How “The Valuable 500” is driving the recognition of people with disabilities

The society we live in celebrates able-bodied individuals so much that most of us don’t realize that the world is becoming less and less inclusive of those who are different. To begin with, every workplace must be made inclusive and inclusive not just from the point of view of gender parity, but from the perspective of people who are physically different. A report by Accenture reported that companies who excel at disability inclusion outperformed their peers. Between 2015 and 2018 these organizations had, on average, 28% higher revenue, 30% higher economic profit margins, and double the net income compared to other companies.

Social inclusivity is a real commitment, and Brookfield Properties in association with CII-India Business Disability Network (IBDN) and EnAble India hosted the “India Inc.-The Valuable 500”. Started by Caroline Casey, ‘The Valuable 500’ is a global campaign that strives to ensure businesses recognise the importance of people living with disabilities. The campaign aims to get global business leaders to commit to accountable action on disability inclusion, by taking a simple first step and adding the topic of disability to their board agendas.

Not surprisingly, the initiative generated an impressive response. Alok Aggarwal, MD & CEO-India Office Business, Brookfield Properties, said: “We have successfully launched key disability inclusion initiatives and infrastructure upgrades across our campuses. We are privileged to share the news that we are bringing disability inclusion onto our agenda as we join The Valuable 500.”

Another inclusivity leader talked about the advantages of social inclusion. Arundhati Bhattacharya, ex-SBI Chairman, through a video message shared, “When you take on the People With disabilities (PWD) into your workforce, it isn’t necessary that you lose out on productivity; there are many jobs that these people can do and actually do better. It is more about organisations locating them, enabling them, giving them the right training, and also sensitising the groups.” Adding to Bhattacharya’s views, Shanti Raghavan, Founder, EnAble India, said, “Stopping at accepting is a problem. Action, solution and alternate ways of thinking are powerful. Moving forward is powerful.” If inclusion doesn’t come naturally to an organisation, it can always be learnt and adapted. To date, more than 400 companies globally have signed up the Valuable 500. In India, 20 conscious and responsible business leaders from India took a pledge to take affirmative action for disability inclusion.

Leaders Can Make the Right Choices.
Two decades ago, I came out of the closet and shared that I was registered blind. I hid it because of the fear of not getting the life that I wanted. I saw the inequality crisis for the disability, 90 per cent of the children with a disability don’t get educated. And this can’t just be solved by government and charity, we need the most powerful source in the world – business. But, the Valuable 500 movement isn’t for the 1.3 billion (specially-abled) in the world; it’s for all of us. And, we don’t need your charity and sympathy; we need to drive value through disability inclusion. This market (disability inclusion) is worth $1 trillion, it’s all about growth and innovation. Valuable 500 isn’t about employment, but linking the value in all of us. We have challenged the world’s most influential leaders, 500 of the world’s biggest brands and their CEOs, to commit to doing one thing – put disability on their leadership agenda and make a commitment to action. Because leaders make choices and choices create culture.

By Caroline Casey, Founder, The Valuable 500

Adding value Through Disability Inclusion
Mahindra Group feels privileged to be a part of the Valuable 500. The commitment pledge talks about putting disability in the board agenda, and it is the right and proper way to do so. We do need to change the way we, in the corporate world, look at disability. People who don’t have the same faculties as the rest of us can do more and not less. For an employer, that’s a valuable asset. What we need to work harder at as corporates and individuals are empathy. I believe that the Valuable 500 movement will add value to the corporate workplace.

By Anand Mahindra, Chairman, Mahindra Group

Barrier Free Movement
We have 100 offices in 30 countries but our principles values span geographies. The environmental, social and governance aspects of our business are core to Brookfield’s philosophy – promoting social inclusion and doing it with the highest standards of corporate governance. We are working towards making all our assets with universal access – meaning barrier-free movement. True commitment to inclusivity should be a part of definitive action. And we are proud to lead the inclusivity initiative in India.

By Ankur Gupta, Managing Director, Head of India Real Estate, Brookfield Asset Management

Platform for dialogue
We need to ensure the message of inclusivity is spread across corporate India. A lot more needs to be done with the IBDN movement and we need to ensure mainstream inclusion of people with disability in our economy. CII has been running campaigns, and creating DIY kits to sensitise corporates with the PWD’s needs. IBDN is a platform for dialogue, advocacy and knowledge sharing. It’s my call to action for all the companies to make inclusivity a part of daily routine.

By Seema Arora, Deputy Director General, Confederation of Indian Industry

Adopting right behaviour for inclusion
For Boeing, Valuable 500 is nothing less than a global business inclusion revolution. We believe that engagement with all types of talent is important for innovation. At Boeing, we want to create an environment where people with talent and all abilities can be valued and inspired to do their best work. Inclusion doesn’t just happen with having diverse teams. It happens when we adopt the right behaviours at every level in our organisation to be more inclusive.

By Salil Gupte, President, Boeing India

Disclaimer: This article is an ET Spotlight partnership initiative with Brookfield Properties.