Welcome everyone to the enABLED to Lead panel discussion. I'm Mark Smith, your host and sponsor of the enABLE team. The purpose of this week, coinciding with the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, is to promote understanding of both visible and non-visible disabilities, and to mobilise dignity, rights, and wellbeing for individuals with disabilities. Throughout this week, we've been joined by colleagues and clients from around the world to discuss disability issues, raise awareness, and ensure everyone is enabled. We are proud to celebrate this day.
Today, we are joined by senior industry leaders who will share how their organisations are promoting accessibility and inclusion, and what actions they are taking to make their environments more accessible.
For those joining us, if you have questions, please use the Zoom Q&A function. We have a sign language interpreter and closed captions available; details are in the chat window.
Let's begin with introductions:
Welcome, everyone. Let's start with a question for the group: Why do you believe organisations need to be Disability Confident?
This is a great question. The response often focuses on the business case, but the reality is much more personal. Disability is the most underrepresented population in the world, and it's the only one anyone can become a part of at any time. It's incredibly likely that someone will experience a permanent or temporary disability in their lifetime, or even multiple times. Whether we realise it or not, we all have a personal connection to disability. This creates a sense of belonging. For organisations, it's not just about integrating disability, but about fostering belonging. Large organisations can literally change the course of history for millions of people through technology, employment, and representation by evaluating what inclusion means and why disability has been left out of the conversation for so long. Why would we ever not want to be Disability Confident?
I love the idea of belonging, especially from a business perspective. Anyone else want to add?
So much of professional life is about casting the right talent for the right role to create both business and human impact. Being Disability Confident is about bringing that discipline to create success.
There is a huge pool of disabled talent out there. It's key for organisations to get that representation, which helps create diverse perspectives and better products and services. There's also a market share of one billion customers that often gets ignored. Growing to become Disability Confident is key to harnessing both talent and market share. After all, don't we want to create a world that works for everybody?
About one family out of three in the world has a person with a disability. Everyone has had personal experience with disability, whether through family or friends. For a company, becoming Disability Confident brings tremendous benefits both internally and externally. Internally, it triggers positive cultural change and motivation. Externally, it creates a positive impression in the marketplace. Disability inclusion programmes have a tremendous positive impact on company spirit and image.
Being confident is a journey. Over 25 years, I've seen it evolve from getting executive buy-in to making every customer touchpoint accessible. Accessibility is a business opportunity to capture new customers and revenue. It's an evolutionary journey that starts at the top, bottom, and sides.
The key word for me is culture. Disability confidence allows for a cultural shift towards true inclusivity.
Ron, why is it important to include disability in our organisation's agenda, and what are we doing at board level within Publicis Sapient?
Publicis Sapient is at the beginning of our journey. We've done fine work for clients, but internally, we're just starting. We recently established our North American enABLE business resource group, and I'm honoured to be the executive sponsor. Only 29% of working-age Americans with a disability are employed, compared to 75% without a disability. This year, especially with the pandemic, has been an equalising year in many ways. Our disability agenda must be an action plan, not just a communications plan. Accenture data shows companies supporting people with disabilities have 28% higher revenue and double the net income. There is merit on both the human and business sides.
If a company is caring and has detailed planning, those disciplines will apply to other domains as well. Embracing disability inclusion has a long tail that transcends the immediate discussion.
Jodie, how did you go about driving accessibility at Shell? What have your biggest learnings been?
It starts with transparency and the courage to admit there's an area where we're not excelling. Senior leaders need to be aware of the challenges people face. Once it's on the agenda, it's not a question of "should we do this?" but "how?" Large organisations are complex, but you have to start somewhere. Having a strategic plan and rolling with it leads to success, but you need the courage to begin.
Measuring success is difficult because many people don't disclose their needs, and not all accessibility needs are tied to a defined disability. Ultimately, it's about doing the right thing. Businesses need people—staff and customers—and if we're not considering them, we won't achieve our goals.
Mike, where do you see the disability agenda in your industry, particularly as you move into the next decade?
First, you have to get past stigmas, fears, and barriers. Disability is a positive, value-add. People with disabilities are great problem solvers. Accessibility must be part of the innovation stage, not an afterthought. Products and services must be adaptable and fluid to meet the needs of all customers. Understanding and implementing this is crucial.
Kelsey, what are the critical success factors in the food and beverage industry? How are you leading from the front at McDonald's?
The key question is: Can our customers access the food they love in a way that brings them joy? Our customers with disabilities are still our customers. We strive to ensure our digital spaces translate easily into the real world, so customers can recognise themselves in our brand. My team focuses internally to ensure our values play out externally. We also consider the role companies play in systemic issues, such as limited employment, by procuring accessible tools.
Critical success is when, for example, a friend who uses a wheelchair can independently use a kiosk in our restaurant. Success is hard to measure financially, but the human side is crucial. Inclusion must be part of our evolving practices. It's about moving away from "othering" and ensuring people are asking questions and seeking education earlier. Representation is vital. Our CEO says, "We do the right thing for the right reason," and that's a core value. We work tirelessly with partners like Sapient because it's the right thing to do.
Michael, how is Microsoft geared up to address the disability agenda? What do you consider your biggest success story?
Our biggest success story is joining the UK Government's Disability Confident scheme. I discovered it, filled out the form, and the next day the Department for Work and Pensions called, ecstatic that we joined. We became involved in encouraging others to sign up, which opened doors to new discussions with customers and partners. Our leadership embraced the journey, and we became Disability Confident leaders. The key lesson: one person or one action can make a difference, but you have to try.
Addressing the disability agenda at Microsoft has been a journey of changing our culture from "know it all" to "learn it all," and updating our mission to empower every person and organisation. Assigning Jenny Lay as Chief Executive Officer was a step, but we realised there was much more to do at the systems and processes level. We needed a roadmap for systematic change. Technology can bridge gaps, but we must connect with the audiences we're serving. Culture change, empathy, and representation are essential. It's not just about technical scripts; systems and processes must support accessibility end-to-end. For example, when I disclosed my disability to a utility company, their process still excluded me as a responsible homeowner. Representation and end-to-end processes are critical.
Axel, for organisations starting out on their accessibility journey, what are the two to three steps they should take?
First, have a clear, visible commitment to inclusion from the top. It's about being good and building momentum. Second, consider inclusion from a "devil in the details" perspective. Even with the best intentions, if organisational processes aren't right, you can create issues for people with disabilities. Build accessibility skills throughout the organisation. For example, one university system appointed accessibility champions in each department to ensure knowledge and implementation. Involve persons with disabilities in your processes to ensure solutions are adequate and effective. Testing is critical for both internal processes and external products and services. Build and maintain accessibility skills as you gain momentum.
What are you doing to make your organisations accessible over the next decade? How do we move forward?
At Publicis Sapient, we're preparing for the long game. We need hard programme management and a roadmap with measurable actions. Too often, good intentions become communication strategies rather than action plans. We're in the understanding and evaluating stage, aiming to move to engagement and empowerment. We're inspired and a bit intimidated by the journeys of more advanced companies, but that's a healthy disposition.
There's a question about why organisations deprioritise disability due to low percentage numbers. I'd like to mention an article, "Inclusive Design, the Bell Curve and the Virtuous Tornado," which addresses innovation. Companies often design for the 80%, but true innovation lies in the 20% who are usually left behind. At McDonald's, we prioritise education to create a common language and understanding. Our motto is, "When we know better, we do better." We have a growing disability inclusion group and celebrate uniqueness. We collaborate with other companies, like Microsoft, to learn and share. We listen to customers, conduct research, and continually educate ourselves. Roadmaps are important, but understanding why we're doing this comes first. The accessibility team can't own it alone; everyone must be involved. Disability must be part of the diversity and inclusion conversation due to its intersectionality.
Disability is often seen as "extreme users." Satisfying extreme users improves the experience for everyone. Many features on smartphones and computers originated as accessibility features. Innovations for persons with disabilities benefit all users.
Getting disability on the agenda can be daunting because people fear being offensive or getting it wrong. It requires explicit accountability and focus. Culture is key. Encouraging people to be themselves attracts and retains talent. Sharing stories helps people resonate and understand the value of inclusion. There is also a commercial benefit to a more inclusive and diverse workplace.
Mike, what are your three personal commitments to making your organisation more inclusive and diverse regarding disability?
First, patience is essential in accessibility work. Second, you must hire people with disabilities—this has been T Mobile's secret to success. Third, check your ego at the door. Listen, learn, make mistakes, and improve. It's an important part of the process.
A quick story: At a UN conference, a representative from a nuclear engineering company said their primary motivation for employing persons with disabilities was retention. Engineers with disabilities don't leave the company, which is a significant benefit in a competitive market.
It's important to enable people to enable everyone. Awareness and facts are great, but people need to know how to achieve inclusion. Providing guidelines and standards makes it less daunting and helps drive cultural change. When people see it's achievable, they're more likely to make a difference.
Thank you to our panelists and everyone who joined today. I learned a lot, and I hope you did too. We look forward to doing this again next year. Have a great day or evening.
Thanks everyone.
Thank you.