2026 Disability Equality Index: 627 Companies Assessed Globally — Only 6% Have Openly Disabled Board Members

Summary

Disability:IN's 2026 Disability Equality Index, published 27 July 2026, benchmarked 627 submissions from 421 organisations across 45 countries — nearly six times last year's global reach — revealing strong progress on some fronts but persistent governance gaps. On accessibility and benefits, coverage is near-universal: 99% of assessed firms provide mental health and wellbeing benefits beyond legal minimums, 98% offer flexible or remote work accommodations, and 97% provide long-term disability income protection. Yet leadership visibility remains strikingly low: only 6% of participating organisations have board members who openly identify as having a disability, and just 25% include disability in governance or board demographic reports. Only 28% mention disability in corporate governance charters. CEO Jill Houghton described the results as evidence that disability inclusion is entering a new era — shifting from tick-box programmes toward embedding inclusion in core governance and systems. For European employers, the index serves both as a benchmark and a checklist: strong policy infrastructure exists in most large organisations, but board-level accountability and transparent reporting remain the frontier. The index methodology uses 76 yes/no questions across nine categories and six proficiency tiers.