Ruderman Prize seeks nominees who excel at including people with disabilities

The Ruderman Family Foundation opens the nomination period for its international Ruderman Prize in “Inclusion,” honoring companies and organizations that operate innovative programs and provide services that foster the inclusion of people with disabilities.

Five individual $50,000 awards will be awarded. Now in its fifth consecutive year of operation, the prize has been awarded to 25 organizations in Russia, the United Kingdom, the United States, Mexico, Israel, South Africa, Australia, Canada and Argentina.

Past winners include schools, houses of worship, a dance company, a university, a bakery and an employment service.

“Although people with disabilities are the largest minority group in the world, making up 20 percent of our population, they are amongst the most discriminated and segregated populations,” says Jay Ruderman, president of the Ruderman Family Foundation. “In order to attempt to change this injustice, our foundation created the Ruderman Prize in Inclusion to recognize organizations across the globe who have led the way in including people with disabilities in all aspects of life.”

— JTA