The US Business Leadership Network (USBLN) has chosen UMass Medical School’s Work Without Limits (WWL) to become its Massachusetts affiliate, a designation that will expand efforts to promote and support disability inclusion among employers in the state.
“We are honored and excited to now be a part of the USBLN, an organization driving positive change across the nation,” WWL Director Kathleen A. Petkauskos said. “I am certain our collective effort will lead to greater diversity inclusion in Massachusetts.”
This partnership means the WWL Business-to-Business (B2B) Network has changed its name to the Massachusetts Business Leadership Network (MABLN). The MABLN is one of nearly 50 USBLN affiliates across the country.
Although the name has changed, the mission is the same. The MABLN will continue to be a network of employers from the public and private sectors committed to diversity and inclusion.
Members of the MABLN have access to educational programs, networking events and career fairs. The network also brings together employers to share best practices in the areas of:
- Attracting, recruiting and retaining employees with disabilities
- Marketing to and servicing customers with disabilities
- Including disability-owned businesses in supply chains
Membership ranges from individual professional memberships to corporate sponsorship packages, the latter of which includes rights to post on the WWL fully accessible online job board, Jobs Without Limits. There are currently MABLN chapters in Boston and the Central region of the state, with a third being developed in Western Massachusetts.
The WWL B2B Network, now the MABLN, was established in 2010 with a handful of leading employers seeking a network for peers to share disability inclusion challenges and best practices. Today, the network consists of 37 leading employer companies committed to including people with disabilities in their workplaces as employers, customers and vendors.
WWL is a statewide network of employers and partners dedicated to increase employment among individuals with disabilities. The Northeast Human Resources Association in February named WWL the 2016 Frank X. McCarthy Organizational Diversity Champion.
The USBLN is a national non-profit that helps business drive performance by leveraging disability inclusion in the workplace, supply chain, and marketplace. The USBLN represents more than 5,000 businesses.