president of the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness ( IAPA ), and she sits on several diversity and inclusion boards including those for L ’ Oréal , Sky and Sanofi .
Partnership to drive change
The Valuable 500 is a partnership of 500 multinational companies and organizations with the common goal of making change . Of those companies , 46 are Fortune 500 companies . Each one is taking steps to end disability exclusion . Take for example Airbnb . Ryan pointed out how efforts by the online rental marketplace to accommodate travelers with disabilities has increased business and in turn , Airbnb ’ s bottom line , adding , “ Airbnb recently launched their adaptive category that now has 1,100 listings around the world with hosts earning over 5.5 million since the launch .” L ’ Oréal , the world ’ s largest cosmetics company and Valuable 500 partner , is also keeping people with different abilities in mind . They recently launched accessible packaging which allows consumers to hear information about a product by scanning a QR code with their cell phone . “ This is the beauty of where inclusive design starts at the outset rather than as an afterthought ,” said
Ryan . The internal culture of a business is just as important . Lloyds Banking Group , another Valuable 500 partner , is on track to meet its goal of doubling the number of employees in senior roles by 2025 . Lloyds has gone on record with its hiring plan . This transparency will breed trust , according to Ryan . “ That ' s what we need to see — more accountability of businesses putting facts and figures out there .”
Ending disability exclusion
The Valuable 500 ’ s partners are working together to accelerate disability inclusion within companies , believing
To Table of Contents
Accessibilty for All 51