Reflections from the SYNC25 Accountability Summit in Tokyo

December, 2025

Reflections from the SYNC25 Accountability Summit in Tokyo

Last week, I had the privilege of attending the SYNC25 Accountability Summit in Tokyo. It was an incredible days with leaders, advocates and change-makers who are all working towards disability inclusion on a global scale.

A special thanks for The Valuable 500 team for invited me as one of the SYNC25 leaders at the event, and sincere thanks to all sponsors, including The Nippon Foundation and Nikkei. The summit created a fantastic space to learn, reflect and make connections with people who are doing remarkable work in this area.

Below are some of my key learnings and takeaways from the event:

1. Trust:

Sustainable inclusion is built on trust, trust between leadership and employees, trust in reporting mechanisms, and trust that commitments made publicly will be followed through internally. Without trust, accountability cannot take root.

2. Representation – Inclusive leadership, representation and reporting:

True progress requires intentionally elevating diverse voices into leadership and ensuring reporting systems capture lived experiences. Representation is not symbolic; it’s a strategic driver of better decision-making.

3. The spending power of people with disabilities:

People with disabilities command more than 18 trillion dollars in global spending power, yet only 1% are represented in mainstream media. This gap shows a huge missed opportunity. Increasing authentic representation strengthens brand relevance, customer trust and long-term market growth.

4. Authenticity:

Meaningful inclusion happens when organisations move beyond performative actions and commit to being transparent about both successes and challenges. Authentic leadership encourages others to show up as themselves

5. Innovative solutions:

Innovation flourishes when diverse minds come together. Some of the most impactful ideas shared at Sync 25 were grounded in practical, user-driven insights that rethink how accessibility can be embedded across products, workplaces and services.

6. Accountability:

Accountability is the engine behind progress. Setting targets, measuring results and openly discussing what is and isn’t working helps organisations stay on track and continue to evolve.

7. Data:

High-quality disability-disaggregated data is essential for identifying gaps, tracking improvements and informing policies that reflect real-world needs. You can’t fix what you don’t measure.

8. Diverse talent pools:

Having a diverse talent pool results in better organisations and better outputs. Teams with diverse backgrounds, abilities and perspectives consistently outperform more homogeneous groups.

9. Empathy and leading with humanity:

Give people space to learn, grow and make mistakes. Inclusive leadership recognises that people are on different learning journeys. Leading with empathy creates psychologically safe environments where growth and innovation can thrive.

10. Career progression:

Full integration of people with disabilities in the workplace results in five times more promotion opportunities. When organisations invest in accessibility and inclusion, people advance at significantly higher rates, benefiting individuals, culture, leadership pipelines and business performance.

11. Co-design:

Adopt a co-design approach from the start. Designing with people, ensures that solutions are grounded in lived experience. Co-design leads to outcomes that are more effective, meaningful and widely adopted.

12. Investment in research:

Investing budget into research led by people with disabilities uncovers barriers that often go unnoticed. People with disabilities are natural problem-solvers whose insights lead to smarter, more inclusive design.

13. Inclusive excellence:

Inclusive excellence is an economic growth strategy. Inclusion shouldn’t be viewed as compliance; it’s a strategic advantage. Organisations that prioritise accessibility consistently outperform peers, attract stronger talent and open new markets.

14. Keep it simple, doable and actionable:

Progress happens when inclusion is embedded in everyday processes. Clear goals, practical steps and consistent follow-through make meaningful change achievable.

During the summit, I also had the opportunity to connect with incredible advocates and changemakers, including Marcie Roth, CEO of the World Institute on Disability, and exchange ideas on how collaboration can drive more inclusive and resilient communities. It was an amazing experience!