Publicis Sapient Presents: enABLED to Lead Panel

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 and understand both visible and non-visible issues, 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 celebrate the importance of enabling everyone. Today, we’re joined by senior industry leaders to discuss how their organisations are promoting accessibility and inclusion, and taking action to make their environments more accessible.

For those joining us today, if you have any 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 start with introductions. Our panelists are:

• Axel Leblois, President and Executive Director of G3ict
• Jodie Greer, IT Accessibility Lead, Shell
• Mike Ellis, Head of Accessibility, T-Mobile
• Kelsey Hall, IT Accessibility Lead, McDonald’s
• Michael Vermeersch, Digital Inclusion Lead, Microsoft
• Ron Shamah, Publicis Sapient

Welcome, everyone. Let’s begin 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, maybe even multiple times. Whether we realise it or not, we all have a personal connection to disability. This creates a sense of belonging, so the conversation isn’t just about integrating disability, but about 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 for so long. Why would we ever not want to be Disability Confident?

I love the idea of belonging, especially from a business lens. 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’s a huge pool of disabled talent out there. Getting that representation within your organisation helps create the diverse perspectives needed for 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 that talent and that market share. 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 a positive cultural change and motivation. Externally, it creates a positive impression in the marketplace. It’s about the ethos, image, and perception of the company, beyond just productivity or market measures.

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 truly inclusive culture, which is essential for any organisation.

Ron, why is it important to include disability in our organisation’s agenda, and what are we doing at board level within Publicis Sapient?

We’re at the beginning of our journey. We just launched our North American enABLE business resource group, and I’m honoured to be the executive sponsor. There are two tracks: the business side and the human side. Only 29% of working-age Americans with a disability are employed, compared to 75% without a disability. This year, with the pandemic, has been an equalising year in many ways. We need to move from a communications plan to an action plan. On the business side, Accenture data shows companies supporting people with disabilities have 28% higher revenue and double the net income. There’s merit on both sides.

That’s a great way to look at it. I’m surprised by the revenue number—embracing something human-driven can give a financial benefit.

There’s a war on talent in the digital spectrum. 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 we’re not excelling in. Getting senior leaders aware of the challenges is key. Once it’s on the agenda, it’s not a question of if, but how. Large organisations are complex, but you have to start somewhere. Get a strategic plan in place and roll with it—you’ll see successes, but you need the courage to start.

What was the biggest challenge in getting started?

Everyone wants statistics, but with disability and accessibility, it’s hard to get accurate data. Many people don’t disclose their needs, and some have accessibility needs without a defined disability. Measuring success is difficult, but it’s about doing the right thing. Businesses need people—staff and customers—and if you’re not considering them, you won’t achieve your goals.

Mike, where do you see the disability agenda in your industry, especially 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 need to be adaptable and customised to meet the needs of all customers.

Kelsey, what are the critical success factors in the food and beverage industry, and 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 make sure anything in our digital spaces translates easily into the real world. Internally, we focus on values so they play out externally. The ideation phase is critical—procuring accessible tools for employees with disabilities is a key component to moving systemic ableism. Success is when a friend who uses a wheelchair can independently order food at a kiosk. Success is hard to measure financially, but the human side is vital. Inclusion must be part of everything as technology and practices change. Critical success is when people start asking questions earlier and educating themselves. Representation matters. Our CEO says, “We do the right thing for the right reason.” Inclusion is a leading part of our brand, and 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’s your biggest success story?

Our biggest success story is joining the UK Government’s Disability Confident scheme. I found it online, filled out the form, and the next day the Department for Work and Pensions called, ecstatic that we joined. We became a leader in the scheme, encouraging others to join. This opened doors to new discussions with customers and partners beyond IT. We didn’t rush to leadership; we wanted to go through the journey and make it part of our culture. Now, we’re Disability Confident leaders, working with customers, partners, and government. If anyone says one person can’t make a difference, that’s nonsense—you can, but you have to try.

As for how Microsoft is geared up: It’s been a journey of changing our culture from “know it all” to “learn it all,” and changing our mission to empower every person and organisation. Assigning Jenny Lay as our Chief Executive Officer for accessibility was key. We had to systematically change systems and processes. Technology can bridge gaps, but we need to connect with the audiences we serve. The culture shift, empathy, and understanding have led to better products and services, and new connections with customers and partners. Representation and critique are essential. For example, I once signed up with a utility company as a disabled customer, but when my boiler broke, the call centre script didn’t recognise that disabled people can be responsible homeowners. If the process had been inclusive end-to-end, that wouldn’t have happened. You need the whole system to work together.

Axel, for organisations starting out on their accessibility journey, what are the two to three steps they should take?

First, have a clear commitment to inclusion from the top, done visibly and emphatically. Second, consider inclusion from a “devil in the details” perspective. Processes must be right, or you’ll create issues for people with disabilities. Build accessibility skills throughout the organisation. For example, one university system created 90 accessibility champions across departments. It’s also critical to involve persons with disabilities in your processes, to ensure solutions are adequate and effective. Testing is essential for both internal processes and external products. Even the biggest companies make mistakes, so keep building skills and momentum.

What are you doing to make your organisations accessible over the next decade? How do we move forward?

We’re preparing for the long game. It’s about hard programme management and a roadmap with measurable, tangible actions. Too often, good intent becomes a communication strategy, not an action plan. We’re in the understanding and evaluating stage, looking forward to engaging and empowering. We’ll need help along the way, but recognising the size of the challenge is healthy.

There’s a question about why organisations don’t prioritise disability due to low percentage numbers. Companies often innovate for the 80%, but real innovation lies in the 20% who are often 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 work with other companies to learn and share. We’re constantly listening to customers, testing, and engaging in research. Roadmaps are important, but you can’t have a meaningful roadmap without understanding why you’re doing it. The accessibility team can’t own it alone—it’s everyone’s responsibility. Disability must be part of the diversity and inclusion conversation, especially due to intersectionality.

Has anyone experienced innovation from embracing the 20%?

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—voice over, speech recognition, etc. These innovations benefit everyone.

Getting disability on the agenda can be scary because people fear being offensive or getting it wrong. It needs explicit focus and accountability. Culture is key—encouraging people to be themselves attracts and retains talent. Sharing stories helps people resonate. There’s 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—at T-Mobile, this has been our 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 company in nuclear engineering said their primary motivation for employing persons with disabilities was retention. Their engineers with disabilities don’t leave the company, which is a huge 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. Make information, guidelines, and standards accessible so people can see quick wins and make a difference. The simpler you make it, the more culturally impactful it will be.

Thank you to our panelists and everyone who joined today. We hope you gained insights into improving our environments and society overall. We look forward to seeing you next year. Have a great day or evening.

Thanks everyone.

Thank you.