Assurant CEO Signs Disability:IN Letter on Disability Inclusion

May 16, 2023 at 08:30 AM EDT

Assurant, Inc. (NYSE: AIZ), a leading global business services company that supports, protects and connects major consumer purchases, announced that president and CEO Keith Demmings has signed the Disability:IN CEO Letter on Disability Inclusion. CEOs who sign the letter commit to benchmarking their company’s disability inclusion journey with the Disability Equality Index, which is designed for companies and their senior leaders to build inclusive, accessible, and equitable workplaces.

“Our workforce is stronger when it represents the people we serve, which includes people of all abilities,” said Keith Demmings, president and CEO, Assurant. “People with disabilities are an underemployed global population representing more than one billion or 15 percent of all people¹. We have an opportunity to bring this diversity of thought and ideas to Assurant and help tap into their full potential for the benefit of all of our stakeholders.”

Assurant takes pride in maintaining a safe and inclusive workplace for employees with disabilities through policies, programs, and advocacy like the following:

Accommodations that allow employees to perform at their full potential: Out of the hundreds of accommodation requests made last year, 90 percent were approved;
Increasing understanding and awareness through events and training: Nearly 2,000 employees from around the world joined an event to learn more about what it means to make Assurant a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive workplace for people with disabilities. We followed up with DEI training focused on disability inclusion; and
Creating opportunities for inclusion in employment: The “STARS” program hires and connects employees with disabilities to job opportunities at Assurant Device Care Centers, which specialize in light manufacturing, including mobile phone trade-in, repair and logistics. Employees who join Assurant through this program all receive compensation and benefits in line with standard hiring processes and receive appropriate accommodations and support to be successful in the workplace.
Leadership advocacy for disability inclusion: Assurant’s Chief Administrative Officer, Francesca Luthi, has advocated for disability inclusion in the workplace both internally and externally.

In 2023, Assurant will advance its commitment to creating an inclusive and equitable workplace for people with disabilities through the following:

Recognizing National Disability Employment Awareness Month with the launch of an Employee Resource Group (ERG) for people with disabilities called Abilities@Assurant;
Offering “Valuing All Abilities in the Workplace” and “Understanding Neurodiversity” learning and development courses covering guidelines about disability etiquette, inclusive language, and neurodivergence; and
Supporting mental health awareness through Take Time to Talk Today and partnering with its Veterans@Assurant ERG to provide mental health resources.

“We congratulate Keith Demmings for joining IN and signing the CEO Letter on Disability Inclusion,” says Jill Houghton, president and CEO of Disability:IN. “Inclusive leadership drives sustainable growth and performance by including the estimated one billion people around the world with a disability. We look forward to working together in building an inclusive economy for all.”

About Assurant

Assurant, Inc. (NYSE: AIZ) is a leading global business services company that supports, protects and connects major consumer purchases. A Fortune 500 company with a presence in 21 countries, Assurant supports the advancement of the connected world by partnering with the world’s leading brands to develop innovative solutions and to deliver an enhanced customer experience through mobile device solutions, extended service contracts, vehicle protection services, renters insurance, lender-placed insurance products and other products. Learn more at assurant.com or on Twitter @Assurant.

About Disability:IN

Disability:IN is the leading nonprofit resource for business disability inclusion worldwide. Partnering with nearly 500 corporations, Disability:IN expands opportunities for people with disabilities across industries. The organization and 25 affiliates raise a collective voice of positive change for people with disabilities in business. Through its programs and services, Disability:IN empowers businesses to achieve disability inclusion and equality, with the goal of advancing inclusion to the point when the organization is no longer necessary. Learn more at: www.disabilityin.org.

¹ World Health Organization