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Our Commitment to the Disability Community
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The Open Doors Organization (ODO) was founded in 2000 for the purpose of creating a society in which all persons with disabilities have the same consumer opportunities as those without. We aspire to teach businesses how to succeed in the disability market, while simultaneously empowering the disability community.
In America today, marketing toward people with disabilities is hindered by myths and misconceptions. Through comprehensive research, training, and guidance in marketing strategies and ADA compliance, ODO gives large corporations and small businesses, alike, the tools they need to reach and serve the disability market.
Furthermore, ODO is committed to providing job placement, educational seminars and diversity programs that improve the quality of life for the individual with a disability while opening doors to businesses and society. Through social action and research, ODO seeks to improve the quality of life for people with disabilities.
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About Eric Lipp
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The Open Doors Organization (ODO) was founded in 2000. It began with the concept that every business needs to make itself accessible to people with disabilities. It just makes good business sense. This idea developed from a few incidents that occurred during Eric Lipp’s days at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago (RIC). The day before his 30th birthday he was diagnosed with Von Hippel Lindau, a disease that inhibits the tumor-suppressing gene and caused a tumor to grow on his spinal cord. The tumor was removed, but due to the trauma of the surgery, he became disabled and was told he might never regain his ability to walk. Eric’s time spent at the RIC was pivotal to his recuperation as he gained much inspiration from other patients and encouragement from the doctors and therapists. Today he walks with the aid of a cane and an ankle/foot orthotic brace.
Before starting the Open Doors Oranization Eric worked for seven years as the National Account Executive for MIS Computer Corporation in Chicago. Prior to MIS, he was an Outbound Account Representative for CDW Computer Centers, a Fortune 500 company. Eric holds a B.S. from the University of Arizona and currently resides in Chicago.
The ODO mission was created when Eric’s friend, David Crasko, now an executive board member of Open Doors Organization, suggested they venture out on Michigan Avenue to see if businesses were welcoming to people with disabilities (Eric was still using his wheelchair at the time). They went up and down the street stopping in almost every store. During this time, they found that most businesses complied with the minimum requirements of the law, but the accommodations did not necessarily match the spirit of the law. Equal access requires much more thoughtful planning and implementation.
Speaking at trade shows, including the National Restaurant Association Hotel-Motel Restaurant Show and the Society for Accessible Travel and Hospitality World Congress, are ways that Eric helps to create awareness. He was the recipient of the 2003 Access to Freedom award given by travel agents from around the world. One of ODO's programs was also awarded the 2004 Commitment to Diversity award recipient given by University of Illinois-Chicago. Eric is also a member of the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago's Business Team and served on the Y.I.E.L.D. Youth Project Collaborators’ Board at Access Living. He was selected Outstanding Person with Disabilities of the Month by the World Congress on Disabilities. He has been a guest on the On-A-Roll national radio show and has also been featured in articles in the Wall Street Journal, Reuters, New York Times, New York Daily News, Miami Herald, Chicago Sun Times and Philadelphia Inquirer as well as a variety of travel and entertainment trade publications. He provides training to businesses through ODO's education programs to create awareness and, more importantly, facilitate change.
In 2002 ODO released the results of groundbreaking research that they conducted with the national polling firm of Harris Interactive - research that has led to the paving of new paths in accessibility for people with disabilities. Through this study, the Disability Market Research on Travel, Dining and Hospitality, Open Doors Organization showed businesses that people with disabilities are a very viable and loyal group of consumers if their needs were met. A subsequent study in 2005 confirmed this trend and found that disability travel is on the rise despite the fact that barriers to access still exist. Armed with this information ODO counsels businesses on how to increase their revenue while serving a community that has long been ignored.
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