At Walmart, our goal is to foster a sense of belonging and to create opportunities for our associates, customers, members, and suppliers; we want to be a Walmart for everyone. Our Accessibility Leadership Council (ALC) plays a pivotal role in this mission. They have a first-hand look at our initiatives to help all customers, including those with disabilities, enjoy a seamless shopping experience and feel at ease navigating our stores in person or online. For instance, in 2024, we:
- Launched a free visual navigation service through Aira: Available across U.S. stores and Walmart.com, this service gives blind and low vision shoppers the ability to shop with freedom, and our customers have provided great feedback.
- Expanded sensory-friendly hours to Walmart Canada: Sensory-friendly hours began as a pilot program in Walmart Chile to create a more comfortable shopping experience for people with sensory disabilities. During this time, sounds are minimized, announcements are paused except for emergencies, and only static, low-sensory images are used on TV walls. In 2023, the initiative successfully launched every morning from 8 to 10 a.m. in the U.S., and in 2024, Walmart Canada introduced sensory-friendly hours three days a week.
- Equipped all Walmart U.S. Supercenters and Neighborhood Markets with Caroline’s Carts: These carts help caregivers of children and adults with disabilities navigate stores more easily.
- Convenient and accessible shopping experiences: We encourage customers to shop in whatever way works best for them—whether that’s in store or online. In addition to our grocery pickup and delivery options, we recently launched same-day pharmacy delivery across the United States.
- Accelerated accessibility in tech: We have continued to improve accessibility on Walmart.com and ranked among the top 5% of WebAIM’s Million, which assesses the accessibility of the top one million homepages. In addition, we’re exploring how AI can improve accessibility, such as identifying and addressing accessibility gaps in our ecosystem.
While there is always more to achieve, we’re committed to making Walmart a place where everyone feels like they belong.
