July 14. Novant Health has been recognized as one of the “Best Places to Work for Disability Inclusion” by Disability:IN and the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD). The health care system received a perfect score on the Disability Equality Index (DEI), a comprehensive benchmarking tool that gauges an organization’s level of disability workplace inclusion relative to other businesses.

Novant Health received a score of 100 percent in 2021, up from 80 percent in 2020.

Novant Health initiatives include:

—Using clear masks when communicating with individuals who are deaf or hard-of-hearing.

—Forming the Persons with Abilities business resource group to help understand the needs of persons with disabilities in our workforce, patient population and the communities we serve.

—Making communication aid kits and interpreter services available at our acute care facilities and clinics to help patients with special communications needs.

—Offering an internship experience for students ages 18 to 21 with developmental disabilities at Novant Health Brunswick Medical Center through a partnership with Project SEARCH.

—Launching a pilot program to provide volunteer opportunities to teens and adults with disabilities.

—Creating a companywide digital accessibility policy committed to making digital properties like the Novant Health website accessible to persons with disabilities.

Globally, people with disabilities represent over 1 billion people.