Nominations open for disability-friendly employers
OLYMPIA — Nominations are open for the 31st annual Governor’s Employer Awards, according to a statement from the Washington State Governor’s Committee on Disability Issues & Employment.
The GCDE Employer Awards program honors and celebrates the many and varied contributions Washington’s employers make to recruit, hire and advance workers with disabilities, the statement said, adding that diversity and inclusion policies are correlated with high performance, and create opportunities, improve performance and boost profit margins.
Three awards are presented to individuals, the statement said:
The Direct Support Professional Award honors a job coach or developer who has made significant achievements in the successful employment of workers with disabilities.
The Governor’s Trophy in Memory of Carolyn Blair Brown honors a person with a disability who has developed or influenced programs, services and legislation, resulting in positive outcomes enhancing the empowerment of individuals with disabilities in Washington state.
The Toby Olson Lifetime Achievement Award honors an individual who embodies the qualities and characteristics of the late Toby Olson. This person has made a lifetime commitment to addressing the inequities those with disabilities face in their community and at the state and national levels, and can demonstrate specific, direct actions dramatically changing the lives of those in the disability community.
“Washington state is known for our progressive stance on sustainable employability for all people," said Yvonne Bussler-White, GCDE's awards chair, wrote in the statement. "Our private, for-profit, and public employers support an environment based on equity, diversity, inclusion and anti-racism within our workforce. The GCDE Employer Awards bring together committed individuals that grow our workforce by finding new solutions, steering us towards equitable solutions and creating inclusive communities.”
The deadline to submit nominations is July 28, 2023. Nominations may be made online at https://bit.ly/3NQOuqj. Anyone who needs the submission form in a different format or needs additional assistance filling out the nomination submission form may email GCDEawards@esd.a.gov. Full nomination instructions are at https://bit.ly/3LNMXyq.
The GCDE Employer Awards ceremony will be on Oct. 6, 2023, at the Wenatchee Convention Center.