Welcome to the first edition of our newsletter. Each month, we'll bundle together the best of TechPACT to keep you up-to-date on our activity, share opportunities to get involved, and highlight other organizations making an impact on diversity for the technology community. 

We are thrilled to have you on-board. Together, we will break down the barriers to truly inclusive technology. 

DEIB Spotlight

As a community driven by our mission to reduce the digital divide and pursue representative diversity across race, gender, age and disability we are proud to shine a spotlight on our partners.  This week, we present Ablr 360. 

Ablr is a disability inclusion and accessibility organization, whose mission is to remove barriers for people with disabilities, which includes employment. To do this, Ablr launched Ablr Works, a workforce development program to provide customized trainings to help people who are blind qualify for tech-related roles.  

The first technical training offered by Ablr Works is the Ablr Accessibility Analyst Course (A3C), which prepares candidates to become digital accessibility analyst, and help organizations make their content, products, and applications Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) compliant.  

20-26% of the population are disabled. Are you ready to tap into this loyal market? Connect with an accessibility analyst today by contacting John Samuel at [email protected], or visit Ablr360 for more information.

 

Learn More

 

Live our +1 credo

 

TechPACT members act as force multipliers to improve diversity and equity, and nurture inclusion and belonging, across technology.  We do this by adding +1 to the things we do every day, because acceptance and tolerance is created by actively expanding our boundaries of understanding.   

How can you live our +1 credo? Read a book you wouldn't otherwise read, listen to a song you wouldn't otherwise listen to, or participate in an event you wouldn't otherwise attend.  Create opportunities by sponsoring a diverse colleague, adding a candidate from a non-traditional source to an interview slate, or working with a diverse supplier.

 

+1 Idea of the Month 

This month we partnered with Lead at Any Level to bring you tips for building a diverse, ever-expanding network that is representative of the workforce and community around you. You can only manage what you measure, and you can only see progress if you have a definite starting point.  

Amy C. Waninger and the Lead At Any Level team help organizations cultivate diversity and engage team members. As a result, your organization has a sustainable competitive advantage over other employers. Click the button below to watch the video and use the assessment grid to rate your network. 

 

Watch the Video

 

Get Involved

TechPACT is excited to announce the upcoming launch of our first mentoring cohort, which will pilot and shape our mentoring platform. 

Be a member of our First Fifty, the inaugural mentoring cohort that will directly shape our mentoring program. If you are interested in guiding student career aspirations, please message [email protected] for more information.  

 

Join the First 50

 

In case you missed it (ICYMI)

Stay Up to Date with TechPACT: 

TechPACT's latest Ignite! video featuring Ibrahim Jackson's story   

Design Accessibility Webcast featuring Ross Engelhardt and John Samuel  

Design Accessibility article: Helping one billion people and your business by Ross Engelhardt  

Impact Beyond the Diversity Headlines Research paper by Edward Wilson-Smythe and Earl Newsome  

Expressing our gratitude

FROM, The Digital Transformation Agency.    

FROM helps clients create new digital products for shopping, banking, travel and entertainment. They optimize existing platforms, to make them more engaging and to unify their customer experience – online and in store.   

We'd like to thank them for their tremendous support in helping TechPACT set-up our inaugural digital presence. 

Visit their Website to learn more about their services and how they can help you.  

The opportunities to create DEIB are numerous, and the impact of our collective action is endless. Do you have a DEIB idea? Tell us about it and get featured in our newsletter. 

 

Email Nicole