National Grid Disability Affinity Resource Group
The newly formed Enabling group has three objectives:
®
Advise the businesses on how to create a more inclusive workplace in which the full abilities of all employees are unleashed, positioning National Grid as a workplace of choice among applicants with disabilities;
® Provide recommendations on fostering a flexible work/life environment for employees who are caregivers for individuals with disabilities;
® Raise awareness of issues impacting customers with disabilities and how National Grid can best serve this community.
Enabling was officially launched on October 28, 2009 during National Disability Employment Awareness Month. The launch, via videoconference, allowed employees from across the company to participate from multiple National Grid offices in Massachusetts, New York, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island.
Approximately 150 employees attended the launch, emceed by John Cochrane, National Grid Director, Global Business Development and Mergers and Acquisitions and the executive sponsor of Enabling. The event featured presentations by National Grid employees and others, including:
·
Judy Hirsch, EEO/Diversity Specialist, provided U.S. demographic data on people with disabilities and suggestions for creating a more inclusive work environment;
· Bill Sherry, Director of U.S. Employee Volunteerism, spoke on behalf of employees who are caregivers for children with disabilities;
· Tom Corbett, Senior Supervisor, Print/Mail Services, shared details of his participation in Disability Mentoring Day;
· Miguel Santos, a Consumer Advocate at National Grid, described the many services National Grid provides to customers who have disabilities;
· Graduate student Daniel Pieroni, son of a National Grid employee, shared his experiences as a young man with cerebral palsy starting his career and the issues he has faced during his job search.
To achieve its objectives, Enabling’s planning committee is organizing a series of events to raise awareness among National Grid employees. To learn more about National Grid's Enabling Employee Resource Group, please contact Judy Hirsch at Judy.Hirsch@us.ngrid.com.
*National Grid’s Employee Resource Groups include: Alliance of Black Professionals, Asian Leadership Association, Hispanic Leadership Organization, Native American Indians, NewNet (for new employees), Veterans Resource Group, One (Diverse Community), Faith at Work, Pride and Women in Networks.
National Grid is an international energy delivery company. In the U.S., National Grid delivers electricity to approximately 3.3 million customers in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York and Rhode Island, and manages the electricity network on Long Island under an agreement with the Long Island Power Authority (LIPA). It is the largest distributor of natural gas in the northeastern U.S., serving approximately 3.4 million customers in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York and Rhode Island. National Grid also owns over 4,000 megawatts of contracted electricity generation that provides power to over one million LIPA customers.
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