Awards celebrate innovations and projects that help to remove barriers for disabled people

Organisations and individuals that are working to remove barriers and make the world more inclusive for disabled people were celebrated at Business Disability Forum’s Disability Smart Awards 2025 in London on 29 April 2025.

Now in its 11th year, the Disability Smart Awards is an annual event open to organisations of any size across all sectors. Evidence and learnings from finalists and winning projects are shared during the awards and throughout the year.

The aim is to help increase business understanding around diversity and inclusion and deliver positive outcomes for disabled people.

Diane Lightfoot, CEO of Business Disability Forum, said: “Congratulations to all this year’s Disability Smart Award winners and finalists. 2025 is a landmark year as it is 30 years since the Disability Discrimination Act and 15 years since the Equality Act came into force.

“Although we have a long way to go to be a truly inclusive global society, our Disability Smart Award winners and finalists show how innovation around disability inclusion can drive positive change for everyone.

“In our experience, a fear of getting it wrong is often one of the biggest barriers that has to be overcome, but our winner stories demonstrate what can be achieved when organisations make disability inclusion a priority on their agenda.”

Thirteen organisations or individuals were awarded Disability Smart Awards this year.

The Disability Smart Technology Award winner is Unilever for making its packaging accessible for everyone through a new scanning technology and accessible QR code solution that can be scanned from a distance and voices the information written on packs.

The Disability Smart Leader Award winner is Georgina Colman, Founder and CEO of Purpl Discounts, for founding the UK’s first disabled discount site which aims to improve the lives and finances of every disabled person in the UK.

Neil Eustice, Digital Accessibility Manager at KPMG UK, won the Disability Smart Diversity and Inclusion Professional Award for a lifelong career of driving disability inclusion through his work in various roles at KPMG, the IAAP, and sharing his expertise externally through forums such as the Business Disability Forum Technology Taskforce.

The Disability Smart Accessible Built Environment Award was awarded to the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) for its London Headquarters project pioneering the new PAS 6463 national standard to become a beacon of accessibility for its workforce, volunteers, and customers.

Arts Council England received the Disability Smart Procurement Award for transforming how the creative and cultural sector can remove barriers and improve experiences for deaf, disabled, and neurodivergent people.   

The Disability Smart Inclusive Workplace Experience Award, for 250 or more employees, was awarded to Ofgem for its digital workplace adjustment passport, the ‘Optimal Working Passport’, the first of its kind in the Civil Service that streamlines how employees request accommodations, which ensures quick approvals and maintains robust data security.

The Disability Smart Inclusive Workplace Experience Award, for up to 250 employees, winner is Inkfire for its commitment to championing accessibility and inclusion through its internal flexible working framework, its mentoring of other small businesses, and its inclusive output and practices.

Enterprise East Group CIC received the Disability Smart Inclusive Recruitment Award for its supported employment ‘Inclusion and Thrive’ programme, which includes well-rounded training for disabled individuals and a placement in one of its social businesses.

The Disability Smart Inclusive Communication Campaign Award was awarded to the London Borough of Lambeth for its ‘Accessible Lambeth: Blue Badge Awareness & Action’ campaign focused on promoting and protecting the mobility of disabled motorists within Lambeth and nationally, by working with disabled people to tackle growing Blue Badge crime.

Alexandra Park and Palace won the Disability Smart Inclusive Customer Experience Award, for more than 250 employees, for revolutionising the way it engages with the disabled community to make its Victorian Grade II listed building a hub of accessibility to all.

The winner of the Inclusive Customer Experience Award, for up to 250 employees, is Mobility in Motion for transforming automotive accessibility through an innovative, customer-first approach offering tailored solutions and expert advice to ensure that travel is safe and accessible for all.

Coca-Cola Europacific Partners received the Disability Smart Global Disability Inclusion Award for its ‘Accessibility Matrix’ tool, which improves workplace accessibility via accessible guidelines, an intuitive self-assessment, and strategic planning and communication tools.

The Disability Smart Inclusive Product Design Award was awarded to Cambridge School Classics Project and Cambridge University Press & Assessment for creating a new edition of a beginner’s Latin course in different formats, designed to be representative of lived experiences and accessible to learners with varying learning needs.

Global law firm Freshfields sponsored the Disability Smart Awards 2025 and the Business Disability Forum ambassador and TV personality, Simon Minty, co-hosted the ceremony.

Simon Minty, a long-standing ambassador of Business Disability Forum, trainer, consultant, and TV personality, said: “It is always a pleasure to co-host the Disability Smart Awards. This is my third year now and it is exciting to see how much these businesses and organisations value disability inclusion and the innovative work they are putting in to make it a reality. I always love to hear about new ways of doing things that I’d never thought of before.

“An award is just a snapshot but it’s also an important moment for all of us to pause, reflect and to be encouraged to work harder and to do even better. This year’s winning entries show just what can happen when people commit to working together to achieve change.”

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