Our firm encourages networking among diverse people as a way to promote understanding and build our inclusive culture - Ernst & Young - United States

Ernst & Young encourages dialogue among diverse people as a way to promote understanding and build our inclusive culture. This effort to “bring people together” extends to internal forums that enable people who have disabilities, have family or friends with disabilities, or who want to share ideas on how to improve our environment for people of all abilities:

• Ernst & Young AccessAbilities^TM People Resource Network  – This affinity group provides guidance and raises awareness of workplace issues affecting people with disabilities. The network holds monthly conference calls to discuss ways the firm can better support its people with disabilities;
• Abilities Champion Network – A network of area and department leaders who work to ensure that disabilities-awareness messages and educational material are woven into local communications, meetings, and events. The group also recommends improvements in business processes that impact our people with disabilities.
• Network for Parents of Children with Special Health Care Needs – Ernst & Young’s employee assistance program sponsors this network, which holds confidential monthly calls for the entire network as well as calls for six condition-specific groups, all moderated by outside professionals.
• The Caregivers Circle — Formed by members of AccessAbilities with guidance and resources from the firm’s employee assistance program, this community offers support to Ernst & Young people who act as caregivers to adult family members with disabilities.

Educating our people
Ernst & Young is committed to fostering a growth environment where people with disabilities feel respected and fully supported. To help build our inclusive culture, we focus on building understanding among our people by providing resources that include guidance on disabilities-friendly etiquette, language, and work habits:

• Effective ways to team virtually  – tips to help make virtual interactions more effective and efficient
• Communicating effectively with people who are deaf or hard of hearing — tips for working with someone who is deaf or hard of hearing
• Looking for a disabilities-friendly workplace? – tips to help determine if an employer's culture is inclusive of everyone
• You don't say – A quick guide to appropriate language for use in conversing with or referring to people with disabilities
• Conference call etiquette –Tips for making conference calls more productive for everyone, especially people who are deaf or hard of hearing
• Is it okay? - Etiquette for interacting with people with disabilities
• Four ways to be inclusive – How to be respectful of people with differing abilities
• Six things to say to someone with a chronic condition or illness – tips on how to be supportive and respectful
• Nine things not to say to someone with a chronic condition or illness – messages that can be hurtful and should be avoided
• Are you prepared? – A poster that starts off with a "quiz" question to test your disabilities knowledge

Recruiting a full range of abilities
Ernst & Young’s commitment to harnessing the power of diversity extends to recruiting people with disabilities. We currently pursue a number of initiatives dedicated to this effort.

• Employer Assistance and Recruiting Network (EARN) – Ernst & Young teams with EARN, a disabled veteran-owned nationwide recruiting and consultation service under contract to the US Office of Disability Employment Policy, to promote opportunities to job candidates with disabilities. Job seekers visiting the EARNWorks Web site can link directly to our Careers site. EARN also promotes our job openings to its national network of 6,000 disabilities employment organizations and campus offices of disabilities services.
• Career Opportunities for Students with Disabilities (COSD) – We work with COSD, the leading membership organization for university disabilities services, to help identify students with disabilities who may be qualified for Ernst & Young internships.
• National Business and Disabilities Council (NBDC) – Ernst & Young participates in Emerging Leaders, NBDC’s summer internship program for students with disabilities.
• US Business Leadership Network (USBLN) – Ernst & Young works closely with the leading employer-employer disabilities organization to identify new and better ways to recruit qualified candidates with disabilities.  We serve on the Board of Directors and are founding sponsors of the group’s Disabilities Owned Business Enterprise certification program.

Awards and recognition

Ernst & Young has been acknowledged as a leader in creating an environment supportive of people with disabilities by many well-respected organizations. Below is a list of our more recent mentions. Please visit our Awards section for more details.

• Ernst & Young received the US Department of Labor’s 2008 New Freedom Initiative award, which honors corporations, non-profits, individuals and small businesses for their efforts to further the employment and workplace environment for people with disabilities
• Disabilities Matter Award from Work Life Matters magazine
• CAREERS & the disABLED magazine "Top 50 employers for people with disabilities"
• DiversityInc. magazine "Top 10 Companies for People with Disabilities"