In a breakthrough for executives and managers with disabilities, the UCLA Anderson School of Management launches its Leadership Institute for Managers with Disabilities Nov. 12–16.

 

The five-day program, offered through the school's Office of Executive Education, will examine promotion and career-advancement issues affecting these professionals and will address relevant leadership and community-specific topics.

 

"This program will move the goal posts of the current employer–activist debate away from recruitment, hiring and retention of people with disabilities," said Laurie Dowling, the new institute's faculty co-director. "Instead, the dialogue will be about how to self-facilitate one's promotion as an executive with disabilities up the corporate career ramp."

 

Developed with leading thinkers well-versed in the experiences of people with disabilities in the workplace, the institute will help participants maximize their personal, professional and organizational potential through enhanced teamwork and leadership skills. Participants will learn to think, lead and manage in ways that celebrate their individual attributes and perspectives, while also boosting their positions within their organizations.

 

"We must have 'out and proud' disabled executives willing to distinguish themselves as role models," said John D. Kemp, executive director and general counsel to the U.S. Business Leadership Network, a founding organization of the institute. "This program offers an opportunity to nurture our culture of disability and protect and enhance the identity of people with disabilities at all levels of a corporation."

 

The institute represents a logical and timely addition to UCLA Anderson's renowned Leadership Suite series, which offer programs for African American, Latino, female, and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender managers. The programs are designed to help participants maximize their potential, while holding fast to the principle that building a truly diverse workforce will have a positive impact on the bottom line of any organization.

 

Founding organizations of the institute include AIG, AOL, AT&T, DiversityInc, Fannie Mae, Google, IBM, Merck, Microsoft Corp., Motorola, the U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Disability Employment Policy, PepsiCo, the Society for Human Resource Management, Union Bank of California and the U.S. Business Leadership Network. The institute has been funded in part by federal funds from the Office of Disability Employment Policy.

 

The UCLA Anderson School's Office of Executive Education Programs offers an array of intensive certificate programs for executives, managers and other professionals, hosting nearly 2,000 participants annually from some 50 countries. Incorporating the most recent innovations in management education, each program provides perspective on global management, leadership and strategic thinking — invaluable tools in today's ever-changing information economy. Custom programs can also be designed to meet organizations' specific business objectives. The Office of Executive Education Programs relies heavily on UCLA Anderson's acclaimed faculty, which includes some of the most outstanding educators and researchers from the academic and business worlds.

 

The UCLA Anderson School of Management, established in 1935, is regarded among the very best business schools in the world. UCLA Anderson faculty are ranked No. 1 in "intellectual capital" by BusinessWeek magazine and are renowned for their teaching excellence and research in advancing management thinking. Each year, UCLA Anderson provides management education to more than 1,600 students enrolled in M.B.A., Executive M.B.A., fully-employed M.B.A. and doctoral programs, and to more than 2,000 professional managers through executive education programs. Combining highly selective admissions, varied and innovative learning programs, and a worldwide network of 35,000 alumni, UCLA Anderson develops and prepares global leaders.