Interview with Jim Sinocchi of Disability Inclusion Strategies, LLC -- By Inclusion at Work by No Limits Media

 Click below for Podcast Link to Spotify



:https://open.spotify.com/episode/7c3OGLYEp5JpSyvPesyEmh?si=WE3jJs14TKCVqGGpv7Fobw



Jim Sinocchi has a 40-year history with disability inclusion strategies since 1976, when he joined the IBM Corporation. After his retirement, he joined JP Morgan Chase in 2016.

Jim spent 6 years with the bank as its first head of the “Office of Disability Inclusion.” He established policies and strategies to oversee and provide accommodations, accessibility and assimilation solutions for employees with disabilities worldwide.  He also led, created and developed business processes, to ensure people with disabilities would assimilate into the bank’s robust culture, whether joining as a new employee or as a current employee at the firm. 

During his tenure with the bank, Jim worked closely with senior managers to develop consistent policies and strategies across JPMorgan Chase & Co. that better supported employees with disabilities. This work was done with employees, managers and executives – including senior executives -- who were essential to the success of the mission to include disability as an equal platform within the diversity, equity and business inclusion model.

Background: Jim sustained a spinal cord injury early in his business career while employed with IBM at the age of 25. He made championing the “abilities” of people with disabilities an imperative in his life. Throughout his career, he actively created awareness and understanding of disability inclusion through his blog, “View From the Chair.”   He has served on several boards, including Jawonio, Respectability, The Viscardi Center, and others during his activism.  

At IBM, Jim served as the corporate communications director for IBM's diversity workforce communications organization, working with disability advocates to ensure the company was a technology leader and employer of choice for the disability community. 

Jim holds a Master’s degree in Public Administration from New York University and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Colgate University. He is married to his wife Maggie, and boasts a son and daughter, and their two grandchildren.                                                                                                




--


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Veronique: The passing of a quad's best friend -- 2007-2019

Image
Veronique, a certified service dog, died this morning to due complications with cancer in Pembroke, Massachusetts. . Veronique was with us for 10 years-- I got her when she was two.  I've included a previous post about Veronique, below, when I was trained to become her "handler" at the Canine Companions Training Center in Medford, Long Island (New York). She became a member of our family and was a favorite with our two children and granddaughters. Her passing touched my wife and I deeply, and I didn't realize how much emotion --love-- one could feel for a pet as we did for Veronique. Every time I pushed the start button on my power chair, Veronique would come to attention and accompany me as I began my ride to any destination a wheelchair could get to -- as well as ride with me in any mode of transportation that was accessible. She gave me confidence, helped me become more social -- everyone loves a service dog-- and taught me how to be more
Read more

It Turned Out All Right: Part III

Image
This article was written for the Mount Sinai School of Medicine spinal cord injury newsletter. A PDF of the full article will appear on the website in the next few weeks.      Part III: Starting Over When I returned to work at IBM in May 1982 -- 17 months after my surfing accident -- I really didn't know whether I could be a productive employee again. I don't believe my new management team knew either. But my former IBM manager, John Perissi, had encouraged me to come back to work -- and my new management team was willing to give me a chance. My greatest concerns had to do not with whether I could do the job, but with whether I would fall out of my wheelchair or suffer some other embarrassment in my office. I'm still concerned about that. But I now can handle the fear psychologically because my confidence has improved. Confidence. It was the key to my comeback. As my confidence in myself grew, my performance at work -- and my capacity for work -- improved. I made
Read more

Apple Watch "Bytes" into Accessibility

Image
My wife bought the Apple Watch for me on my 60th birthday. The fact that I have a high-tech device, literally at my "paralyzed fingertips" to do basic social media activities is a 21st century breakthrough for me! More than that, the Apple Watch provides me with a sense of security and independence I never had until now - - in more than 34 years of paralysis - - 35 next month. With the watch on my wrist I no longer have to wear a "lanyard," affixed to my iPhone 6 , and around my neck. I don't worry about the dangling phone getting caught on the edge of my dining room table or falling into my soup dish anymore. When the phone rings I can use my paralyzed finger to answer it and speak normally. I can send messages, call my family, friends and other business and medical professionals listed in my iPhone. Apple Watch on my paralyzed closed hand . I can send or answer a message with the touch of my finger or answer with several preset messages usin
Read more