Mitsubishi Electric and Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation (MEAF) have announced that senior director Kevin Webb has been appointed to the Consumer Technology Association Foundation (CTA Foundation) board. The foundation is the non-profit arm of the Consumer Electronics Association (CTA)®, which hosts the annual Consumer Electronics Show (CES).
With Webb’s appointment to the CTAF board, Mitsubishi Electric joins many of the world’s leading consumer electronic companies working to develop technologies to train and prepare those with disabilities for the job market to help close the talent gap in the high-tech industry.
“CTAF’s mission to provide seniors and people with disabilities with technologies to enhance their lives aligns with Mitsubishi Electric’s purpose to realize a truly sustainable global smart society,” said Kevin Webb, senior director, Sustainability & Social Impact for Mitsubishi Electric, and head of MEAF. “We eagerly look forward to collaborating with like-minded organizations such as CTAF and its members to further strengthen the pipeline of assistive technologies to aid those with differing abilities to maximize their potential and participation in society.”
In related news, Webb will appear on a CES 2024 panel entitled “The Future of Inclusive Design” to discuss the use of inclusive design to meet the needs of consumers with disabilities. Panel participants will cover timely tech innovations such as artificial intelligence, augmented reality and autonomous driving that offer the promise of increasing employment opportunities and independence for people with disabilities. Besides Mitsubishi Electric, the panel will feature representatives from Hello Alice, Teach Access and Verizon, and will occur at 1 p.m. on Thursday, January 11, at the Venetian, Level 4, Marcello 4404.
According to industry reports, only 38.3% of working-age people with disabilities are participating in the workforce, compared to 75.3% of working-age people without disabilities. Over 32 years, MEAF has contributed $23.4 million to organizations that develop curricula, learning technologies and corporate alliances to promote inclusive and quality education to empower youth with disabilities with access workforce training programs.
Examples of leading technology learning programs supported by MEAF include: Aspiritech’s Remote Employment Academy that trains and employs neurodiverse employees in quality assurance and the IT industry; Molding Workforce Inclusion, a collaborative project that leverages Blue Star Recyclers’ employment model to train other electronics and plastics recyclers how to recruit, accommodate and retain employees with disabilities; and NSITE’s Cisco®-certified 40-week training model that prepares individuals who are blind or visually impaired for careers in IT and cybersecurity.
MEAF’s work is part of Mitsubishi Electric’s broader environmental, social and governance (ESG) strategy to advance a global, sustainable smart society by using the power of the company’s people, processes, products and philanthropy to address societal challenges.
Carla Gaouette, Vice President of James Emmett & Co., a disability employment consultant, will join Webb at Mitsubishi Electric’s booth. Webb and Gaouette will host in-booth presentations on their involvement with the Molding Workforce Inclusion project, which has successfully connected jobseekers with disabilities to plastics companies and other employers nationwide.
