- On International Women’s Day, the Valuable 500, has launched the world’s first independently expert reviewed global directory of B2B consultants and service providers specialised in disability inclusion and accessibility – over half of which are female founded or led.
- The Directory convenes business disability intelligence and experts from across the globe spanning 6 continents and 19 countries to assist the Valuable 500 collective in advancing disability inclusion within their businesses.
- These consultants and experts boast a strong diversity of expertise within digital, physical and cognitive accessibility as well as tools for inclusive recruitment and branding practices.
- With social entrepreneurship and impact investment on the rise, expanding corporate supplier diversity programs to include disability industry is a critical step towards future growth for disabled owned companies.
London, 8th March, 9:00 am: Today, on International Women’s Day, the Valuable 500 – the largest network of global CEOs committed to disability inclusion, announces the launch of the Valuable Directory, convening business disability intelligence and experts from across the globe. It is made up of 77 consultants, suppliers and solutions providers all of which have demonstrated that they have extensive experience in their fields and have been highly recommended by thought leaders in the disability space. 52% of the consultants, suppliers, solution partners listed are female founded or led.
Hosted within the Valuable 500’s Digital Hub, the Directory connects members with disability experts around the world to assist them to progress commitments into action. This first iteration showcases 77 businesses that have been vetted by 21 revered thought leaders across the global disability space. This is the first directory of its kind as it has been created by disabled people for disabled people.
The Directory will enable each member of the collective to tap into expertise and introductions facilitated by the Valuable 500. The work on putting the Directory together has already led to some great collaborations including inclusive design specialists, Studio Exception, which has been hired by several Valuable 500 members including Sky, Spotify and Jaguar Land Rover to take on inclusive innovation on their far reaching customer products – making them more inclusive for those with disabilities and better for all customers. They also conduct internal audits, interviewing employees, customers and disability advocates on how they connect with and react to the brands and their offerings.
Last year, the Valuable 500 created a global RFP specifying that successful applicants would need to have a proven track record of adding value to the disability space as well as a referral. Each applicant was asked to submit letters of intent, evidence of their previous deliverables and a supporting statement. Out of 140 initial applicants, 77 were chosen to be featured within the first iteration of the Directory and further members will be added on an annual basis with new applicants undergoing the same vetting process. The Directory includes, but is not limited to, expertise within the realms of:
- Inclusive marketing
- Organisational culture
- Accessible physical environments
- Digital accessibility
- Inclusive recruitment
- Mental Health & Safety training
- Consumer research
The Valuable 500 has embarked on its transformation programme of embedding disability inclusion within leadership agendas and radically transforming the business system across the whole supply chain for the benefit of all. Its membership includes 36 of the FTSE 100 companies, 48 of the Fortune 500 and 28 of Nikkei. With 70% of its members enjoying a turnover over $1 billion and 52% of those employing over 10,000 people, the Valuable Directory will be available to the collective to utilise and make informed decisions based on expert guidance. As a collective, the organisations committed to taking action towards disability inclusion, have a combined revenue of well over $8 trillion and over 22 million employees operating around the world.
It is estimated that 15% of the global population are people with disabilities and this number significantly increases to 53% when families of those living with disabled people with disability are taken into account with a spending power of $13 trillion per annum. The Valuable Directory is the latest tool provided by the Valuable 500 to assist its members to successfully address this market and benefit from the significant pool of talent, and diversity of thought of people with disabilities as employees and customers.
1 in 4 adults globally are disabled and are twice as likely to be self-employed as their non-disabled counterparts. While total global revenue numbers are unknown, over $1B USD is reported annually from disability owned business. According to the World Trade Organization, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) represent over 90 per cent of the business population, 60-70% of employment and 55% of GDP in developed economies. Additionally, Morningstar reports that sustainable investing reached $20.5B in the fourth quarter of 2020, a rise of $7 billion over the previous year. All statistics point to the rise of disabled entrepreneurism and the need for socially responsible corporations to expand their supplier programs.
Now delivering its transformation programme, the Valuable 500 is set to launch several tools to assist its members to make demonstrable progress and to ensure this is the decade of disruption when it comes disability inclusion.
Media Contacts
For interviews and further information, please contact:
Amy Shaw, Campaign Director, Seven Hills
- Email: [email protected]
Richard Poston, Director of Communications, the Valuable 500
- Email: [email protected]
Notes to Editors
About the Valuable 500
Valuable was launched by social entrepreneur and activist Caroline Casey at One Young World 2017 in Bogota, Colombia and the inception of the Valuable 500 was announced at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in January 2019. Today the Valuable 500 is the largest community of Global CEOs committed to disability inclusion in business.
Since its creation, the Valuable 500 has achieved its initial goal of getting 500 multinational organisations to make a public commitment to disability inclusion in their organisation, igniting a historic global movement for a new age of diversity in business. The Valuable 500 and their global impact partner The Nippon Foundation, will be working closely with the World Economic Forum and International Disability Alliance – bringing together a leading philanthropic organisation with the most prestigious global business network and the voice of the global disability community.
By engaging with the world’s most influential business leaders and brands, the network now has a combined revenue of over $8 trillion and employs a staggering 22 million people worldwide. Its members include 14 global CEOs and companies who will be spearheading the programmes and services to be offered under Phase 2 of the campaign, which will be activated through global disability surveys, disability trend reports and an executive disability resource hub.
After reaching this important milestone, the Valuable 500 is determined to create a community that supports and empowers its 500 members to systematically transform their businesses, so they include the 1.3 billion people living with disabilities worldwide, thereby unlocking their business, social and economic potential.
We believe that if business takes a lead, society and government will follow. Truly inclusive businesses can build truly inclusive societies.
Panel Members
- Shanti Raghavan, Founder, EnAble India, India.
- Nayantara Janardha, Program Manager, EnAble India, India.
- James Emmett, CEO, James Emmett Company, US.
- Doramy Ehling, CEO, Rick Hansen Foundation, Canada.
- Gabriel Marcolongo, CEO, Incluyeme, Argentina.
- Emi Aizawa, Global Partnerships Lead, Mirairo, Japan.
- Andrew Eddy, Founder, unTapped, Australia.
- Aidan Healy, CEO, Lexxic, Ireland.
- Paudie Healey, CEO, Universal Access, Ireland.
- Suzanne Colbert, Consultant, AND, Australia.
- Fides Raffel, Manager, MyAbility, Austria.
- Michael Aumann, CEO, MyAbility, Austria.
- Christine Hemphill, Managing Director, Open Inclusion, UK.
- Yuval Wagner, President & Founder, Access Israel, Israel.
- Meg O’Connell, CEO & Founder, Global Disability Inclusion, US.
- Debra Ruh, CEO & Founder, Ruh Global, US.
- Amy Whalley, CEO, AND, Australia.
- Phyllis Choo, Director Planning, SG Enable, Singapore.
- Diane Lightfoot, CEO, Business Disability Forum, UK.
- Gavin Neate, Founder, Welco.me, UK.