Disability Smart Impact Awards 2026: winners announced

Organisations and individuals who are working to remove barriers and make the world more inclusive for disabled people were celebrated at Business Disability Forum’s Disability Smart Impact Awards 2026 in London tonight (29 April), hosted by HSBC.   

Now in its twelfth year, the Disability Smart Impact Awards is an annual event open to organisations of any size across all sectors, both in the UK and globally. The awards celebrate the impact of disability inclusion where individuals and organisations make a real and lasting impact on the lives of disabled people by removing barriers to inclusion.  

Diane Lightfoot, CEO of Business Disability Forum, said:  

“In today’s challenging geopolitical climate, it’s encouraging to read and hear about the incredible work being done by organisations and individuals across the globe on disability inclusion and the positive impact on so many people’s lives  

“We hope our winners’ stories will help other organisations to begin their own disability inclusion journey. We look forward to seeing the difference that they have made to employees, customers and service users at next year’s awards.” 

Find out more about all the winners and finalists on Business Disability Forum’s Disability Smart Impact Awards 2026 page.   

Disability Smart Impact Awards 2026: The winners

Fourteen organisations or individuals won Disability Smart Impact Awards this year. There is also a Lifetime Achievement Award, won this year by Lyn Lee, DEI strategist, speaker and author. Lyn spent more than 22 years as Shell’s Chief DEI Officer and was also their Senior Disability Champion. Since leaving Shell at the end of 2024, she has continued to drive disability inclusion more widely as the first and biggest supporter of BDF’s new global assessment which is now in its first year. 

Today Lyn is a public speaker on leadership, culture, and inclusion. 

Leader Award    

Winner: Iain Wilkie, 50 Million Voices, for speaking up for those people worldwide with a stammer, transforming their world of work and turning words into action.  

Runners-up were Amy Nicholas from Morgan’s Butchery and Marc Powell from Unilever. 

Diversity and Inclusion Professional Award    

Winner: Will King, Digital Head of Human Resources, Evtec Automotive Ltd, for being the driving force behind Evtec’s Disability Inclusion Transformation, an organisation-wide initiative that has reshaped the company’s culture, systems and workforce experience. 

Runners-up were Ross Hovey of Lloyds Banking Group and Sharon Extance of Freeths. 

Accessible Built Environment Award  

Winner: Lilly, for its global accessibility programme, Access Lilly, which has transformed its global workplaces into accessible spaces that benefit everyone. 

Runners-up were Homelands Trust (Fife) and Amazon Italy. 

Technology Award (large organisation +250 employees)  

Winner: ServiceNow, for its AI‑driven voice interface designed to remove physical and cognitive barriers experienced by disabled people in the workplace.  

Runners-up were the Financial Conduct Authority and Tesco Plc. 

Technology Award (small organisation fewer than 250 employees)  

Winner: Diverse Made Media, for its world-first wheelchair camera system, CAERUS, which is removing a historic barrier in film and television and empowering disabled creatives to step behind the camera as independent operators.  

Runners-up were Mobility Mojo and SensePilot. 

Customer Experience Award (large organisation +250 employees)  

Lloyds Banking Group, for its Inclusive Design Panel which has directly influenced solutions such as Read‑Only Internet Banking, which better support vulnerable and disabled customers ensuring they receive support without losing their independence.  

The runner-up was Durham University. 

Customer Experience Award (fewer than 250 employees)  

Accessible Housing Scotland, for helping disabled people and their families with personalised support, supporting them to navigate the housing market in a practical, informed way. 

The runners-up were Thrive Together Aberdeen and Greenwich + Docklands International Festival. 

Global Disability Inclusion Award, sponsored by Everway 

Unilever, for its Global Accessibility Centre of Excellence (CoE) which, rather than treating accessibility as a compliance obligation, embeds accessibility into the heart of Unilever’s workplaces, brand experiences and culture by using technology, design and innovation to deliver measurable, scalable impact. 

The runners-up were Bupa and Sutherland. 

Product Design Award, sponsored by Blackwood 

Sensory Shine, a small business dedicated to making essential oral hygiene routines more accessible, dignified and achievable for people who experience barriers to conventional oral care.   

The runners-up were Intotum and Sekond Skin Society. 

Procurement Award   

Winner: BBC, for its organisation-wide transformation in procurement practice, ensuring accessibility is embedded from the earliest decision points and sustained throughout the lifetime of technology contracts.  

The runner-up was Barclays. 

Workplace Experience Award (250+ employees), sponsored by Kingspan Insulation Ltd 

Winner: Sutherland, for creating a workplace that removes barriers long before they appear and supports employees throughout every stage of their career journey. The approach redesigned how people arrive, how they work, how they stay healthy, and how they grow, ensuring that the environment around them carries the responsibility for inclusion, not the individual. 

Runners-up were Garanti BBVA and BCLP. 

Workplace Experience Award (up to 250 employees)  

Winner: Happy Smiles, for its passion and agility to create a workplace rooted in trust, flexibility and lived experience, challenging traditional models that can be detrimental to disabled people’s physical and mental wellbeing.  

Runners-up were Tilting the Lens and Evtec Automotive. 

Recruitment Award   

Winner: BBC, for its evidence-led programme that re-engineers recruitment to create sustainable employment for deaf, disabled and neurodivergent talent. 

Runners-up were Curiously Divergent and KPMG. 

Inclusive Communication Award   

Winner: Stichting Uit met Autisme, an international knowledge and assessment platform that improves access to leisure for autistic and sensory-sensitive people. They assess leisure locations and activities on sensory factors such as noise, crowds, lighting, transitions, waiting times and recovery options. These insights are then translated into clear, practical and decision-ready information that supports preparation, autonomy and informed choice.  

Runners-up were Sony Europe and Worley. 

Find out more about all the winners and finalists on Business Disability Forum’s Disability Smart Impact Awards 2026 page.