The Blind Institute of Technology (BIT), a Denver-based organization dedicated to educating companies on how to hire and cultivate success for the blind and visually impaired (BVI), will recognize OppenheimerFunds, the global asset manager, at its third annual Dining in the Dark Gala on January 27, 2018 at Infinity Park in Glendale, Colorado.

In 2015, OppenheimerFunds and BIT commenced building a pilot program to recruit and retain talent drawn from the BVI community. OppenheimerFunds sought to develop a best-in-class diversity and inclusion program that could be scalable across the firm. The first step was for BIT to conduct a review of select departments’ technology and training materials and provide recommendations for making these accessible and optimized for the disabled.

"Clearly OppenheimerFunds is a firm committed to creating truly solutions-oriented People With Disabilities programs, and recognizes the untapped talent that exists within the BVI community. We are happy to leverage our expertise in training and inclusive employment to support their efforts,” said Mike Hess, Founder and Executive Director, Blind Institute of Technology. “Our hope is to facilitate a broader how-to discussion for workers with disabilities in the financial industry and beyond.”

BIT’s mission is to break down barriers to employment for both the BVI community and the employers who hire them. With a focus on tech-related education and training, the organization’s solutions-based programs prepare BVI candidates with essential skills needed to be successful in today’s job market. Its employer programs provide tools and resources that empower their BVI employees and help companies build best in class accessibility ratings for their digital landscape.

“Diversity and inclusion are an important component of OppenheimerFunds’ culture. Recruiting, training and retaining talented individuals with disabilities is an essential part of that,” said Andy Doyle, Chief Human Resources Officer, OppenheimerFunds. “External partnerships with organizations such as BIT help us to implement best practices from subject matter experts and pilot innovative engagements.”

OppenheimerFunds’ employees are also encouraged to join internal Business Resource Groups (BRGs), a network of diverse communities that play a key role in the firm’s inclusion efforts. Through strategic initiatives aligned to education, philanthropy, leadership, culture, professional development, and networking, the BRGs enable members and allies to connect to the experiences of diverse employees in their communities and at the firm. These include the Asian Professionals Network, Black Professionals Network, Disabilities Network, Latino Professionals Network, Military Network, PROUD Network (representing the LGBTQ community) and Women’s Network.

In addition to ongoing partnerships with leaders in the space, OppenheimerFunds will host an event at its New York headquarters in February with Lime Connect, a global non-profit organization connecting high potential university students, professionals and veterans with disabilities, to scholarships, internships and full time careers, and the Center for Talent Innovation, which researches and leverages talent across the divides of gender, generation, geography and culture.

About the Blind Institute of Technology
Founded in 2013, the Blind Institute of Technology is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that offers solutions-based programs aimed at achieving its mission of reducing the excessively high unemployment and underemployment rate among the BVI community by preparing BIT candidates and the employers who hire them for long-term success. To learn more, visit www.blindinstituteoftechnology.org and connect with BIT on Facebook, @BlindInstituteT and LinkedIn.

About OppenheimerFunds
OppenheimerFunds, Inc., a leader in global asset management, is dedicated to providing solutions for its partners and end investors. OppenheimerFunds, including its subsidiaries, manages more than $246 billion in assets for over 13 million shareholder accounts, including sub- accounts, as of November 30, 2017.

Founded in 1959, OppenheimerFunds is an asset manager with a history of providing innovative strategies to its investors. The firm’s 16 investment management teams specialize in equity, fixed income, alternative, multi- asset, and factor and revenue-weighted-ETF strategies, including ESG offerings, and is a signatory of the UN PRI. OppenheimerFunds and its subsidiaries offer a broad array of products and services to clients, who range from endowments and sovereigns to financial advisors and individual investors. OppenheimerFunds and certain of its subsidiaries provide advisory services to the Oppenheimer family of funds, and OFI Global Asset Management offers solutions to institutions. The firm is also active through its Philanthropy & Community initiative: 10,000 Kids by 2020, reaching children with introductions to math literacy programs.