Overview
(July 18, 2019, Washington, DC) — Steptoe has been named one of the 2019 Best Places to Work for Disability Inclusion by the Disability Equality Index® (DEI). Maintaining a high score of 90%, Steptoe remains the only law firm rated on the list.
The DEI is a joint initiative of Disability:IN and the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD). Launched in 2015, the DEI is the most comprehensive disability inclusion assessment tool designed and embraced by both business leaders and disability advocates. The DEI gives businesses the tools they need to analyze their environment, identify opportunities for improvement, and utilize their disability inclusion strategy as a competitive advantage. The 2019 DEI measured inclusion criteria including: culture & leadership; enterprise-wide access; employment practices (benefits, recruitment, employment, education, retention & advancement, accommodations); community engagement; and supplier diversity.
Steptoe's flagship Washington office integrates accessibility best practices throughout its design. Every floor of the LEED Silver compliant space is single-planed with elevators, permanent ramps and multiple mobility and egress measures in place. They include height-adjustable desks, wide passageways, accessible facilities and restrooms, some that are private and gender-neutral, and an advanced building emergency management system with detailed plans and crisis team members on each floor who can alert first responders of individuals who may require additional assistance during a fire evacuation or other emergency.
All of Steptoe's workspaces are in professionally managed buildings that are ADA compliant. The firm exceeds that baseline by having an ergonomics program in place, and providing additional assistive technologies, software and hardware as needed. Human Resources and Facilities Departments work in tandem to provide a comfortable, accessible and operational workplace for all employees with diverse needs and abilities.
Steptoe's pro bono program also provides legal services that specifically focus on disability. The firm's lawyers regularly work with clients suffering from disabling mental and physical health conditions to obtain public benefits crucial to securing and maintaining housing, an adequate food supply, and other life necessities.
Now in its fifth year, the DEI continues to see an increase in year after year participation with the number of top-scoring companies, more than tripling to 156 in 2019, signaling a steady growth in disability inclusion across all industries.
Steptoe was honored by American Association of People with Disabilities Board Chair Ted Kennedy, Jr. on July 17 at the Disability:IN annual conference in Chicago.
For more information, please visit the Disability Equality Index website.
About Steptoe
In more than 100 years of practice, Steptoe has earned an international reputation for vigorous representation of clients before governmental agencies, successful advocacy in litigation and arbitration, and creative and practical advice in structuring business transactions. Steptoe has more than 500 lawyers and other professional staff across offices in Beijing, Brussels, Chicago, London, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, and Washington. For more information, visit www.steptoe.com.