The Valuable 500 and the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) have partnered to ensure disability inclusion remains high on the agenda – particularly for the world’s largest businesses.

The Valuable 500 is the largest CEO network globally fighting for disability inclusion and the IPC the largest network of disabled athletes, and third-largest sporting event in the world.

The partnership will see the IPC and The Valuable 500 create a global communications campaign around the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games in collaboration with several other organisations. They will collaborate on major events and explore shared interests around strategy, policy, development and the promotion of persons with disabilities. 

Disability inclusion

Disability inclusion, particularly in business, has emerged as a key topic of discussion throughout COVID-19, as the social distancing, isolation and exclusion faced by society at large, alongside a realisation of the possibilities of remote working, has brought a new level of understanding.

Many IPC partners and suppliers are already members of The Valuable 500, including Airbnb, Atos, Channel 4, Citi and Coca Cola European Partners. The IPC aims to engage and encourage many more of its commercial and broadcast partners, as well as suppliers, to join The Valuable 500.

Andrew Parsons, IPC President, said: “We are tremendously excited by our partnership with The Valuable 500 as it will help create greater opportunities for persons with disabilities and help change the storyline around disability.

“In today’s age, it is totally unacceptable that the number of persons with disabilities in employment around the world is nowhere near reflective of the 15 per cent global population who have a disability.

“Research has proven that Para sport, and in particular the Paralympic Games, act as a catalyst to changing attitudes towards disability which, in turn, leads to greater employment opportunities. We hope this partnership with The Valuable 500 can create even more opportunities for the wider disability community.

“Ahead of the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games, we are establishing a network of organisations who share our passion for inclusion such as The Valuable 500 and the International Disability Alliance.  By working together, we will launch a major global campaign that will aim to change the stigma attached to disability and fight the discrimination persons with disabilities face on a daily basis.”

The Valuable 500

Caroline Casey, founder of The Valuable 500, said: “In order to achieve true equality for people with disabilities, we need to work together to create a society which is equal for all. If we don’t start to incorporate all areas of inclusion, then we will never make progress.

“It’s great to partner with the IPC to help further shine a spotlight on the lived experience of those with a disability. It’s time we all came together to upend the stigma that surrounds people with a disability and start to change the narrative. 

“We look forward to working with the IPC and being part of the many initiatives happening over the course of the next year.” 

The Valuable 500 was launched at the World Economic Forum’s Annual Meeting in Davos, Switzerland, 2019 and calls on on business leaders to foster innovations enabling persons with disabilities to realise their potential in society, business and the economy.

The Valuable 500 is the only global business CEO collective focused on disability inclusion in business and has more than 340 leading companies from 31 countries as its members; all who are committed to putting disability inclusion on their business leadership agenda.

The IPC

Founded in 1989, the IPC is the global governing body of the Paralympic Movement. Its vision is to make for a more inclusive world through Para sport, while its mission is to lead the Paralympic Movement, oversee the delivery of the Paralympic Games and support members to enable Para athletes to achieve sporting excellence.

Research following London 2012 showed that one in three people in Great Britain changed their attitudes towards disability as a result of the Paralympic Games.  Six years later, the Office of National Statistics highlighted that one million more persons with disabilities were in employment compared to before 2012, underlining the seismic impact of the Paralympics on British society.