Social enterprises creating a more disability-inclusive society

This article originally appeared in IKEA Social Entrepreneurship

According to the World Health Organisation, about 1.3 billion people, or nearly 16% of the global population, live with various physical, sensory, intellectual, or mental health disabilities. Despite their diverse abilities, many faces systemic barriers, including economic inequality, limited access to decent work, barriers to independence and dignity, and unequal access to assistive technologies and inclusive environments.

By co-creating the Dela systems change programme to find, strengthen, and scale innovative solutions, IKEA and Ashoka work with and support experts from both fields that contribute to equality, inclusion, and decent livelihoods around the world.

Inclusive learning for Deaf and visually impaired children

Globally, more than 70 million Deaf people face challenges accessing education and healthcare because of communication barriers, and only 2% of Deaf children worldwide receive education in sign language. Motion Light Lab was founded by Melissa Malzkuhn, who is third-generation Deaf and comes from a family of gifted storytellers. The enterprise applies digital innovations to solve communication barriers for Deaf children. The lab creates educational apps and training programmes that both support Deaf learners and enable Deaf creators to develop additional American Sign Language (ASL) resources. Founded in 2009 and based in the United States, its initiatives have reached 10 countries and resulted in over 50,000 app downloads.

Tie Wang Jones, Global Head of Inclusive Design & Accessibility at IKEA, and the IKEA co-workers who supported Motion Light Lab through the Dela III Programme, shared that genuine curiosity, rather than perfection, is key to inclusive collaboration. She believes that encouraging open dialogue, asking questions, and sharing perspectives builds trust and deepens understanding of accessibility and the assumptions we make about others. “I was afraid to ask the wrong questions, but creating a safe space for curiosity and vulnerability helped us overcome that fear,” said Tie. She also added that this experience has positively influenced her work at IKEA, guiding her team in integrating accessibility and neurodiversity into digital design and hiring practices.

Together with IKEA, we proudly supported Motion Light Lab, assisting them in defining funding and impact strategies to reach more Deaf children and visual learners and to support their full inclusion in society.

Creating inclusive spaces for all abilities

Todo Accessible is driven by the belief: “the more you include, the more you grow.” Founded in Mexico, the organisation found that in 2022, 70% of people with disabilities were unemployed due to barriers in infrastructure, technology, and societal attitudes. This inspired Todo Accessible to help businesses and people without disabilities understand disabilities and foster inclusion in social and work environments.

Todo Accessible uses multi-sensory solutions, evaluating new and existing buildings for accessibility in Mexico and Latin America, led by people with disabilities. They also focus on improving digital accessibility, providing employment support, and running workshops that promote Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility (IDEA) principles to educate people about disabilities and integrate inclusion into organisational operations.

Through the Dela V Programme, we're proud to support Todo Accessible in creating inclusive spaces and inspiring other organisations to adopt IDEA principles.