Barclays, Fujitsu and Microsoft (pictured) are among the first global employers to sign a new disability inclusion commitment, The Valuable 500, operated by global business campaign #valuable.
The Valuable 500 is a year-long, global campaign that is asking 500 private sector employers to pledge to support disability inclusion and equality within their organisations. By joining The Valuable 500, employers commit to placing disability inclusion into their board agenda in 2019 and making one firm commitment to specifically action in 2019. Organisations also have to share this commitment both internally and externally.
Caroline Casey, founder at #valuable, said: "It's no longer good enough for [organisations] to say 'disability doesn't fit with our brand' or 'it's a good idea to explore next year'. Businesses cannot be truly inclusive if disability is ignored on leadership agendas.
"I urge businesses to join The Valuable 500 movement to take a stand against being diverse-ish, and instead be the tipping-point for change, and unlock the business, social and economic value of disabled people across the world.
"We also need brands that are already great examples of inclusive behaviour to show other businesses how it's done and help us end a la carte inclusion, because the potential of 1.3 billion should not be ignored."
Since the campaign's launch on 24 January 2019, six global employers have signed up. This includes management consulting and professional services firm Accenture, movie theatre organisation Cinepolis and consumer goods business Unilever.
The Valuable 500 is additionally partnering with a range of experts, such as AXSChat, Business Disability Forum, EY, ILO GBDN, Purple Space, Ruh Global and The Marketing Society, to help signatories tackle disability exclusion.
The Valuable 500 was launched at the World Economic Forum's annual summit in Davos, Switzerland.
Julie Sweet, chief executive officer, North America, at Accenture, added: "We applaud The Valuable 500 for shining a light on the opportunity to bring more persons with disabilities into the workforce.
"At Accenture, accelerating disability inclusion is key to our commitment to creating a culture of equality where everyone can advance and thrive, and core to our strategy of being an innovation-led [organisation]."
