Zalando’s Post

Here's some Monday Motivation for you! I founded Be #PeopleSmart Ltd because it's important to me that I 'Walk the Walk' when it comes to disability inclusion and accessibility. I already worked in the field for more than a decade, but I wanted to do more, to help more companies. Too many companies just aren't stepping up to create a culture of true inclusion and belonging and that's not smart business. There are the companies who 'talk the talk'. Their CEO may have even put their signature to a commitment that said they're going to take action in this space. But does it actually happen? Most of the time it doesn't. It doesn't make it to the top of the right priority lists. It's just over a month until International Day of Persons with Disabilities (3 December), can you hand on heart look in the mirror that day and say you are taking action to create an inclusive and accessible workplace? Are you walking the walk? Share your achievements in the comments. If you aren't sure how to step up or how best to celebrate 3 December, reach out to me. #PeopleSmart #WalkTheWalk #DisabilityInclusion #Accessibility #MondayMotivation Image is split in 2 halves. The top has a cartoon image of Jodie in a Be #PeopleSmart t-shirt with her hand to her ear. Text reads 'What I often hear: "Diversity, equity and inclusion are important to us and at the heart of everything we do!" The bottom half has a cartoon image of Jodie peering over a pair of glasses and the text reads 'What I don't often see: Proactive efforts to achieve disability inclusion, across business areas, and not just ticking boxes.'

It's Peak of the Week! I hope you are working towards reaching any goals you set for this week. Do your goals include disability inclusion and accessibility? Would you like a freebie? Check out the Be #PeopleSmart Ltd Personas! Clara, Jacob, Jodie, Brian, Luci (plus guide dog Bruce) and Sky were created to help you. Every one of our personas has been created from multiple real lived experiences, to enable you to use their needs, their preferences and the barriers they've faced to improve employee and customer experience within your own organisation. Let me know what you think. https://lnkd.in/e7QPw3uS #PeopleSmart #Personas #DisabilityInclusion #Accessibility Image shows the Be #PeopleSmart logo and title "Have you met our personas?" Jodie is smiling and pointing at a photo of all of the personas she's holding in her hand. Text reads "A free resource, created from real lived experiences, to help you to improve disability inclusion and accessibility."

Did you know that October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month? Diversity and inclusion discussions often focus on visible aspects, but it's crucial also to address unseen disabilities. In her insightful article, Yolanda Slan sheds light on this issue and offers valuable solutions. Discover how to: ✅ Educate and raise awareness ✅ Implement flexible accommodation policies ✅ Promote a culture of acceptance ✅ Create Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) ✅ Review existing policies Let's work together to create an inclusive and supportive workplace for everyone! 💼🤝 #InclusionMatters #DEI #WorkplaceInclusion #NationalDisabilityEmploymentAwarenessMonth

Discover how businesses can create a more inclusive workplace for people with disabilities. Check out this insightful article featuring BlueDAG co-Founder and accessibility expert Paul Klein: #DisabilityInclusion #WorkplaceEquality https://lnkd.in/gqsHqdX8

Ever wondered how to create a world that works for everyone? This week in the Disability Inclusion Dictionary, we're diving into Universal Design! Universal Design isn't just about compliance. It's about: - Promoting equity and equal opportunities for ALL. - Sparking innovations that benefit EVERYONE. - Boosting user satisfaction and usability for a BETTER experience. Follow DI-verse to learn more! #AccessibilityForAll #DiverseTogether #LetsBeDiverse #DisabilityInclusion #InclusiveWorkplace #DiverseAbilities #DisabilityInclusionDictionary Kamesh Sanghi Jay Kumar

Fashion and Disability Rights: Paving the Runway for Inclusivity and Empowerment. The struggle for disability rights and inclusion in the fashion industry has been ongoing, but in recent years, there has been a positive shift towards greater awareness, understanding, and acceptance. Read full article here: https://lnkd.in/dBXqHG2W

This is leadership.

🌟 Celebrating Disability Pride Month: Redefining fashion with adaptive style! As we raise the Disability Pride flag high, we reflect on the significance of each colour and its representation. 🖤 Black: In remembrance, we honour lives lost to illness, negligence, suicide, or eugenics. ❤️ Red: Symbolizing physical disabilities, celebrating strength and resilience. 💛 Yellow: Shining light on cognitive and intellectual abilities within the disability community. 🤍 White: Acknowledging invisible and undiagnosed disabilities, fostering understanding. 💙 Blue: Promoting mental health awareness, breaking stigmas. 💚 Green: Embracing and respecting sensory perception differences. This month, as we commemorate Disability Pride Month, we want to shine a spotlight on the incredible power of adaptive fashion. It's a game-changer, not just in terms of style and expression but also in improving physical and mental health, promoting inclusivity, and empowering individuals with disabilities. Adaptive fashion represents each of the colours of the Disability Pride Flag, and it's not always obvious to the naked eye. It's about designing with intention, integrating features like magnetic closures, easy-to-use fasteners, adjustable elements, and sensory-friendly fabrics. We want to see major retailers embracing adaptive fashion, sending a powerful message: that disability is never a barrier to style or success. It opens doors, boosts confidence, and fosters a sense of belonging. Through adaptive fashion, we hope to empower the disability community to navigate the world with dignity, comfort, and self-expression. As we celebrate Disability Pride Month, we continue to champion the growth of adaptive fashion, support inclusive brands, and raise awareness about the importance of accessible clothing options. #WearWhatYouWant #DisabilityPrideMonth #HappyPride #Pride #DisabilityPride #DisabilityPrideFlag #Colours #Fashion #Accessibility #AdaptiveClothing #AccessibleFashion #FashionForEveryone #Disability #DisabilityInclusion #Clothing #Wheelchair #Mobility #Diversity #Instagood #Love #Cerebalpalsy #Spinalcordinjury #Spinabifida #MS #ALS #MentalHealth #Health #Awareness #Breaking #Stigma

So, I'm celebrating the representation in marketing alongside the rest of the disability inclusion advocates out on the web, and kudos to those who are calling this out and sharing the good news (Mindy Henderson and Jean Cozad Poteet). I'd like to open this conversation up a bit more in regards to the shoe industry in specific. As a disabled man nearing his 50th birthday and having an onset of my disability at 22 months, I have purchased many shoes in my life. Amazon and Zappos Family of Companies and all the rest of the shoe retailers out in the world, do you have a disability sales policy in place? Does the gentleman in this add pay full price for two shoes or can he go on and order a single shoe at half the price? In 2024, I am going to be more bold in the digital needs of our disabled society and push the conversation past just alt text and screen reader tech, which is definitely necessary and should be addressed by every major brand with the funds to handle the load out in the worldwide web, and it should be a major priority to the open source projects that support the sites of small businesses to be able to provide a truly inclusive web experience. So that said, true disability inclusion requires your attention in all facets of your business operations: extra development time to refine your ecommerce shopping carts, your shipping facilities and product offering variations just to name a few, so stop crying about the easy stuff and start focusing on what it is really going to take. In my case I have a left foot that is a size 11 and a right foot that is much smaller than that, so I have had to buy two pairs of shoes just to have one pair that fits me correctly my whole life... :( If we are going to talk the talk, let's walk the walk. My own internal ableism, is screaming at me to say, "You are just another one of those angry disabled people that sounds like a cry baby." However my heart is telling me, "If you don't bring up this conversation, who will, how long would it wait to be brought up, and is what I am saying all that bad anyway?" Just saying. #DisabilityTax #WeCanDoBetter #DisabilityInclusion #CallingAllAllies #DisablingAbleism