American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD)

June 2015 - The American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD) is currently seeking a new President and CEO to advance attainment of the organization’s vision, “to develop the inherent power of people with disabilities to be both a political and economic force.” While they are looking for a new leader, the AAPD Board of Directors is temporarily relying on long-time disability rights advocate and former Executive Vice President, Helena Berger, as the Acting President and CEO of the organization.

May 2014 – The American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD) and the US Business Leadership Network (USBLN) have announced the release of an online “benchmarking tool” that rates a company’s effectiveness regarding implementations of policies that promote the inclusion of people with disabilities. The online tool, known formally as the Annual Disability Equality Index (DEI), was tested as a pilot in March 2014 with 48 Fortune 1000 companies.

December 2013 — The American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD) announced the release of the 2013 Compendium of Disability Statistics, a web-based tool that pools disability statistics published by various federal agencies.  The Compendium is meant to serve as a tool for researchers and policy makers by providing accessible data to help support “decisions related to policy improvements, program administration, service delivery, protection of civil rights and major life activities.”  Findings from the 2013 Compendium highlight that the employment gap between people with and witho