2021 might be over but we’re still getting our heads around the progress that was made in the world of disability inclusion last year.

From product launches and innovation to award-winning campaigns and advances in representation for disabled people, 2021 had a lot to offer.

Of course, there’s still a long way to go…hopefully at some point including people with disabilities will be seen as standard, rather than a novelty and we  hope to see the progress achieved last year continue and even accelerate in 2022.

But it’s really important to celebrate the wins in order to appreciate how far we’ve come in such a short space of time. So here are our top inclusion breakthroughs of 2021.


MARCH

STARBUCKS x AIRA

INNOVATION

A woman wearing a facemask, looking at her phone in a cafe.

Through an app, San Diego-based Aira Tech started connecting people who are blind and low-vision to highly trained, remotely-located visual interpreters who provide instant access to visual information in all Starbucks stores in the U.S. – for free!

Offering Aira service is part of Starbucks’ ongoing commitment to inclusion, diversity and equity and efforts to enhance accessibility of the Starbucks Experience for partners (employees) and customers, starting from the early stages of design.

The concept was born out of a collaboration between Starbucks’ Accessibility Office, Inclusion and Diversity, Store Design and Tryer Center teams conducting research and consulting with inclusive design experts, Starbucks partners, the disability community and organizations like the World Institute on Disability, with a goal of designing with accessibility as the standard.

MARCH

THE HIRING CHAIN

CAMPAIGN

A photograph of a young woman with Down syndrome wearing a baker's cap and uniform standing in front of a shop window full of bread.

Released ahead of World Down Syndrome Day 2021, and set to a soundtrack by Sting, The Hiring Chain shows how inclusive hiring can set off a chain of new opportunities, especially when it comes to people with disabilities.

Created by New York-based agency Small for Italian charity CoorDown, the ad tells the story of an inclusive hiring chain: opening by showing a bakery hiring a young woman with Down syndrome. When customers to the store meet her and see how skilled she is at her job, it sets off a series of positive actions by other local companies.

The film aims to raise awareness about the barriers and prejudices that people with Down syndrome can face in the workplace, which include a lack of opportunities, low expectations, and stereotypical attitudes. It also demonstrates the positive impact that overcoming these misconceptions can have on the individual employees as well as the wider companies and community.


APRIL

REXONA DEODORANT

INNOVATION

A woman with a visual impairment applying Rexona's inclusive deodorant.

In April, Unilever launched its first inclusive product: a deodorant designed for people with visual impairments and upper limb disabilities. Rexona (also sold as Degree, Sure and Shield in different countries) believes “movement has the power to transform lives and that everyone should be able to experience the incredible physical, mental and social benefits it can bring, whoever you are and however you move”.

Limited sight or arm mobility can make twisting a deodorant cap, turning a stick or pressing a spray a challenge, and sometimes fear of sweating without antiperspirant protection can prevent people with disabilities from moving as much as they would like to. That’s why Rexona has worked with a diverse team of experts to put the specific needs of consumers with disabilities at the forefront of a new concept: Rexona Inclusive, the world’s first adaptive deodorant.

Rexona Inclusive’s hooked container is designed for one-handed usage. Enhanced grip placement and magnetic ‘click’ closures make it easier for users with limited grip or sight to remove and replace the cap. A larger roll-on applicator means the product reaches a greater surface area per swipe and the label also includes instructions in braille.


JUNE

PIXAR’S LUCA

REPRESENTATION

Massimo sat at a dining table with his daughter Giulia and Luca and Alberto.

Released in June, Pixar’s Luca  takes the rare step of portraying a character with a limb difference — without making it a defining characteristic. Set in the fictional seaside town of Portorosso on the Italian Riviera, Luca tells the tale of Luca Paguro and Alberto, both young sea monsters exploring the human world.

In Portorosso, Luca and Alberto meet Giulia and Massimo — Giulia’s single father — an imposing fisherman with a big heart.

Since the movie began streaming, the internet has applauded Massimo’s character for including a limb difference on-screen so deftly. The filmmakers said the decision for the fisherman to be born with one arm was very intentional and they consulted disability rights activist and filmmaker Jim LeBrecht to make sure their portrayal was as authentic as possible.


JULY

SUPER.HUMAN

CAMPAIGN

A group of Paralympic athletes wearing team GB kit.

In July, Channel 4 launched a major new advertising campaign for the Paralympic Games focusing on the day to day struggles of elite para-athletes.

Made by Oscar-nominated cinematographer Bradford Young, Super. Human. explores the sacrifices made by Paralympians to pursue their dreams of being crowned Paralympic champions. Unlike previous iterations of the Superhumans campaigns, this new film focused on the fragilities and day to day struggles facing elite athletes – putting the emphasis on ‘human’ over ‘super’.


AUGUST

#WeThe15

CAMPAIGN

WeThe15

Launched at the Tokyo Paralympic Games in August, the #WeThe15 campaign was sport’s biggest ever human rights movement to end discrimination towards the 15% of the world’s population living with a disability.

WeThe15 plans to initiate change over the next decade by bringing together the biggest coalition ever of international organisations from the world of sport, human rights, policy, communications, business, arts and entertainment.

It seeks to build greater knowledge of the barriers and discrimination people with disabilities face on a daily basis at all levels of society.


OCTOBER

MASTERCARD TOUCH

INNOVATION

Three Mastercard accessible debit cards.

In October, Mastercard introduced an accessible card for blind and partially sighted people. Unique notches on the Touch Card’s short side allow people to distinguish it between a credit, debit or prepaid card. This is particularly important as more cards move to flat designs without embossed names and numbers. Mastercard has addressed this challenge with a simple yet effective innovation.

Mastercard has also been embedding its signature melody at checkout counters worldwide, a signal to everyone – visually impaired people in particular – that their card transaction has gone through successfully.


NOVEMBER

SUPERHERO

REPRESENTATION

Lauren Ridloff as Makkari in Marvel Studios' ETERNALS.

In November, Lauren Ridloff made history when she became the first Deaf actor ever to play a superhero in a studio feature film when she was cast as Makkari in Eternals.

Talking to the New York Times about the role, Ridloff said “Hollywood is finally figuring out why it’s so important to have representation, and now it’s more about how. That’s the part that’s more tricky. We need to have deaf writers and creative talent involved in the process of planning film projects from the beginning. When you have deaf experts within and on the stage, from the crew to makeup artists, it feels like that naturally leads to more authentic representation onscreen.”


DECEMBER

STRICTLY VICTORY

REPRESENTATION

Rose Ayling-Ellis

Christmas came early for Strictly Come Dancing fans when Rose Ayling-Ellis became the first deaf winner of the BBC show, incorporating sign-language and silence into her routines.

Rose’s win was also a win for disabled people. Research carried out in the wake of her victory showed more than three-quarters of deaf children think the programme has given the public a better understanding of deafness.

A survey of deaf children and their families by the National Deaf Children’s Society also found that Rose’s visibility led to two-thirds of deaf children feeling more confident about wearing their hearing aids, with seven in 10 saying they felt happier talking about their own deafness.