March is Developmental Disability Awareness Month – a time to highlight the successes and challenges of people living with developmental disabilities and the organizations supporting  them, their families and communities. At Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota, associates have long supported these nonprofits through volunteer work, educational sessions and financial contributions.

The Associate Resource Group (ARG) known as Mosaic acts as a safe community for associates and their allies impacted by disabilities.  It has built strong partnerships with several nonprofits across Minnesota to support their work and the patients and families they serve. Mosaic has supported these partnerships by hosting educational events and offering volunteer opportunities for associates, as well as advocating for independent living through sponsored events.

“Mosaic’s mission to advance diversity and inclusion is a common thread with each of these nonprofits,” says Kristin Dosan, a manager in network management consulting and a co-chair of Mosaic. “Ensuring this alignment with our partners is vital as we strive to reach Mosaic’s goals of creating internal awareness, enhancing community, and creating a measurable footprint within our organization for attracting, hiring and retaining associates who identify as having disabilities.”

Here are some of the nonprofits Mosaic has supported in recent months

Lifeworks – Founded in 1965, Lifeworks serves more than 2,900 Minnesotans with disabilities and their families, along with more than 400 businesses. The organization works to “remove  barriers and increase access to employment opportunities, leading to a more diverse workforce in Minnesota.” It offers a variety of culturally appropriate programs and services to support these Minnesotans, including financial, employment, in-home and day services, transportation and music therapy.

Fraser – Fraser is Minnesota’s largest, most experienced provider of autism and early childhood mental health services. It was founded in 1935 as the Home Study School for children with special needs. Today, Fraser consists of seven clinics across the Twin Cities metro, serving people with more than 110 disabilities and disorders. It provides evaluations, assessments and services for autism, mental health, pediatric therapy and neuropsychology. It focuses on care tailored specifically to the patient and their family. In 2020, Blue Cross associates created occupational therapy telehealth kits for Fraser patients to use in conjunction with virtual visits during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Autism Society of Minnesota (AuSM) – The Autism Society of Minnesota works to support and enhance the lives of people and families affected by autism spectrum disorder. Founded in 1971, the organization supports Minnesotans at all stages of their lives “with a fundamental commitment to advocacy, education, support, collaboration and community building.” It offers a variety of therapy programs, educational classes and camps. It also organizes a variety of workshops, conferences and fundraisers throughout the year to raise money and awareness.

Incorporating disability awareness into racial and health equity

Organizers of the Mosaic ARG say it’s important to include disability awareness into Blue Cross’ overall strategies focused on racial and health equity, along with diversity, equity and inclusion.

“From our perspective, it’s important as a community to recognize the stereotypes and/or misconceptions that can be brought on by a diagnosis, and not seeing people as their disability but independent from that,” says Erin Trapp, a principal operations vendor performance analyst and co-chair of Mosaic. “Disability is a diverse identity group – no two people experience disability the same way. Disability is the most intersectional of all minority groups.”

Erin and Kristin say the best ways for associates to show support are through volunteer opportunities, contributing during company-sponsored fundraising events and talking with others about these organizations to help promote awareness.