CAREERS
Bringing Our Full Selves to Work
This year marks the 30th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, so it’s the perfect time to reflect on how far we’ve come and appreciate the ingenuity that people with disabilities bring to our workplace. Cox is committed to building a culture that champions inclusion, read more about how we’re showing up.
Supporting Our People
At Cox, we celebrate National Disability Employment Awareness Month in October as part of our ongoing commitment to disability inclusion. We encouraged our people to commit to doing “Just One Thing” to advance disability inclusion and launched internal resources and events for our people to engage in building awareness.
As a result, our efforts have been recognized by Disability: IN, the leading nonprofit resource for business disability inclusion worldwide. Our high score of 80% on the 2020 Disability Equality Index (DEI) is a testament to our company’s emphasis on championing inclusion. It also serves as key benchmark we can use to gauge our year-over-year improvement.
We also are a strong supporter of the Bobby Dodd Institute, which connects people with disabilities and disadvantages to jobs.
Supporting our Customers
Cox Communications offers a suite of accessibility products such as big-button remotes and video description. And it has an Accessibility Team, dedicated to ensuring that our products, services and environments are accessible and usable for people with diverse abilities. Read on for a Q&A with CCI accessibility team members Ilene Albert, executive director, ancillary products and accessibility; Jennifer Ernest, director accessibility products; and Anastasia Kapetansky, associate product manager, accessibility products.
Q: This year marks the 30th Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act. What impact do you believe the ADA has had on life for people with disabilities?
Everything! It’s hard to imagine that only 30 years ago, buildings were not designed to accommodate people in a wheelchair, travel was difficult, businesses could refuse service to people with disabilities and any place of employment could refuse to hire someone because of their disability. The ADA changed that. It leveled the playing field for people with disabilities and ensured equal rights for the first time in history.
Q: What makes you most proud about the work that we have done at Cox to support disability inclusion for our customer and employees?
One of our favorite quotes from our company’s founder, Gov. James M. Cox, and one that aligns so closely to accessibility is this: “Ask yourself one question: is it right? Then do what you believe is right for your town, your state and your company.”
Today, we still live by his words. And our commitment to doing what’s right has helped us succeed and earn our reputation as a trusted provider, helping move our business forward. We’ve created a specialized accessibility call center for customers, and we’ve trained nearly 100% of our front-line employees on how to deliver customer service and communicate with people with disabilities. We’ve improved processes and brought awareness to our employees and customers of the importance of disability inclusion.
Q: What else would you like to share?
People with disabilities represent the largest minority group — and the only one any of us can become part of at any time. We believe that Accessibility features make better products and when you design for Accessibility – you’re making a better experience for everyone.
Want to read more stories like this or discover a day in the life at Cox? Check out our employee blog or search for open roles to learn more.