Friday, July 25, 2008

Doing It Right


About a year ago, I posted a blog about Walgreens Drug Stores and their commitment to hiring people with disabilities. In that earlier blog, I wrote, “I do have to wonder if Walgreens would be making such a strong effort were it not for the fact that the son of the senior vice president had autism. Would the company have been so progressive if no one at the top had a life touched by disability? When we move to the next level, when companies do something similar because it is the right thing to do and not just a response to a personal involvement, then real progress will have been made.”.

I attended a training session earlier this week, the subject of which was making the workplace accessible for people with many different kinds of disabilities. During the training session, Walgreens was presented as a company that was ‘doing the right thing.’ Specific examples were cited and interviews with Walgreen’s employees were presented as evidence.

Now I’m convinced that Walgreens’ efforts are sincere and not just a response to the experiences of one senior vice president. After hearing the interviews of employees, I sense a real commitment throughout the entire organization. It’s amazing to witness the cultural change in the organization, and the words I heard were more than just words – they are solid beliefs in the ability of every person to contribute to the whole.

I’m including the original link I shared on the Walgreen’s story. Please take a few moments to view the two video clips included with the story. If today is a day that you need reaffirmation that there is still ‘good’ in this society of ours, you will find it in this story.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Very good news. It is interesting too since they have had a very bad reputation for filling scripts so quickly they have been making deadly mistakes. Hopefully they are improving there as well.

Ashley's Mom said...

Marla, I had not heard that about Walgreens. I have used them for years and never had a problem. Where did you hear about the problems? I would love to find out more...