Pinterest Celebrates and Honors National Disability Employment Awareness Month

By: David Chaiken, Executive Sponsor, PinAble and Pinterest Chief Architect

October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM) in the U.S. This month was started in 1945 as a way to educate people about disability employment issues and celebrate the contributions of America’s workers with disabilities. Although it has historically been a US holiday, at Pinterest we are marking this moment for all of our global teams.

Historically, people with disabilities have been underrepresented and overlooked in the US and global workforce, facing higher rates of employment discrimination, lower standards of healthcare and heavy stigmas in society. Unfortunately, the pandemic not only highlighted, but also exacerbated these inequities. In the past year and a half, people with disabilities have experienced higher rates of unemployment, reduced access to COVID-19 healthcare and greater difficulties accessing the technology necessary to navigate our new virtual world. People have reported bias in the quality of medical care, and a general feeling of being forgotten.

For this reason, at Pinterest, we want to go beyond simply discussing disability as it relates to employment, and also focus on creating visibility and inclusion for Pinployees, Pinners and Creators with disabilities, as well as celebrating contributions to society worldwide.

Celebrating at Pinterest

The PinAble Community, Pinterest’s internal affinity group with a mission to build a more accessible and inclusive community, has planned a range of programs for Pinployees this month, including several events planned in coordination with other Pinterest Communities to highlight the intersection of disability with other identities. A few of the events I’m excited about:

• Inclusion & Diversity discussion with Catarina Rivera: PinAble x Todos Pincluidos presents an open conversation with Catarina Rivera, MSEd, MPH, DEI consultant and founder of Blindish Latina, a platform smashing disability stigmas.
• Inspiration Series with Steven Aquino: I’m excited to host this interview with Steven Aquino, a freelance tech journalist who covers all things related to accessibility and assistive technology. He is a regular contributor for Forbes, TechCrunch and Macworld, among other publications.
• Short film festival: PinAble x Pilipinos are hosting a viewing of two short films that speak to themes important to both NDEAM and Filipino American Heritage Month, which is also celebrated in October.

Considering accessibility initiatives during 2022 planning

As we set the priorities for Pinterest in 2022, we are considering several initiatives that deeply impact how we amplify the voices of disabled Creators and the ways that disabled people can use our platform. During this month of awareness, we encourage Pinployees to consider how they can make their time and resources available for these efforts or embed them into their own work.

Giving back to the community

To mark this important month, Pinterest is matching all donations 2:1 through October 31 toward a National Disability Employment Awareness Month fund, which benefits these important organizations:

• Toolworks: Offers community support, vocational training and work experience to people with developmental, psychiatric or physical disabilities.
• LightHouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired: Promotes the independence, equality and self-reliance of people who are blind or have low vision.
• Ahrc New York City Foundation Inc: Aims to empower people with intellectual and developmental disabilities to make individual choices, live as independently and productively as possible and participate fully in their communities.

On behalf of myself, the PinAble Co-Presidents Ayesha Mazumdar and Tiago Romero, and VPs Angelo Bituin and Priyanka Patil, I want to wish you a happy, meaningful and impactful National Disability Employment Awareness Month.

Learn more about Pinterest’s Communities

PinAble

PinAble’s mission is to build an inclusive and accessible community where everyone, regardless of ability, can find inspiration to create a life they love. PinAble advocates for people with all abilities, including Pinployees, job candidates, Pinners, Creators, allies and caregivers. Check out our Pinterest boards.

Todos Pincluidos

Todos Pincluidos celebrates Latin and Hispanic heritage at Pinterest while building a supportive community. The group is open to all as “Todos Pincluidos” means everyone (p)included. We truly believe that together we are better.

Pilipinos

Pilipinos@ was established to create awareness and understanding of the Pilipino culture and issues, while connecting Pilipinos and our allies to others working in the tech industry. We are proud partners of Filipinos in Silicon Valley and Tech (FASTER) and SOMA Pilipinas.