Just 2% of disabled consumers worldwide feel their lived experiences are consistently and accurately represented, according to the Valuable 500’s latest White Paper, launched at the World Economic Forum in Davos today.
Additionally, over 50% have encountered barriers to content, products, and physical and online retail services. This translates into significant missed opportunities for businesses totalling around $13 trillion in overlooked annual disability spending power, according to the White Paper, carried out in partnership with Open Inclusion and Yale University.
The White Paper, entitled Nothing about us without us: the path to sustained progress and accountability in inclusive disability representation, reveals that 54% of disabled consumers are more likely to favour and buy from companies that represent disability authentically. The study of over 1000 disabled consumers and thought leaders in 15 countries across six continents, offers a global snapshot of the current state of disability representation across three key pillars. They include:
- Accessible Experiences that serve the disabled community.
- Accurate Representation of the prevalence and lived experience of disability in media and branding.
- Authentic Narratives that move beyond outdated tropes and stereotypes of disabled people.
CALL TO ACTION FOR INCLUSIVE REPRESENTATION
“This White Paper is a call to action to the Valuable 500 and the broader business community to work together towards a global standard for inclusive representation. By rallying businesses to improve representation through nuanced storytelling, proportionate casting, and mainstreaming accessibility features, this white paper marks a critical milestone in the Valuable 500’s mission toward global disability inclusion,” stated Yale University’s Mary Davis.
“Companies are encouraged to embrace the power of partnership to combine knowledge, resources, and influence to achieve systemic transformation. This paper equips businesses with a direction for the collaborative work ahead, promising more inclusive, innovative, and financially flourishing business landscapes.”
OPPORTUNITIES FOR PROGRESS & INCLUSIVE REPRESENTATION
The White Paper sheds light on opportunities for progress by illuminating what authenticity means to underserved communities, why gaps endure despite the growing visibility of the issue, and how intentional efforts paired with a standardised approach can drive better resonation and business growth. The paper also features case studies showcasing best practices from companies leading the charge in inclusive representation across various industries, including Jaguar Land Rover, L’Oreal, Procter & Gamble, Sony, and Zalando.
Showcasing world-leading examples of inclusion-led innovations, inclusive marketing, authentic portrayals, and accessible content, the report provides clear recommendations for businesses to right systemic wrongs and champion disability inclusion through more authentic portrayals and the adoption of universal accessibility principles.
“This groundbreaking research highlights significant gaps in disability representation and accessibility that have endured for far too long,” stated Valuable 500 CEO Katy Talikowska. “Our White Paper provides clear guidance for businesses to evolve representations, empower disabled talent, and make accessibility non-negotiable from the outset. We urge companies to answer this timely call to action so disabled individuals are no longer left behind in the marketplace, on screen, in the studio, in the board room, or at the design table.”
DISABILITY MARKET SPENDING POWER
Caroline Casey, Valuable 500 Founder describes inclusion without authenticity and accessibility as “exclusion”. “To tap into the $13 trillion spending power of the disability market and the unmatched insight it brings to innovation, businesses must make accountable, measurable concerted commitments, in partnership with lived experience to make authentic representation and universal design the norm. However, just as no one business can capture the full potential of the disability market alone, no one company can shift the status quo either,” explained Casey. “By working collectively to shift entrenched inequities and systemic barriers, we can create more just and prosperous societies.”
Through this initiative, Pascal Brun, VP of Sustainability, Diversity and Inclusion at Zalando, is hoping “to drive diversity and inclusion holistically and by doing so, we want to inspire other brands and platforms to join us.” What excites her most about the company’s adaptive wear collections, “is that we consider fashionability right next to functionality and affordability”, explained Brun.
She describes the initiative as a “movement, not a moment”, and believes that accessibility and disability inclusion are everyone’s responsibility and opportunity. “We extend a hand, just like this White Paper does, to do better together,” noted Brun. “While we’re proud of our offering, we also realise there’s still a way to go in making our customer experience more accessible. And that’s why we want to collaborate and learn from other Valuable500 members.”
GENERATING BRAND LOYALTY THROUGH INCLUSION
“In addition to generating greater brand loyalty, word-of-mouth recommendations, share of wallet, and talent attraction, more consistent, delightful, and authentic disability representation can also shape social attitudes, helping to progress the communities we operate within positively,” added Christine Hemphill, Managing Director of Open Inclusion. “It has been a pleasure working with the team at The Valuable 500, Yale University and our partners worldwide on this exciting, timely and we hope, very practically useful study.”
The publication serves as a launchpad for the organisation’s third and final Synchronised Collective Action (SCA) on Representation, following previous actions on Reporting and Leadership. Together, the SCAs provide a framework for companies to address the main barriers to disability inclusion in the business landscape. In December 2025, Valuable 500 companies will be invited to report on their progress at the SYNC25 Accountability Summit in Tokyo.
Download the Valuable 500’s latest White Paper here. And check out last year’s White Paper: ‘ESG and Disability Data: A Call for Inclusive Reporting’, here.
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