Why Businesses Must Be Fearless With Disability Inclusion | Delaina Parrish

To increase the employment of college graduates with disabilities, there needs to be a collaborative effort. Delaina Parrish calls on college students, campus recruiters, and employers to share the message alongside her that diversity inclusion is also disability inclusion. Ms. Parrish is a 2020 Marketing graduate from the University of Florida with double minors in retail and entrepreneurship. While at UF, she helped redefine the culture of inclusion through personal advocacy and leadership for thousands of students with unique abilities. For that role, she is a much sought-after spokesperson on campus and within Florida, utilizing high tech augmentation communication. Delaina’s voice engages audiences with topics ranging from transitioning to college, adaptive fashion, life inspiration, and disability inclusion. Ms. Parrish has formed relationships with international brands such as Vera Bradley, Tommy Hilfiger and Zappos Adaptive, and is a brand ambassador for NuMotion Mobility, Tobii Dynavox, and Runway of Dreams, for whom she has modeled Tommy Hilfiger adaptive fashion on the runway of New York. Through these unique experiences and mentorships, Delaina has expanded “Fearless Independence, LLC” into a collaborative branding and entrepreneurial business. She hopes her dream employer is listening to this talk, and invites to the corporate table! This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx