Robert McKinna

Over the past year, I have successfully increased advocacy for the disability community, particularly in Inclusive Design, by growing a LinkedIn network of over 2,800 followers. Through my business, Inclus, we’ve executed Inclusive Design projects with various startups, ranging from redesigning earbud packaging to creating physiotherapy devices for children with disabilities. These projects, launched over the past 12 months, are set to impact over 185,000 disabled consumers in the UK alone.

When I started Inclus, the best advice I received was that being an entrepreneur is like riding a roller coaster – with extreme highs and lows. The key is to stay on the roller coaster as long as possible to keep moving toward your mission.

My motivation stems from my own experiences of inaccessibility due to my non-visible disabilities, such as dyspraxia and being a cancer survivor, as well as hearing from others in the disability community. The more I hear about inaccessibility with everyday consumer products, the more determined I am to create a more inclusive and equitably designed world.

I hope my journey shows that anyone can be part of the change, even from humble beginnings. While I am still at the beginning of my journey, it feels like we’re in the early chapters of disability rights, with much further to go and many more changes that we can make together.