Zappos.com Joins Valuable 500 and Reinforces Disability Inclusion Commitment
Zappos.com said today it is participating in the Valuable 500 initiative to promote disability inclusion at the leadership level.
Zappos has joined a coalition of national and international companies pledging to drive change for those living with disabilities – whether through their respective employees, advertising and marketing campaigns, and/or product offerings. Among the members are Prada Group, L’Oreal, American Express, MasterCard, Google, Verizon, Unilever, The Coca Cola Co., and Accenture.
“We’ve been passionate about Zappos Adaptive, our curated shopping experience made up of functional, fashion products to make life easier for the disability community, since its launch in 2017, but we know there is more work to do,” said Kedar Deshpande, chief executive officer of Zappos. “Diversity and individuality are central to our company’s core values and we’re humbled to be a part of like-minded organizations dedicated to making the world a better and more equitable place.”
Zappos Adaptive includes a wide range of adaptive clothing and shoes with features to fit a variety of needs. The line spans seated-friendly and easy dressing clothing to easy-on shoes and single and different size shoes.
As part of its pledge, Zappos formally committed to the following action: “As we continue our journey of inclusivity and connecting people with products that make getting dressed easier for everyone, we are excited to join The Valuable 500. Driven by helping fulfill the previously underserved customer need in adaptive apparel and footwear, we are formally committing to working alongside our brand partners to help them develop adaptive products or discover adaptations to existing styles that allow for more accessibility. We will do this through collaborating side-by-side with brands and hosting focus groups with a diverse group of people with disabilities to receive first hand feedback,” according to Zappos.
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Caroline Casey, founder of The Valuable 500, said, “Ensuring everyone has access to apparel and footwear is a basic right, and Zappos’ commitment to ensure this for those with disabilities is essential,” adding, “We welcome their commitment and drive to put disability inclusion on their leadership team’s agenda and create a truly diverse workplace where inclusion is central.”
Launched in January 2019, the Valuable 500 aims to help create greater business inclusion. The goal is to persuade 500 multinational companies that have at least 1,000 employees to make a public commitment to advance disability inclusion in their organizations.
Zappos is a division of Amazon. Amazon is not included in the Valuable 500.
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