The Council for Disability Awareness

What The Council for Disability Awareness does

The Council for Disability Awareness (legal name: Council for Disability Income Awareness, also referred to as CDIA) is a U.S. 501(c)(6) nonprofit industry association founded in 2005 and headquartered in South Portland, Maine. The organization operates as a non-commercial educational and awareness body whose stated mission is 'to establish disability income as a key financial safeguard for every working American.' It is governed by its approximately 20 member companies — major disability income insurers and brokers including Unum Group, Guardian, Lincoln Financial, MassMutual, Principal, Ameritas, Illinois Mutual, American Fidelity, United Healthcare, Munich Re, and brokerage firms such as Ash Brokerage, KME Insurance Brokerage, Smith Group, The Plus Group, The Westport Group, and DIBrokereast — and by an industry board of directors. The organization carries no proprietary technology stack: there is no app, no API, no software product, and no data platform, consistent with its positioning as an awareness association rather than a technology vendor.

CDIA's core offerings are content-based educational products rather than commercial goods or services. The product portfolio comprises research-based disability statistics resources, published research and education materials, downloadable educational resources, the CDIA Insights blog (with recent posts dated May–June 2026 covering group vs. individual coverage, executive disability coverage gaps, and related topics), segmented professional resource hubs for agents/brokers/benefits reps, employers/HR, and financial advisors, the 'Straight Talk on Disability Income' Vimeo video series, the 'Best Employers for Income Protection' recognition program, and seasonal outreach campaigns such as 'Protect Tomorrow Today.' Distribution is entirely free of charge and delivered through a content marketing footprint spanning a website, LinkedIn, Facebook, X (Twitter), Vimeo, and email newsletter, with all activity aimed at top-of-funnel awareness among working Americans and insurance professionals.

Revenue mechanics are not disclosed in the source material but, as a 501(c)(6) trade association, CDIA would be funded principally through member company dues, possible campaign sponsorship, and supplemental contributions, with no product pricing or transactional revenue. The customer base is therefore dual: member organizations (the paying entities, primarily large disability income carriers and specialty brokers) and end-audience recipients of free educational content (working-American consumers, agents, brokers, HR professionals, and financial advisors who are not paying customers but represent the awareness mission's downstream beneficiaries). Headcount is reported at 1–10 employees, implying an extremely lean operating model for an organization with national-scope awareness ambitions.

Name

The Council for Disability Awareness

Legal name

Council for Disability Income Awareness

Website

https://disabilitycouncil.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Council for Disability Awareness (CDIA) is a U.S. 501(c)(6) nonprofit trade association, founded 2005, that educates working Americans and insurance professionals about disability income protection through research, blog content, video, and outreach campaigns, funded by roughly 20 member companies.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Nonprofit Insurance Industry Association

NAICS

Professional Organizations (81392)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Individual Disability Income Insurance (Non-Group) (FSAIAIAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Disability & Leave Administration (STD/LTD/FMLA/Paid Leave) (HLAEALAM)

Keywords

• Disability income awareness
• Income protection education
• Nonprofit insurance association
• Disability insurance research
• Financial literacy programs

Headquarters

HQ city

South Portland

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Council for Disability Awareness (CDIA, also known as the Council for Disability Income Awareness) is a 501(c)(6) nonprofit industry association that educates working Americans about the financial risks of disability and the need for income protection. The organization provides free educational content, statistics, research publications, outreach campaigns (such as Protect Tomorrow Today), videos (including Straight Talk on Disability Income), and tailored resources for insurance agents/brokers, employers/HR professionals, and financial advisors. It does not sell insurance products; rather, it is funded and governed by its member companies in the disability income insurance industry.

Product overview

The Council for Disability Income Awareness (CDIA) operates as a single unified educational and awareness platform rather than a product-based company. The organization offers a portfolio of informational resources and professional programs including educational content on disability statistics, research publications, outreach campaigns (such as 'Protect Tomorrow Today'), downloadable resources, a blog (CDIA Insights), and video content. Professional resources are segmented for agents/brokers, employers/HR, and financial advisors. The organization also runs a 'Best Employers for Income Protection' recognition program. All offerings serve the mission of establishing disability income as a key financial safeguard for working Americans through education and consumer outreach.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• LIMRA: LIMRA is a trade association focused on research, education, and development for the insurance and financial services industry. It is directly comparable to CDIA as a membership-based organization producing research and education that supports insurance product sales and consumer awareness.
• Insurance Information Institute (Triple-I): Triple-I is a nonprofit industry association that educates consumers and the media about insurance. Like CDIA, it relies on member insurers and brokers to fund consumer awareness and education programs around specific lines of coverage.
• American Council of Life Insurers (ACLI): ACLI is the principal trade association for the U.S. life insurance industry, representing insurers on policy, advocacy, and consumer awareness. It is a direct peer to CDIA in the form of a member-funded industry association promoting insurance products and education.
• Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI): EBRI is an independent nonprofit that conducts research and education on employee benefit programs, including disability and income protection. It is comparable to CDIA for its mission of producing research and educational content that supports benefits awareness and adoption.
• International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans: IFEBP is a nonprofit educational association serving the employee benefits community, including professionals who design and manage disability and leave programs. It is comparable to CDIA in serving benefits professionals with education and resources around disability coverage.

Emerging players

• Disability:IN: Disability:IN is a nonprofit resource for business disability inclusion, working with employers on disability hiring and benefits practices. It is an emerging player adjacent to CDIA in employer-focused disability education, though from an inclusion rather than insurance-product standpoint.
• National Council on Aging (NCOA): NCOA is a nonprofit service and advocacy organization that supports older adults and people with disabilities, including benefits access. It overlaps thematically with CDIA's disability and income-protection focus but approaches the audience from aging-services rather than insurance-industry education.

Broad incumbents

• America's Health Insurance Plans (AHIP): AHIP is the major U.S. health insurance industry association representing a broad set of insurers. It is a broader incumbent to CDIA — both serve as industry-funded advocacy and education bodies, but AHIP focuses on health insurance writ large rather than the disability income niche.

Others

• National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC): NAIC is the U.S. state-based regulatory body for the insurance industry. It is an adjacent organization to CDIA in that it shapes the regulatory and policy environment for the disability income insurers that fund CDIA, though it is not an industry-funded awareness association itself.
• Consumer Federation of America: Consumer Federation of America is a nonprofit association of consumer organizations that conducts research, advocacy, and consumer education. It is comparable to CDIA in mission shape (consumer education) but covers broad consumer finance rather than disability income insurance specifically.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/The_CDA
• YouTubevimeo.com/thecdia
• Facebookfacebook.com/TheCDA
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/council-for-disability-awareness

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about The Council for Disability Awareness