Building Anti-Ableist Brands: What Every Company Should Know
For UK disability History Month 2024 (14 November–20 December) we are spotlighting the work of our very own Sulaiman R. Khan, Brand By Me’s Disability Justice lead.
Sulaiman is an award-winning Disabled activist, strategist, and creative, whose innate sense of solidarity drives an uncompromising focus on equity and intersectionality in our work. He has helped us, and our clients, understand and embed Disability Justice as a fundamental part of any brand instead of a luxury or ‘nice to have’.
In his Substack email newsletter Disability Daringly, Sulaiman publishes musings on (re)imagining every socially conscious organisation into a fully anti-ableist brand, all in aid of collective liberation. Earlier this year Sulaiman wrote a piece where goes into detail about the anti-ableist framework that he uses in his work.
In this post he answers some questions about each of the seven pillars of this framework.
1. Vacuum noise: Audit where we are and build a foundation with disability
Q: How would you define an anti-ableist foundation for a brand/organisation?
I define that as you know the foundation as simply understanding that differences and that there’s no one size fits all approach for accessibility, as well as understanding that disability is a human experience that will impact all of us, and understanding that disabled people need to be centred on her intersectional and justice lens rather than an inclusion.
Q: Can you walk us through some of the steps you would take to audit your current practices for disability inclusion?
Some of the steps that I will take to audit co practices are, first and foremost looking at the messaging and the language used by the brand and/or organisation. And then looking at what practices are currently in place to hire, retain and promote and pay fairly any disabled people working at the brand/organisation. I also looking at how these things intersects with other systems of oppression. For me, it’s all about disability justice and then centring accessibility and taking it from there, really, and building upon that, really starting to work on policies and practices that can make things more equitable and just for disabled people.
2. Seeding access: Embed accessibility as a necessity, not a luxury
Q: How can brands/organisation move beyond basic compliance to proactively embed accessibility in every aspect of their operations?
Accessibility often gets treated as just surface-level changes with brands and/or organisations implementing simple fixes that don’t address the deeper, more varied needs of people with disabilities. These fixes are often designed to benefit non-disabled or “not-yet-disabled” people, rather than centring those who actually need it most. Real accessibility should take a holistic, intersectional approach, considering all aspects of life like working environments, hiring practices, just physical spaces.
A key point to highlight is that accessibility doesn’t have to benefit everyone. It’s okay if it’s specifically for disabled people and not framed as something that will “help everyone else.” The idea that accessibility must serve non-disabled folks to be valid actually undermines the needs of disabled people.
At its core, accessibility is essential because disability is a human experience. It’s not an optional extra, and it’s okay to focus accessibility efforts on those who need it most, without feeling the need to justify it by saying it helps everyone. That shift in perspective is powerful and necessary.
3. Plant decolonial flowers: Deep work on anti-ableism and anti-racism
Q: How do ableism and racism intersect, and why is it important for brands/organisations to address both in their social impact strategies?
Racism, colonialism, capitalism and ableism are interconnected, and they all stem from white supremacy culture. These systems of oppression overlap and reinforce each other, and it’s particularly difficult for people to tackle racism and ableism because they require us to confront privilege in uncomfortable ways.
Disability and racism are deeply connected through systems like eugenics, fatphobia, and capitalism, which value certain bodies and abilities over others. The Disability Justice Movement emerged because the earlier disability rights movement didn’t fully address intersectionality or colonialism. And this is one reason why the Disability Justice Movement and different ‘10 principles of disability justice’ were created for us (you can find the 10 principles on page five of my ‘Disability Definitions’ document. These 10 principles are about centring people at the intersections of oppression, like disabled Black women or queer disabled folks for example, and dismantling the systems that harm them.
Q: What does the ‘deep work’ on anti-ableism and anti-racism look like in the context of brand strategy?
There’s always the idea of critical thinking, the idea of progression over perfection, and the idea of actually being okay with not knowing the answers, but always questioning what you think you know, even about disability, even about race. And I think that’s the most important thing. It is constantly challenging, yourself on the things you think you know and believe, actively and daily.
As Maya Angelou said, “Do the best you can until you know better. Then, when you know better, do better.”
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4. Wait patiently: Understand genuine intersectionality and dismantle white supremacy culture while you wait
Q: What does ‘waiting patiently’ mean in the context of dismantling harmful systems like white supremacy and ableism?
This is all about slowing down and rethinking how we approach change, especially when tackling ableism and white supremacy. The pressure to rush, hustle, and grind nonstop is rooted in white supremacy culture, and while urgency can feel necessary, acting too quickly often leads to surface-level solutions that don’t create real change. Instead, we need to take the time to listen, especially to disabled and Black voices, so we can understand what’s really happening and avoid repeating old mistakes.
Q: How can brands/organisations ensure they are genuinely supporting intersectional causes and not rushing to appear progressive without doing the necessary work?
Real, lasting revolutions don’t happen overnight. They take time, patience, and a willingness to learn from nature, history, and other communities. Nature, for example, shows us that everything can be accomplished without rushing: it’s been evolving for billions of years! So, instead of rushing to “fix: things, we should slow down, rest, and reflect, both individually and as organisations, to ensure we’re building inclusive and sustainable systems.
5. Share flowers: Distribute harvest fairly by financial investment in the disabled community and rooting disability justice
Q: What does fair financial investment in the disabled community look like? How can brands ensure that they are not tokenising these groups?
We need to addressing how disabled people, especially in places like the UK, face huge systemic challenges, from being twice as likely to be unemployed to living in poverty. On top of that, financial support for disabled folks often comes with conditions that make it impossible to save or manage their care sustainably. And then there’s the frustrating reality where disabled people are often asked to work for free or for ridiculously low fees, with expectations to donate their earnings or be endlessly grateful for scraps. It’s exhausting and unfair.
There’s also a need to rethink the approach to consent. Too often, disabled people are asked to share deeply personal lived experiences for a paycheck, but brands don’t necessarily take the time to truly listen or create safe spaces. Organisations need to work with disabled people, not just for them, and be mindful not to tokenise them for clout or surface-level impact.
Q: How can brands ensure their investments in disability justice are sustainable and not just one-time gestures?
For brands and organisations, creating real, meaningful change means stepping away from quick, one-off gestures. It’s about long-term financial investment, paying disabled people fairly, and making sure that support is accessible and sustainable. It also means avoiding “parachute work” where brands swoop into a community for a single project and then disappear. Real change happens through consistent engagement, collaboration, and taking the time to build trust and relationships.
Ultimately, brands need to challenge themselves to de-centre their own agendas and focus on who’s been excluded. Investing in disability justice should never be conditional or transactional. It’s about creating systems that work for everyone, over the long term, and moving beyond performative actions tied to white supremacy culture, like rushing or offering shallow fixes.
6. Embrace the sun: Release into the universe and feel the warmth and love of disability. Disability liberation is our north star
Q: How can brands embrace the concept of disability liberation and ensure it is reflected in their actions, not just their messaging?
The core message here is that disability is a universal human experience, something that anyone can acquire during their lifetime, no matter their background. In fact, 80% of disabilities are acquired over a lifetime, and if we’re lucky enough to grow old, most of us will experience it in some way. That’s why it’s so important to centre disability in how we build a fairer, more accessible, and equitable world.
It’s not enough for disabled people to just survive; we need to thrive. And for that to happen, brands and organisations need to stop just talking about change and start taking real, tangible actions. This means creating accessible and inclusive workplaces, building safer environments, and embedding regenerative ways of working. It’s about being proactive, not reactive, and centring disabled people for their own sake, without strings attached.
I think, is really important to taking tangible actions such as building safety and hopefully creating accessible working practices, creating regenerative ways of working rather than just talking about it.
Q: What are the tangible benefits of letting go of perfectionism and allowing space for disability love and liberation in a brand’s identity?
Letting go of perfectionism and embracing disability, love, and liberation opens up so many possibilities for individuals and for brands and organisations. It allows us to tap into the wisdom and richness of disability, fostering a deeper appreciation for interdependence, rest, and the value of mutual aid. It’s about working and living in a way that doesn’t harm or exhaust us but instead nurtures creativity, curiosity, and compassion.
This shift helps us connect with who we are as humans, not just as individuals but within the wider ecosystem. It encourages us to show up as our true selves, without shame, guilt, or fear and to better understand what we genuinely need in terms of accessibility, our minds, and our bodies.
For brands, this mindset fuels creativity, courage, and the ability to think outside the box in radical, joyful, and imaginative ways. It’s about creating work, and a life, that’s sustainable, meaningful, and worth living, while fighting for values that truly matter.
7. Trust the universe: If our work is authentic and loving, have faith in it and stand by it. Progression over perfection, always.
Q: What does it mean to trust the universe in the context of an anti-ableist brand journey?
The key takeaway here is to trust the process when doing authentic, deep, anti-oppressive work. It’s not about perfection, it’s about progress, being consistent, and adapting as you go. Instead of focusing on surface-level inclusion efforts or chasing what everyone else is doing, brands should prioritise building genuine, long-term partnerships with disabled people, treating them as collaborators and leaders rather than just beneficiaries.
It’s also critical for brands to actively stand against inequity and injustice rather than staying neutral. By truly engaging with disabled communities and addressing the systems that perpetuate oppression, brands can start making real, meaningful change. An example of what not to do is when companies skip involving disabled consultants and instead go for quick fixes, like partnering with charities to appear accessible. That kind of performative action misses the mark.
Q: How can brands balance striving for perfection with the understanding that progress, not perfection, is key to meaningful change?
The best approach? Start somewhere. Don’t let the fear of imperfection hold you back. Take actionable steps, be transparent about your efforts, and adjust along the way. Mistakes will happen, and that’s okay. Because often we get so caught up in wanting to create a ‘perfect piece of work perfectly that we don't start or that it gets in the way of our genuine equity work. What matters is committing to progress and continuing to question and improve. Progress over perfection is the path to meaningful, sustainable change.
Sulaiman's recommended reading:
‘The False Radicalism of Corporate Disability Literature’, Disabled writer and activist Liz Jackson on the ‘Irreconcilable Hypocrises of Corporate “Anti-Ableism”’
Critical Axis. #CriticalAxis is a project from The Disabled List that collects and analyses disability representation in media.
Sulaiman’s UK Disability History Month LinkedIn post highlighting brand Disabled Hikers' thoughts on why they don’t emphasise “accessibility benefits everyone.”
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