The Valuable 500 and why ‘disability is your business’

This game-changing collective is made up of 500 of the world’s most influential global businesses innovating together for disability inclusion.

Since launching in 2019 The Valuable 500 has brought together some of the most recognizable businesses in the world - including big fashion names such as M&S, Burberry, Kurt Geiger and H&M - believing that if business takes a lead, society and government will follow.

From breaking the silence at C-Suite level on the topic of disability to better understanding of the customer experience for people with disabilities, they present a compelling mix of insights and solutions on why disability inclusion should matter to every organization.

Their most recent initiative is Generation Valuable, a unique mentor programme designed to accelerate opportunities for people with disabilities to become tomorrow’s business leaders. Members of the Collective will be able to nominate rising disabled talent who will be paired with a mentor at C-suite level in their organization, and over the course of a year they’ll work together to “foster new perspectives, deepen understandings, cultivate growth and attack the challenges that rising disabled talent faces once they’ve achieved middle management”.

Representation is vital to change the fashion industry so we’ll be following with interest the first fashion organizations to support this programme and if, and how they contribute towards embedding principles of disability inclusion across this entire sector.