Global Initiatives

Celebrate International Day of Persons with Disabilities (IDPWD) Year-Round

Leverage these initiatives from Disability:IN and partners to
support your global disability inclusion efforts year-round.

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Disability:IN Global Initiatives

Disability:IN is committed to globally advancing disability inclusion through the work of its Global Roundtable; three Regional Councils in APAC, EMEA & LATAM; and global staff and consultants.

APAC Council

On November 18-20, 2025, Accenture will host and sponsor an in-person Asia Pacific Global Journey event in Bangalore, India for up to 220 registrants by nomination from Disability:IN Corporate Partners. Sponsorships are available for this event.

Save the Date for the Asia-Pacific (APAC) Global Journey to Disability Inclusion for Business. November 18-20, 2025. Bangalore, India. Hosted by Accenture. Sponsorships available.

EMEA Council

Disability:IN’s Global Journey to Disability Inclusion for Business series will continue with 5 in-person European Roundtables, May 13-23, 2025, focused on European Union legislation and European country compliance requirements impacting business disability inclusion.

EU countries and star abstract green background.

LATAM Council

Attention candidates with disabilities in Latin America (LATAM): top companies are searching for you! If you’re a person with a disability seeking a job or internship, please submit your CV to RecruitDisabilityTalent@
DisabilityIN.Org
to have yours circulated to some of the best companies in the region.

International Perspectives on a Barrier-Free World

Disability:IN’s Chief Accessibility Officer, Jeff Wissel, joined Stephanie Cadieux, Canada’s Chief Accessibility Officer for a chat in honor of International Day of Persons with Disabilities 2024. The panel shares International perspectives on a barrier-free world.

Save the Date for the Asia-Pacific (APAC) Global Journey to Disability Inclusion for Business. November 18-20, 2025. Bangalore, India. Hosted by Accenture. Sponsorships available.

Global Roundtable & Council Members

Frank-Peter Justus against global halftone background and Germany flag.

Frank-Peter Justus

Based in Germany, Frank is the VP Cash Strategy and Acceleration, Order to Cash at Bayer. He is an experienced Health Specialist with a demonstrated history of working in the self-care industry. Serving as Bayer’s Global Business Resource Group ENABLE Lead, Frank supports and advocates for people and their family members with apparent & non-apparent disabilities and the neurodivergent community and promotes the enhancement of accessibility in all areas of Bayer’s business. Frank is a Disability:IN Board of Directors member, and Co-Chair of the Disability:IN Global Roundtable.

Manisha Mehrotra headshot against global halftone background and UK flag.

Manisha Mehrotra

Based in the UK, Manisha is Bloomberg’s Head of Diversity and Inclusion in Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA). She is a Global Diversity and Inclusion leader with 15+ years of experience shaping people and partnerships in FinTech and Financial Services. Manisha serves on the Disability:IN Board of Directors & Co-Chairs the Global Roundtable.

Vani Seshadri headshot with traditional clothing, against a global halftone background with the India flag.

Vani Seshadri

Based in India, Vani is Vice President, Inclusion & Diversity, Growth Markets at Accenture. Through her 30 years at Accenture, Intel, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), Tata Elxsi, and other major companies, Vani is equipped with the ability to lead blue sky thinking. Currently consumed by disability inclusion, Vani is committed to making the world a better place for people with disabilities. Vani Co-chairs the Disability:IN Asia Pacific (APAC) Council.

Jo Keiko Terasawa headshot against global halftone background and Australia flag.

Jo Keiko Terasawa

Based in Australia, Jo Keiko Terasawa is Head of the Inclusion and Diversity program in APAC at Google. Jo has over 20 years of experience in DEI and strategy. Her focus is program strategy and designing it in a way that serves the cause of Racial Equity, Gender Diversity, and Disability Inclusion as well as Belonging for everyone. Jo Co-chairs the Disability:IN Asia Pacific (APAC) Council.

Amanda Nefdt headshot against global halftone background with Germany flag.

Amanda Nefdt

Based in Germany, Amanda is the Team Leader for Facilities in the Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) Region at Bloomberg. Formerly, she served as the Operations Manager at The Regus Group, overseeing and managing the offices in the London area, and was a Student Advisor at ADvTECH. She is the Co-Chair of the Disability:IN EMEA Council.

Jo-Ann Pohl headshot against a global halftone background with the South Africa flag.

Jo-Ann Pohl

Based in South Africa, Jo-Ann is an Associate Director at Kearney. Her experience spans from start-ups to major corporations. She has operated locally, regionally, and globally. Jo-Ann chairs the SAPF (formerly CAFSA) board, and sits on the 30% CSA SteerCo, Sanari Growth Partners’ Advisory Board, and South African Advisory Board for Women In Tech, and is the Co-Chair of the Disability:IN EMEA Council.

Bernardo Barlach headshot against global halftone gradient and Brazil flag.

Bernardo Barlach

Based in Brazil, Bernardo is the Accessibility Program Manager, External Engagement (LATAM) at Google. He has over 15 years of experience in the tech, finance and advertising industries focused on operations, communication, and multi-disciplinary project management. He is the Co-chair of Disability:IN’s Latin America (LATAM) Council.

Ezequiel Massa headshot against global halftone background and Mexico flag.

Ezequiel Massa

Based in Mexico, Eze is the Head of Diversity and Inclusion for Latin America & the Caribbean at SAP. He has been working in the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) space for the past 10 years. Eze was selected by OUTstanding and Yahoo Finance as one of the “50 LGBT+ Future Leaders 2019”. He is the co-chair of Disability:IN’s LATAM Council.

Global Consultants and Staff

Ching-Shiuan Jiang headshot against halftone gradient and Taiwan flag.

Ching-Shiuan Jiang

Based in Taiwan, Ching-Shiuan Jiang is Disability:IN’s Regional Director for Asia Pacific & Europe, leading regional engagement, and priorities alongside Fortune 500 Corporate Partners. Since joining in 2022, she has helped grow the APAC Council into a community of 21 countries and spearheaded the first-ever regional summits in APAC and Europe. Her work promotes disability inclusion across cultures, leveraging her experience with the United Nations, World Economic Forum, and social entrepreneurship.

Joanne (Jo) Watson headshot against halftone global gradient with the UK flag.

Jo Watson

Based in the UK, Joanne (Jo) Watson is a Corporate Disability Inclusion Consultant for Disability:IN’s Inclusion Works program. She has extensive experience helping Inclusion Works companies to implement disability inclusive cultures, practices and programs on a global scale while recognizing country and regional nuances. Formerly, she was the Director of Global Inclusion at Intel.

Joan Bohan headshot against halftone global gradient with France flag.

Joan Bohan

Based in France, Joan Bohan is Disability:IN’s Lead EMEA Corporate Disability Inclusion Consultant. Joan mobilizes regional Corporate Partners to advance disability inclusion practices with a locally relevant approach. Over the past two years, she has driven Corporate Partner engagement, curated regional summits and virtual events, as well as facilitated training for partners across Europe. A former Finance Executive, Joan began her career at KPMG and later joined Disney in Europe, where she launched an intrapreneurial venture focused on dyslexia-inclusive design.

Margarita Abella headshot against halftone global gradient with Brazil flag.

Margarita Abella

Based in Brazil, Margarita Abella is Disability: IN’s Lead LATAM Corporate Disability Inclusion Consultant. Margarita actively engages with Corporate Partners to foster disability inclusive initiatives by leveraging sensitive approaches tailored to Latin American market dynamics. A former Marketing and Communication Executive and passionate about equitable workplaces, Margarita transformed from a curious observer to a leading advocate. Her tenure at Google afforded her the privilege of leading transformative DEI initiatives in the region.

Take Action to Accelerate Disability Inclusion

  • 1

    Encourage Employee Identification

    Implement a confidential and voluntary process for employees to self-identify as individuals with disabilities, enabling accurate tracking and improved workforce support.

  • 2

    Leverage Disability-Focused Employee Resource Groups

    Utilize the cross-functional expertise and lived experiences of employee resource groups to gain valuable insights and enhance inclusivity strategies.

  • 3

    Conduct Internal & External Accessibility Audits

    Audit for compliance under World Wide Web Consortium’s Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.1 AA (W3C WCAG 2.2 AA) to guarantee that digital content is accessible to all users.

  • 4

    Modernize Corporate Governance

    Revise corporate governance charters to include prospective directors with disabilities in the definition of board diversity as most already do with gender, race, and ethnicity.

  • 5

    Accelerate Expenditure with Disability-Owned Businesses

    Include disability in supplier diversity/inclusive procurement efforts.