Valuable 500 Live brief for Sync 25

Valuable 500 Live brief – response by Youbin Lee

“The global organisation of over 500 Partners and companies working together to end disability exclusion”

We drive change through Synchronised Collective Action. Channelling the power of 500 partners and companies working in harmony – moving in the same direction, at the same time, against the same system barrier.

We hold each other to account. Working towards SYNC25, the Valuable 500 Accountability Summit, Tokyo 2025 – where we will invite our 500 partners and companies to report on their progress against our three Synchronised Collective Actions: Leadership, Reporting and Representation.

We won’t stop until everyone is seen and valued equally.

Our Vision

The end of disability exclusion.

Our Shared Purpose

We are unified in accelerating disability inclusion through business.

Our Guiding Principles

We believe that:

Inclusive leaders create inclusive business.
Inclusive business creates inclusive society.
Working together accelerates and scales system change.

We believe that positive change can come from all areas of the business world. Valuable 500 maintains an apolitical, neutral, and industry-agnostic position, engaging with companies solely based on their commitment to ending disability exclusion. This approach enables us to fully harness the power of Synchronised Collective Action that drives systemic transformation on a global scale. By uniting diverse organisations under a common goal, regardless of their products, services, or sector, we create a formidable force for change. Our neutral stance is a catalyst for widespread innovation and best practices that transcend industry boundaries, driving lasting change towards a world where all businesses not only include but truly value the contributions of people with disabilities.

Our Values

Our values light the way for our team, our partners and companies, and our community. They guide everything we do and say.

Accountable: Each and every one of us is accountable for delivering our shared purpose. We hold ourselves and our companies to account. We invest our time and money wisely.
Collaborative: We build and nurture collaborative relationships. We collaborate with mutual respect, aligned action, and accountability for impact.
Inventive: We are not bound by convention. We never stop questioning. We think in possibilities. We forge new paths.
Kind: We engage by bringing positive energy and intention. We are inclusive and kind to everyone. We are setting a new business standard of inclusion and humanity.

Our Definition Of Disability

We use the definition set out in the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), which aims to set a global standard.

The Convention protects all persons with disabilities, who are defined in Article 1 as including “… those who have long-term physical, mental, intellectual or sensory impairments which in interaction with various barriers may hinder their full and effective participation in society on an equal basis with others.”

This broad definition adopts what is known as the social model of disability. It recognises that disability is an evolving concept, and that we are often prevented from exercising all of our human rights and fundamental freedoms by barriers of attitude and environment which have been placed in our way. In other words, the Convention seeks to alter social attitudes by ensuring that governments, individuals and organisations recognise that we have the same human rights and fundamental freedoms as all other persons.