TD Bank Celebrates 10 Years of Recognition as a "Best Place to Work for Disability Inclusion"

Business Wire 16-Jul-2024 8:00 AM

TD Bank earns top score of 100 on 2024 Disability Equality Index^®, reflecting its commitment to the advancement of diversity, equity, and inclusion for over a decade.

TD Bank, America's Most Convenient Bank^®, today announced that for the 10^th consecutive year it has been recognized with a top score of 100 in the 2024 Disability Equality Index^®. TD's commitment to driving positive progress for disability inclusion continues to be a top priority, and this recognition reflects the Bank's longstanding mission to foster an inclusive future where everyone can thrive.

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TD Bank earns top score of 100 on 2024 Disability Equality Index®, reflecting its commitment to the advancement of diversity, equity, and inclusion for over a decade. (Photo: Business Wire)

The Disability Equality Index is an objective, reflective, forward-thinking, and confidential disability rating tool designed to assist business in advancing inclusion practices. It is a comprehensive benchmark that helps companies build a roadmap of measurable, tangible actions across five scored categories: Culture & Leadership, Enterprise-Wide Access, Employment Practices, Community Engagement, and Supplier Diversity. Participating companies receive a score, on a scale of zero (0) to 100, with those scoring 80 or higher earning the distinction of "Best Places to Work for Disability Inclusion" for the benchmark year.

"Achieving this milestone for 10 consecutive years is a testament to our continuous efforts to support and empower the diverse experiences of our colleagues and customers," said Chris Giamo, EVP, TD Bank Group, Head of Commercial Banking and Executive Sponsor for the People with Disabilities Area of Focus at TD Bank. "We believe that an inclusive workplace not only benefits our colleagues but also helps strengthen our organization and the communities that we serve."

With the expansion of the DEI globally to include seven new countries, TD also earned a top score of 100 in Canada on the Disability Equality Index in 2024, underscoring its long-standing commitment and progress to advancing disability inclusion across North America. The Bank is among the first organizations in Canada to earn this prestigious recognition.

"I'm incredibly proud of the work TD has done in Canada and across our business over the last two decades to help create more accessible spaces for our colleagues and customers, both at the Bank and within our community," said Paul Clark, Executive Vice President of TD Bank Group and Chair of the TD Disability Inclusion Network. "Diversity, equity, and inclusion are core to who we are and we are committed to continuing to remove barriers and drive progress for disability inclusion at the Bank."

"On the 10th anniversary of the Disability Equality Index, we're extremely proud of the 542 national and international companies that are taking a proactive role in leading progress towards disability inclusion, setting a benchmark for others to follow. Their dedication to fostering inclusive workplaces not only attracts top talent but also drives innovation and creates sustainable performance in today's global market. Together, we are creating a future where everyone can contribute and thrive," said Jill Houghton, President and CEO of Disability:IN.

A Commitment to Disability Inclusion

For more than a decade, TD Bank has been a driving force to advance inclusion and equity for its colleagues, customers, and communities through a wide range of initiatives. Most recently:

• TD was ranked No. 9 on Forbes' 2024 list of America's Best Employers for Diversity. This is the sixth consecutive year TD Bank has received this prestigious recognition.
• TD was also recognized by Fair360 as a Top 50 Company for workplace fairness in 2024, ranking No. 20. This is the 12th consecutive year TD Bank has been recognized as one of the nation's top companies for diversity inclusion.
• TD Bank is a proud host employer for Project SEARCH. Earlier this year, TD celebrated the achievements of its seventh graduating class. Project SEARCH is a national program that helps adult students with intellectual and developmental disabilities transition into the workplace. The one-year program provides classroom instruction, career exploration and job skills training through three 10-week internship rotations.
• TD continues to work with Specialisterne, a hiring program designed to increase representation of people with autism or similar neurodiversities in the workforce. Specialisterne aims to harness their unique talents and position them as competitive advantages to secure meaningful employment.
• In 2023, TD launched the fourth Enabling Leaders cohort, created for colleagues who identify as having a disability. This comprehensive leadership communications program empowers participants to hone their leadership capability to achieve their full potential.
• In October 2023, TD co-formed a global cross-industry CMO & CCO Coalition with Accenture, one powered by Disability:IN to accelerate disability inclusion across the marketing and communications industries. Tyrrell Schmidt, Chief Marketing Officer of TD Bank Group, recently joined the Coalition to drive positive impact in the advancement of disability inclusion across industries. Tyrrell has been a long-time champion of disability inclusion, currently sits on the Board of Directors for Achilles International and is committed to helping drive progress forward by joining the Coalition.
• In September 2023, TD launched its accessibility browser plug-in, TD Accessibility Adapter, to the public at no cost. The tool, which enables users to personalize their online experience tied to individual accessibility preferences, includes accessibility features such as reading guides, adjustable font size, dark mode, a dyslexia-friendly font and monochrome mode.
• TD proudly supports local and national organizations to promote inclusion, and 2024 marked the 15^th anniversary of TD Bank's annual Special Olympics fundraising campaign. Since the campaign's inception in 2009, over $12 million have been raised in support of vital community programming to empower athletes with disabilities.
• TD is also the presenting sponsor of the annual Achilles Hope and Possibility® 4M Road Race, proudly supporting Achilles International and their mission to empower people to achieve their full potential, based solely on their strengths and abilities. Achilles Hope & Possibility® 4M is among the world's largest road races supporting people living with disabilities, with a record number of participants this year.
• TD continues to amplify the voices and lived experiences of people with disabilities by sharing the stories of TD colleagues and customers who bring their unique talents and whole selves to work each day to further bolster disability inclusion.

About the Disability Equality Index^®

The Disability Equality Index has become the leading independent, third-party resource for the annual benchmarking of corporate disability inclusion policies and programs, and is now trusted by more than 70% of the United States Fortune 100 and nearly half of the Fortune 500. Such companies must increasingly consider how emerging global reporting directives and stakeholder expectations surrounding social and corporate governance factors impact their operational, cultural, reputational and financial performance.

Findings from a two-year Global Disability Equality Index pilot informed the launch of a scored benchmark that opened in 2024 to seven new countries in addition to the United States. These include: Brazil, Canada, Germany, India, Japan, the Philippines, and the United Kingdom. Now in its 10^th year, the Disability Equality Index has grown nearly 7x since 2015, expanding from 80 companies in its first year to 541 in 2024. Collectively, the 2024 edition received 748 submissions spanning the eight benchmarked countries.

About TD Bank, America's Most Convenient Bank^®

TD Bank, America's Most Convenient Bank, is one of the 10 largest banks in the U.S. by assets, providing over 10 million customers with a full range of retail, small business and commercial banking products and services at more than 1,100 convenient locations throughout the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, Metro D.C., the Carolinas and Florida. In addition, TD Auto Finance, a division of TD Bank, N.A., offers vehicle financing and dealer commercial services. TD Bank and its subsidiaries also offer customized private banking and wealth management services through TD Wealth^®. TD Bank is headquartered in Cherry Hill, N.J. To learn more, visit www.td.com/us. Find TD Bank on Facebook at www.facebook.com/TDBank and on Instagram at www.instagram.com/TDBank_US/.

TD Bank is a subsidiary of The Toronto-Dominion Bank, a top 10 North American bank. The Toronto-Dominion Bank trades on the New York and Toronto stock exchanges under the ticker symbol "TD". To learn more, visit www.td.com/us.

About TD Bank Group

The Toronto-Dominion Bank and its subsidiaries are collectively known as TD Bank Group ("TD" or the "Bank"). TD is the sixth largest bank in North America by assets and serves over 27.5 million customers in four key businesses operating in a number of locations in financial centres around the globe: Canadian Personal and Commercial Banking, including TD Canada Trust and TD Auto Finance Canada; U.S. Retail, including TD Bank, America's Most Convenient Bank®, TD Auto Finance U.S., TD Wealth (U.S.), and an investment in The Charles Schwab Corporation; Wealth Management and Insurance, including TD Wealth (Canada), TD Direct Investing, and TD Insurance; and Wholesale Banking, including TD Securities and TD Cowen. TD also ranks among the world's leading online financial services firms, with more than 17 million active online and mobile customers. TD had $1.97 trillion in assets on April 30, 2024. The Toronto-Dominion Bank trades under the symbol "TD" on the Toronto and New York Stock Exchanges.

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