Brightshores Health System and its five supporting Foundations participated in National Disability Employment Awareness Month through Light It Up! For NDEAM! on October 17.
Brightshores is the first health system to participate in Light It Up! For NDEAM in Canada. All Brightshores locations were illuminated with purple and blue lighting to share awareness of National Disability Employment Awareness Month.
“Brightshores is proud to participate in Light It Up! For NDEAM. We are a large employer in the Grey Bruce region and we are committed to inclusion, equity and diversity at every level. It was a powerful image to see our health system lit purple and blue,” said Ann Ford, President & CEO of Brightshores Health System.
This initiative began five years ago and has grown to a national campaign. Across Canada on October 17, monuments and organizations shone purple and blue lights on their facilities to spark conversation around equitable employment.
“Light It Up! For NDEAM is much more than a one-night, co-ordinated lighting event to raise awareness about disability inclusion in employment,” explained Jeannette Campbell, CEO of the Ontario Disability Employment Network (ODEN). “It’s a national movement that ignites continuing conversation about why businesses need to make all the connections to disability inclusion, and fully embrace it. Every Light It Up! for NDEAM participating location on the list represents a conversation about disability-inclusive hiring that’s happened. It’s exciting to have, for the first time, an entire hospital network involved. The enthusiastic, all-out, first-time participation by Brightshores Health System clearly demonstrates that they’re making sure disability is part of the DEI conversation. Too often, it’s left out.”
