The World Bank states that people with disabilities are more likely to experience adverse socioeconomic outcomes due to the lack of employment and education opportunities and the increased cost of living with a disability. Additionally, according to the World Health Organization, there are over 1.3 billion people with disabilities in the world. Of these, over 650 million people are from the Asia-Pacific region. Unfortunately, the lack of access and unequal distribution of services, support and opportunities mean approximately 90% of this population cannot fully participate in our economies and societies.

Doing what matters to build a more accessible world

At Avanade, our purpose has always been about doing what matters to make a genuine human impact. Diversity and inclusion are a big part of this journey and have always been at the heart of everything we do - from how we treat people, to how we make decisions, and the solutions we take to market.

We strongly believe that technology has the potential to improve the lives of people with disabilities by making opportunities more accessible and equitable. To that end, we've been focusing on doing what matters to improve accessibility to digital (such as Internet and technology) and opportunities (such as employment, education, socioeconomic participation) through several initiatives.

For example, we recently signed up to join Microsoft’s Enabler Program as a partner in Singapore and Malaysia focusing on improving the employability of people with disabilities across the region. This partnership builds on our existing program and strategy to drive more inclusive and diverse employment in Southeast Asia; for instance, our partnership with Singapore’s Autism Resource Centre which is designed to train and hire adults on the autism spectrum.

In fact, we are deeply honoured to have been recognized by Singapore's Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat in his speech at SG Enable's 10th anniversary celebration where Avanade received the Enabling Mark (Gold status) Award for our exemplary initiatives to enhance inclusion and diversity in Singapore through innovative employment and training opportunities for people with disabilities.

Improving employability through awareness, accessibility and accountability

Being inclusive is more than just trying to integrate people with disabilities; it's about creating an environment where everyone feels welcome as they are. This is only possible if we focus on three key pillars:

1. Education and awareness: People need to be sensitized to the fact that disability does not define a person. The workforce should be trained to recognize their biases, so they don't stereotype and discriminate against their colleagues with disabilities. The objective is to create an inclusive and conducive environment where everyone feels psychologically safe.
2. Accessible by design: It's important to create an environment where everyone is set up for success - from building spaces and physical workplaces; to digital tools that enable communication and collaboration; and even the scope of the job.
3. Partnerships and accountability: Partnerships and joint initiatives are essential to create a bigger impact for inclusion – such as our partnerships with Microsoft through its Enabler program, and with Autism Resource Centre which has tripled in size since its launch in 2018. There is also a need to create industry benchmarks and hold companies accountable for implementing inclusive hiring practices.

Inclusion and diversity is good for business and people. While there has been progress, it's not happening fast enough. To move the needle significantly, we all need to work together towards a shared purpose – making a genuine human impact by doing what matters. At the end of the day, it's about advancing the world we live in today to create a more equitable and inclusive society.

We are excited about this program, initiatives and overall strategy - and look forward to a fruitful journey together with our partners: lead by example, sharing best practices, creating more learning opportunities, and promoting real-life examples to dispel stereotypes, eliminate biases, and challenge the status quo.