View From the Chair

"Disability inclusion is no longer about automatic doors, curb cuts, ramps, and legislation. These historic efforts were essential at the time and represented the thinking and necessary change required for people with disabilities in the 20th Century. "Today, the new era of disability inclusion is about “assimilation” – – hiring professionals with disabilities into the robust culture of the firm. "Full assimilation requires a leadership team with the will, commitment and attitude to identify, train and groom professionals with disabilities for leadership positions at the firm as we do with mainstream employees." Read the full article by clicking this link at:   JPMorgan Chase.

As I roll across the streets of New York City each day, I pass many people and see quite a few folks with disabilities. All of them are going about their business or just walking on a pleasant Fall day in September. Web photo, 56th and First Ave. I've drawn inspiration in NYC to write about the people I see with disabilities and others, particularly on one recent Sunday morning. I was going across 56th Street and First Avenue with my wife, Maggie, to buy coffee from Dunkin' Donuts . She got an iced coffee, French Vanilla flavor, and I had my first cup of the Pumpkin Spice coffee of the season, which I try to buy every year - - and drink it as often as I can. Of course, it's decaffeinated. As I waited outside for Maggie, my back was turned to the street. I was reading a menu on the window of the Sutton Diner. While looking at the breakfast menu, I noted the reasonable prices for omelettes and other tasty meals for a Sunday morning. We'll see if we can get over

R. Nadal [web photo] My wife and I went to the U.S. Open on Wednesday, August 31, to watch an evening match featuring Rafael Nadal and Andrew Seppi. Over the years, Maggie and I have purchased "disabled seating tickets" to the event, as we did this year, in Queens, where the   U.S. Open Tennis Center is located. But as some of the readers know, I am now living in Manhattan, New York. A. Seppi [web photo] When I can’t walk to work, which is about nine blocks, or half a mile away from our apartment, I use the new accessible taxicabs, and order a car through Accessible Dispatch , via the WOW taxi app on my Apple iphone, which as their website mentions, is part of MetroTaxi. I love the service and it has been reliable in the borough of Manhattan. In addition, a cab will even drop me off in any of the five boroughs, such as Queens, the Bronx, Staten Island, and Brooklyn. But there's an exception, which I missed, and is not readily apparent, even to my

I know, I know. It's been a while since  I posted here, but it's for a good reason. A year ago this month, a business colleague and friend, Deb Dagit , an icon in the disability leadership landscape, called and told me about a new position and strategy JP Morgan Chase had posted on their employment website. At the time, I was with my wife, Maggie, at an outdoor pool in Kingston, Massachusetts, watching my two lovely grand daughters, now ages one and two, in the pool with my daughter. It was a lovely August morning, and as many of the readers of this blog recall, I was recently retired from IBM. Deb said, "Jim, just take a look at the job description and position, I know you're retired. But it's worth a look, this job is different." We talked for another five or 10 minutes, and I hesitated, then said, "Ok, I'll give it a read and call you back, I appreciate you flagging this and thinking of me." I took a deep breath and rolled back to w