Place to Work for Disability Inclusion” for the third consecutive year. Voya also earned the 2020 Marketplace Innovator Award for its campaign sharing messages of inclusivity, kindness and anti-bullying — in collaboration with two individuals with disabilities.
Voya’s score of 100% on the 2020 Disability Equality Index (DEI) and its designation as a Marketplace Innovator by Disability:IN reinforce the company’s continued efforts to make a positive difference in the lives of individuals with disabilities — as well as their families and caregivers.
“These honors reflect our continued commitment to inclusivity for our employees, our customers, and society as a whole,” said Voya Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Rodney O. Martin, Jr. “The challenges faced by people with disabilities and their families have been exacerbated during this time of unprecedented challenges on a societal level. Never before has inclusion — and the need to make sure that no one is marginalized — been more important. We are honored to earn this distinction and applaud the extraordinary work of Disability:IN.”
The DEI is a joint initiative between American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD) and Disability:IN, designed by disability advocates and business leaders as the nation’s most trusted comprehensive benchmarking tool for disability inclusion. Voya is one of 247 companies on the index, which measures key performance indicators across culture and leadership, enterprise-wide accessibility, employment practices, community engagement and supplier diversity.
“The best way to attract, retain and grow talent with disabilities is to create an accessible, inclusive workplace,” said Jill Houghton, president and chief executive officer of Disability:IN. “This year’s top-scoring Disability Equality Index companies are demonstrating their commitment to many of the numerous leading disability-inclusion practices featured in the DEI, recognizing that there’s still room for improvement. We are proud to have developed strong partnerships with corporate allies who are committed to advancing disability inclusion and equality across their businesses in the United States and around the world.”
The Marketplace Innovator Award, presented by Disability:IN, recognizes a company for an external communications campaign that includes powerful and positive images of people with disabilities. Aligning with Voya’s values of caring and doing the right thing, and its support of the disabilities community through its Voya Cares® program, Voya is collaborating with two individuals — 9-year-old Lily Allison and singer-songwriter Mandy Harvey, a past finalist on America’s Got Talent, who happens to be deaf — to raise awareness about anti-bullying and the importance of being kind. Both Mandy and Lily have the rare connective tissue disorder, Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS).
The campaign, which is Voya’s most successful integrated brand marketing campaign to date, exemplifies how businesses play a role in advancing tomorrow’s world — and the impact that corporations can make by telling personal stories and building powerful relationships. See Voya’s World Kindness Day Campaign.
The company’s commitment to serving the disabilities community is demonstrated through its Voya Cares® program, which provides resources focused on education, planning and solutions so that Americans with disabilities and special needs, and their caregivers, can plan for the retirement that they deserve.
Voya also supports its employees with disabilities and those who are caregivers and allies through its Disabilities and Special Needs Employee Resource Group (ERG). The ERG plays an integral role in driving the company’s internal and external efforts that support the disabilities and special needs community.
About Voya Financial®
Voya Financial, Inc. (NYSE: VOYA), helps Americans plan, invest and protect their savings — to get ready to retire better. Serving the financial needs of approximately 13.8 million individual and institutional customers in the United States, Voya is a Fortune 500 company that had $7.5 billion in revenue in 2019. The company had $538 billion in total assets under management and administration as of March 31, 2020. With a clear mission to make a secure financial future possible — one person, one family, one institution at a time — Voya’s vision is to be America’s Retirement Company®. Certified as a “Great Place to Work” by the Great Place to Work® Institute, Voya is equally committed to conducting business in a way that is socially, environmentally, economically and ethically responsible. Voya has been recognized as a 2020 World’s Most Admired Company by Fortune magazine; one of the 2020 World’s Most Ethical Companies® by the Ethisphere Institute; as a member of the Bloomberg Gender Equality Index; and as a “Best Place to Work for Disability Inclusion” on the Disability Equality Index by Disability:IN. For more information, visit voya.com. Follow Voya Financial on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter @Voya.
About Voya Cares®
As an extension of Voya’s vision and mission to help all Americans have the quality of life they seek in retirement, the Voya Cares program is committed to being a leader in making a positive difference in the lives of individuals with disabilities and special needs — as well as their families, caregivers and other providers — by offering a depth of resources focused on education, planning and solutions. Visit voyacares.com to learn more.
About the Disability Equality Index®
The Disability Equality Index (DEI) is a national, transparent benchmarking tool that offers businesses an opportunity to self-report their disability inclusion policies and practices. It was developed by two national leaders, American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD) and Disability:IN, in consultation with the appointed DEI Advisory Committee, a diverse group of experts in business, policy, and disability advocacy. Learn more at: www.DisabilityEqualityIndex.org.
About the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD)
AAPD is a convener, connector, and catalyst for change, increasing the political and economic power for people with disabilities. As a national cross-disability rights organization AAPD advocates for full civil rights for the 50+ million Americans with disabilities. Learn more at: www.aapd.com.
About Disability:IN®
Disability:IN, formerly known as the US Business Leadership Network, is the leading nonprofit resource for business disability inclusion worldwide. Partnering with more than 220 corporations, Disability:IN expands opportunities for people with disabilities across enterprises. The organization and 30 affiliates raise a collective voice of positive change for people with disabilities in business. Through its programs and services, Disability:IN empowers businesses to achieve disability inclusion and equality, with the goal of advancing inclusion to the point when the organization is no longer necessary. Learn more at: www.disabilityin.org.
