The Business Disability Forum’s Disability Smart Awards 2025 were held in London this week. They aim to increase business understanding of diversity and inclusion and deliver positive outcomes for disabled people.
Now in its 11th year, the awards are an annual event open to organisations of any size across all sectors who are working to remove barriers and make the world more inclusive 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 won Disability Smart Awards this year.
Disability Smart Leader Award
Winner: Georgina Colman, Founder and CEO of Purpl Discounts,for founding the UK’s first disabled discount site. The site aims to improve the lives and finances of every disabled person in the UK.
Disability Smart Diversity and Inclusion Professional Award
Winner: Neil Eustice, Digital Accessibility Manager, KPMG UK, for a lifelong career of driving disability inclusion through his work in various roles at KPMG and the IAAP and sharing his expertise externally through forums such as the Business Disability Forum Technology Taskforce.
Disability Smart Accessible Built Environment Award
Winner: Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) for their London Headquarters project, which pioneered the new PAS 6463 national standard to become a beacon of accessibility for their workforce, volunteers, and customers.
Disability Smart Technology Award
Winner: Unilever for making its packaging accessible for everyone through new scanning technology and an accessible QR code solution that can be scanned from a distance and voices the information written on packs.
Disability Smart Procurement Award
Winner: Arts Council England, for transforming how the creative and cultural sector can remove barriers and improve experiences for deaf, disabled and neurodivergent people.
Disability Smart Inclusive Workplace Experience Award (250+ employees)
Winner: Ofgem, for their digital workplace adjustment passport, the ‘Optimal Working Passport’, the first of its kind in the Civil Service, which streamlines how employees request accommodations, ensures quick approvals and maintains robust data security.
Disability Smart Inclusive Workplace Experience Award (up to 250 employees)
Winner: Inkfire for its commitment to championing accessibility and inclusion through its internal flexible working framework, mentoring of other small businesses, and inclusive output and practices.
Disability Smart Inclusive Recruitment Award
Winner: Enterprise East Group CIC 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.
Disability Smart Inclusive Communication Campaign Award
Winner: London Borough of Lambeth for their ‘Accessible Lambeth: Blue Badge Awareness & Action’ campaign, which 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.
Disability Smart Inclusive Customer Experience Award (250+ employees)
Winner: Alexandra Park and Palace, for revolutionising how they engage with the disabled community to make their Victorian Grade 2 listed building a hub of accessibility to all.
Inclusive Customer Experience Award (up to 250 employees)
Winner: 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.
Disability Smart Global Disability Inclusion Award
Winner: Coca-Cola Europacific Partners for their ‘Accessibility Matrix’ tool, which improves workplace accessibility via accessible guidelines, an intuitive self-assessment and strategic planning and communication tools.
Disability Smart Inclusive Product Design Award
Winner: 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 BDF ambassador and TV personality, Simon Minty, co-hosted the ceremony.
Simon Minty 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.”
