AccessAbility Awards
Celebrating Innovation, Accessibility, and Impact
The Helen Keller Services AccessAbility Awards recognize and celebrate companies and organizations that have made exceptional strides in prioritizing accessibility across their products, services, and organizational culture. These awards spotlight the organizations leading the way—companies that understand accessibility creates better experiences for everyone while opening doors to underserved markets and untapped talent.
About the AccessAbility Awards
Since 2021, the Helen Keller Services AccessAbility Awards have honored industry leaders who understand that accessibility is not just a compliance checkbox—it’s a gateway to innovation, untapped markets, and meaningful impact. These awards are more than just a showcase of success stories—they’re an opportunity for all of us to learn, connect, and reimagine how we can make our organizations more accessible. These awards spotlight organizations that have demonstrated exceptional dedication to enhancing the lives of individuals with disabilities, including those who are blind, have low vision, or are DeafBlind.
As 2024 keynote speaker Sumaira Latif shared: “I became that athlete powered by purpose. I decided that other people needed to run my race in my shoes.” Our award recipients embody this spirit—they don’t just build accessible products, they champion the perspective that accessibility benefits everyone.
Our Mission
We recognize companies that prioritize accessibility because we believe that when businesses embrace accessible design, they don’t just serve people with disabilities—they create better experiences for everyone. These award recipients prove that accessibility drives innovation, enhances customer experiences, and contributes to a more equitable society.
The Business Case for Accessibility
Did you know? The global disability market represents a staggering $7 trillion in annual disposable income, with 1 in 5 people worldwide living with a disability. This vast and often underserved market segment presents immense economic opportunities for businesses willing to prioritize accessibility. But beyond the compelling business case, accessibility is fundamentally about people—about creating a world where everyone can fully participate.
Why Accessibility Matters for Business:
- Expand Market Reach: Tap into the $7 trillion global disability market
- Enhance Brand Loyalty: Build stronger relationships with customers through inclusive design
- Drive Innovation: Accessibility often leads to solutions that benefit all users
- Attract Diverse Talent: Foster an accessible workplace that appeals to top talent
- Competitive Advantage: Set your organization apart as a leader in accessible practices
2024: A Landmark Year
In 2024, we expanded our impact by combining the AccessAbility Awards with our inaugural Accessibility Symposium, creating a comprehensive virtual event that brought together industry leaders, technology experts, and advocates from around the world. This groundbreaking symposium featured keynote presentations and insights from accessibility champions while celebrating our award recipients.
2024 Symposium Highlights
Featured Speakers:
Sumaira Latif, Company Accessibility Leader at Procter & Gamble – Shared her personal journey as a blind woman from a Pakistani background, detailing how she created P&G’s “disability challenge” to educate colleagues and opened products to 1.8 billion people with disabilities worldwide.
Beth Foor, Corporate Affairs at Kellanova – Born with Usher’s Syndrome, Beth led Kellanova’s groundbreaking NaviLens implementation, making them the first food company to use this accessibility technology on packaging.
Joe Strechay, Award-winning producer and consultant on Netflix’s “All the Light We Cannot See” – Detailed his work creating accessibility for actors and ensuring authentic representation of blindness in major productions.
The symposium demonstrated that accessibility isn’t just about products—it’s about representation, workplace culture, and personal journeys that transform entire industries.
Watch the complete 2024 AccessAbility Symposium & Awards on YouTube
Distinguished Award Recipients
Our AccessAbility Awards have recognized groundbreaking companies across diverse industries, from tech giants and airlines to innovative startups and consulting firms. These organizations exemplify how accessibility can be successfully integrated into various business models and sectors.
2024 AccessAbility Award Recipients
United Airlines – First U.S. airline to introduce Braille in cabins and tactile placards, with comprehensive digital accessibility improvements and wheelchair accommodation initiatives
Apple – Nearly 40 years of accessibility leadership, integrating features like VoiceOver, Switch Control, and comprehensive support for assistive technologies across all products
LEGO – Revolutionary Braille Bricks co-created with blind organizations worldwide, making play and learning universally accessible while preserving the joy of LEGO building
Be My Eyes – Access Excellence Award for groundbreaking Be My AI integration, combining human volunteers with GPT-4 technology to serve over 6 million users globally
Meloway Makeup – Founded by brothers who embedded accessibility into their brand DNA, creating makeup products specifically designed for one-handed application
Rival – Created the accessible “Feeling Through Studio” platform with innovative features like integrated ASL interpretation and custom accessibility tools
The Viscardi Center – Leading nonprofit organization that educates, employs, and empowers individuals with disabilities throughout their life cycles, from pre-K through career placement, serving people with both visible and non-visible disabilities
2023 AccessAbility Award Recipients
Procter & Gamble – Led by accessibility pioneer Sam Latif, P&G revolutionized packaging with tactile features on Head & Shoulders and Herbal Essences products, and introduced NaviLens technology on Pantene and Always brands, serving 1.3 billion people with disabilities worldwide.
Kellanova (formerly Kellogg Company) – First food company globally to integrate NaviLens technology into packaging, making iconic cereals like Corn Flakes, Rice Krispies, and Special K accessible to blind and low vision consumers.
NaviLens – Innovative accessibility technology for navigation and information access.
Netflix – Leading entertainment accessibility through accessible content and features, with improved audio description and expanded subtitle languages.
Compass 365 – Comprehensive accessibility consulting and solutions, including accessible Microsoft SharePoint implementations.
NV Access – Advancing screen reader technology and digital accessibility through their free, open-source NVDA software used by 250,000 people in 175 countries.
View the 2023 AccessAbility Awards Here
2022 AccessAbility Award Recipients
Cleanlogic – Accessible personal care product innovation
Unidescription Project – Advancing accessible media and communication
Accessible Pharmacy for the Blind – Healthcare accessibility solutions
Wunderman Thompson – Accessible marketing and communications
Service Skills E-Learning – Accessible educational technology
2021 Inaugural AccessAbility Award Recipients
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences – Entertainment industry accessibility leadership
Microsoft – Technology accessibility innovation and advocacy
UsableNet – Digital accessibility platform solutions
Sunrise Credit Services – Financial services accessibility
Be My Eyes – Visual assistance technology innovation
What Our Awards Represent
Each AccessAbility Award recipient has shown remarkable commitment to accessibility, setting examples for businesses across diverse industries. These organizations demonstrate that:
- Accessibility drives innovation and often leads to breakthrough solutions
- Universal design benefits everyone, not just people with disabilities
- Business success and social responsibility can work hand in hand
- Leadership in accessibility creates competitive advantages and market opportunities
Ready to Lead in Accessibility?
Educate & Engage
Share insights from our award recipients with your colleagues. Start conversations about accessibility in your organization. Discuss how the innovations showcased by our winners can inspire your own initiatives.
Collaborate with Helen Keller Services
Reach out to us for training, consultation, and partnership opportunities. Whether you need resources, guidance, or simply a sounding board for your ideas, we’re here to support your accessibility journey.
Innovate Through Accessibility
Look at your products, services, and workplace practices through an accessibility lens. How can you make them more universally usable? Our award recipients prove that accessibility constraints often spark the most creative solutions.
Advocate for Change
Push for accessibility to be a core part of your organization’s strategy, not an afterthought. Champion accessibility as both a moral imperative and a strategic business advantage.
Build an Accessible Workforce
Actively seek out and create opportunities for individuals with disabilities in your workforce. The disability community represents untapped talent and diverse perspectives that drive innovation.
Your Partner in Accessibility
The Helen Keller Services AccessAbility Awards celebrate organizations that are reshaping what’s possible when accessibility becomes a genuine priority.
What shapes our perspective is our daily work with individuals who are blind, DeafBlind, and have low vision—helping them develop skills, pursue careers, and build independent lives. Through this work, we see the real impact when organizations embrace accessibility thoughtfully.
Our awards recognize companies that are making a difference, but they’re part of a larger conversation about creating opportunities. Every accessible workplace, every inclusive design choice, every thoughtful approach opens doors for the individuals we serve and the broader disability community.