About Us

For over forty years, NOD has fought to create a more inclusive and equitable society where people with and without disabilities have equal opportunity to find work, earn a fair wage, and advance in their career. Through our proprietary tools and resources, data analysis, hands-on support, and thought leadership, we have achieved real change and positively impacted millions.

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We give businesses the tools they need to create welcoming, accommodating workplaces. Companies that have improved their inclusion of people with disabilities over time were four times more likely to have total shareholder returns that outperform those of their peer group.

of Americans have a disability

of Americans with disabilities are employed

of disabilities are non-visible

Text reads "when I was in school I had never seen anyone in a wheelchair." Alan Reich speaking at the podium in front of the UN General Assembly

NOD was founded in 1982 by Alan Reich, a former Deputy Secretary of State who sustained severe spinal injuries in a diving accident at the age of 32. He then became an early advocate for disability and years later founded the National Organization on Disability. Alan was the first person to address the United Nations from a wheelchair. In four decades, we have built and evolved his model to help create a world where people with disabilities can achieve dignity through equitable opportunity.