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April 14, 2021 19 mins

When businesses want to hire people with disabilities, a lot of things can get in the way: from building accessibility and workplace accommodations to understanding disability benefits and how to work with outside providers like the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation (DVR), IRIS or Family Care. Today’s podcast guests know all about these obstacles, both from inside the business and out. This episode features the mother and son team, Mary and Sam Dess! Mary is a consultant at Northwestern Mutual, one of Wisconsin’s largest employers. Mary helped to found Northwestern Mutual’s Disability Alliance Employee Resource Group and is watching them increase their hiring of people with disabilities. Mary’s efforts are informed by her experiences alongside her son Sam, who is successfully employed and working on big career goals. Sam also has some great advice to share in this episode! 

Thank You to Old National Bank
This podcast episode has been brought to you by Old National Bank - a Leading Disability Employer.

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