India’s big businesses hold key to inclusion for disabled people

As we approach next week’s International Day of Disabled Persons on 3 December, it’s fair to say that disability inclusion has emerged as a notable topic on the government agenda in the past year.

In August for example, Prime Minister Narendra Modi asked for the introduction of a mobile application to help disabled people more easily navigate transport and government buildings, calling for officials to be “compassionate” towards the cause and to accelerate the implementation of the Accessible India Campaign (AIC), launched by the PM four years ago on the International Day of Disabled Persons.

Accessibility of public buildings and public transport appears to be an issue that the government is keen to expedite—and with good reason. Without the ability to move freely and access public resources, opportunities for disabled people are obviously severely limited.

But disability exclusion doesn’t end at access to public buildings and transport. True equality for India’s 26.8 million disabled people means full inclusion in India’s businesses—ensuring that disabled people play a central role in the terrific growth story that is the country’s economy.

New research has found persons with disabilities form less than 0.5% of staff in India’s top firms, yet between 10-15% of the Indian population live with a disability. This is not only socially devastating—as without an income those with disabilities are more likely to fall into poverty—but it is to the detriment of the economy.

From a global perspective, the spending power of the globe’s 1.3 billion disabled people—equivalent to the entire population of India—is $8 trillion; not a figure that any business can afford to dismiss.

What’s more, companies that demonstrate “disability confidence”—actively attracting, recruiting and retaining disabled employees, including people with long-term health conditions—on average achieve 28% higher revenue, double the net income and 30% higher economic profit margins than those who do not. It literally pays to ensure disabled people are included in business.

Yet many companies still have what I term “diversish” attitudes towards disability in business—a study undertaken by EY on behalf of my campaign #valuable found that though 90% of companies say they’re inclusive, only 4% include disability in this definition.

The research identified that 7% of leaders have a direct connection to disability, yet there are very few leading high-profile voices for disability inclusion. Of these disabled leaders, 1 in 5 do not feel comfortable admitting their disability to colleagues. 56% of global senior executives rarely or never discuss disability on their leadership agendas.

Stigma around disability is still all too prevalent and it cannot be resolved without the cooperation of businesses—the most powerful force on the planet.

It’s time that businesses treat disability inclusion as the opportunity that it is and move it from the side-lines and onto the main stage. It is time to put this issue front and centre—for the 26.8 million disabled, and for India’s future generations.

I set out to explain this when I took to the main stage at the World Economic Forum in Davos this year to launch The Valuable 500—a global movement putting disability on the business leadership agenda, aiming to engage 500 national and multinational private sector corporations to be the tipping point for change and to unlock the business, social and economic value of the 1.3bn people living with disabilities across the world.

One of the most impressive responses to our call to action came from India. Amongst a host of other global leaders and brands, 17 of India’s leading businesses have since joined the campaign, including Tata Steel, Mahindra and ANZ. India’s business leaders are waking up to the fact that their companies can benefit both socially and financially from disability inclusion. These companies are setting the agenda for other businesses in the country to follow— they represent the tipping point of change for the 26.8 million.

I’ll be reiterating this message as I take to the stage this week to address CEOS and senior business leaders at an event hosted by Enable India, alongside Shri Hardeep Singh Puri, Hon’ble Minister of State, Ministry of Civil Aviation & Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.

India is where The Valuable 500 all really started for me. 20 years ago, I came out of the closet and revealed that I was legally blind, after years of hiding it. I went to India to launch my first campaign for disability inclusion, and it is a real honour to come back home this week to see how things are improving and to celebrate the brilliant leadership that’s making that happen.

If this momentum continues, India’s largest businesses could be in a position to radically improve the lives of India’s disabled for the better, by changing the way society values the nation’s disabled—and help bring an end to the wasted potential of millions of people across the country.

Caroline Casey is an award-winning social entrepreneur and founder of The Valuable 500