Company earned top score of 100 on the 2024 Disability Equality
Index
Macmillan Learning, a privately-held, family-owned digital
learning company, announced today it was named a “Best Place to
Work for Disability Inclusion” on the Disability Equality Index®,
the world’s most comprehensive benchmarking tool for companies to
measure disability workplace inclusion inside their organization
and to assess performance across industry sectors. This is the
fourth consecutive year the company has earned a top score of 100,
reflecting its ongoing commitment to disability inclusion for both
its employees and the students and instructors, which they
support.
Globally, more than 1.3 billion individuals have a disability.
Disability is a natural part of the human experience, and it
crosses lines of age, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, race,
sexual orientation, socioeconomic status and other demographics.
The Disability Equality Index was launched in 2015 as a joint
initiative of Disability:IN and The American Association of People
with Disabilities (AAPD) to help businesses make a positive impact
on the unemployment/underemployment of people with disabilities.
The 2024 Disability Equality Index measured companies' inclusion
efforts, including: culture & leadership, employment practices
(such as accommodations, benefits, recruitment and advancement
opportunities), community engagement, supplier diversity and
responsible procurement.
“Because we're a learning company, it’s our priority to ensure
that each student succeeds, regardless of demographics or ability.”
said Kristin Peikert, Senior Vice President of People & Culture
at Macmillan Learning. “That process starts internally with our own
employees, as we strive to create a work environment where all
employees can succeed, which is reflected in the products and
services we offer students and instructors.”
Macmillan Learning’s Commitment to Accessibility
Macmillan Learning’s commitment to accessibility is twofold. The
company works towards creating equitable student learning
experiences; secondly and at the same time it aims to meet or
exceed industry-accepted standards–both through the products it
creates and the work environment and culture it fosters. The
company’s accessibility work has earned it “Gold Standard”
recognition from ASPIRE and the Winner of Accessible Books
Consortium’s International Excellence Award for Accessible
Publishing in 2020.
Five years ago, Macmillan Learning was the first higher
education organization to be recognized as Global Certified
Accessible by Benetech. Since then, the company has been providing
“born accessible” digital learning options that ensure that every
student, no matter their ability, has the same access to
information. Benetech certified the company’s conformance to the
accessible EPUB creation guidelines, which are based on WCAG 2.2
AA+ standards put in place by the international standards
organizations and the publishing community.
Macmillan Learning’s product and engineering teams continue to
make ongoing updates to Achieve, the company’s digital learning
platform, to make it more friendly for users with disabilities. The
company also offers training opportunities for all employees to
become more knowledgeable about accessibility guidelines and better
allies to their colleagues and the customers they support. For
additional support and resources, employees have the opportunity to
learn more from Macmillan Learning’s employee resource group, AVID
(Awareness of Visible and Invisible
Disabilities) for people with
disabilities and allies.
“While I am proud of our company for receiving these
recognitions, we understand that accessibility is not only about
checking boxes or fulfilling requirements; rather to us, it is an
ongoing journey,” Peikert added.
In 2024, Macmillan Learning was one of 542 corporations,
including 71 Fortune 100 and 220 Fortune 500, who used the
Disability Equality Index to benchmark their disability inclusion
efforts. “Together, we are creating a future where everyone can
contribute and thrive,” said Jill Houghton, President and CEO of
Disability:IN.
About Macmillan Learning
Macmillan Learning is a privately-held, family-owned company
that inspires what’s possible for every learner. We envision a
world in which every learner succeeds. Through our content, tools
and services, we aim to make that a reality. To learn more, please
visit macmillanlearning.com or join our Macmillan Community.
About the Disability Equality Index®
The Disability Equality Index has become the leading
independent, third-party resource for the annual benchmarking of
corporate disability inclusion policies and programs, and is now
trusted by more than 70% of the United States Fortune 100 and
nearly half of the Fortune 500. Such companies must increasingly
consider how emerging global reporting directives and stakeholder
expectations surrounding social and corporate governance factors
impact their operational, cultural, reputational and financial
performance.
The Disability Equality Index is an objective, reflective,
forward-thinking, and confidential disability rating tool designed
to assist businesses in advancing inclusion practices. It is a
comprehensive benchmark that helps companies build a roadmap of
measurable, tangible actions across five scored categories: Culture
& Leadership, Enterprise-Wide Access, Employment Practices,
Community Engagement, and Supplier Diversity. Participating
companies receive a score, on a scale of zero (0) to 100, with
those scoring 80 or higher earning the distinction of “Best Places
to Work for Disability Inclusion” for the benchmark year.
Findings from a two-year Global Disability Equality Index pilot
informed the launch of a scored benchmark that opened in 2024 to
seven new countries in addition to the United States. These
include: Brazil, Canada, Germany, India, Japan, the Philippines,
and the United Kingdom. Now in its 10th year, the Disability
Equality Index has grown nearly 7x since 2015, expanding from 80
companies in its first year to 542 in 2024. Collectively, the 2024
edition received 753 submissions spanning the eight benchmarked
countries.
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 60+ million Americans
with disabilities. Learn more at: www.aapd.com.
About Disability:IN®
Disability:IN is a global organization driving disability
inclusion and equality in business. More than 500 corporations
partner with Disability:IN to create long-term business and social
impact through the world’s most comprehensive disability inclusion
benchmarking and reporting tool, the Disability Equality Index;
best-in-class conferences and programs; expert counsel and
engagement; and public policy leadership. Join us at
disabilityin.org/AreYouIN #AreYouIN.
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Marisa Bluestone Macmillan Learning 202-699-1495
marisa.bluestone@macmillan.com