Chicago Innovation recognized Disability Lead at their 23rd annual Chicago Innovation Awards. The Chicago Innovation Awards is the region’s foremost recognition of the most innovative new products or services. Of the 350 nominees, Disability Lead was among the two winners in the Social Innovator Award category.
The 2024 winners are solving unmet needs and making a difference in healthcare, finance, the environment, artificial intelligence, education, consumer products, energy, manufacturing, social services, economic development, food, and government. Tom Kuczmarski, who co-founded the awards with Chicago journalist Dan Miller, said that the Chicago region continues to be a global leader in innovation.
What was our innovation? We are our innovation. Our unique model exemplifies the power of investing in leaders with disabilities, promoting disability inclusion and justice, and the ripple effects of those efforts across society. The Americans With Disabilities Act, passed in 1990, was historic and had an indelible impact on the lives of disabled people across the country. A great start, but much more is needed to achieve equity for disabled people. Traditional (and necessary!) approaches have relied on social services and advocacy. Disability Lead was established to fill a gap – that is the missing piece in achieving equity for disabled people through intentional leadership development and building a network of leaders to serve in positions of power and influence.
After nearly 10 years, 220+ Members, and nearly1,000 connections made for our Members to date, Disability Lead champions an innovative approach to increase civic engagement and diverse leadership. We have a proven track record of shifting power to people with disabilities. We support our members through active identification of and promotion to leadership roles, thus improving disability representation and increasing equity and inclusion for disabled professionals.
Disability Lead is the only organization in the country specifically focused on building power and influence among professionals with disabilities. Soon, Chicago won’t be the only region to benefit from our model as we expand across the country, starting in the Pittsburgh region and Southwest Pennsylvania (SWPA).
Our Executive Director, Emily Blum, accepted the award on behalf of our dynamic Network, board of directors, and staff onstage at the UIC Forum on Thursday, November 14.
The complete list of this year’s Chicago Innovation Award winners can be found at www.chicagoinnovation.com.