Creating Equity by Design: A Conceptual Framework for Marketplace Inclusion

The United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development emphasizes the need to reduce inequalities based on disability to ensure a life of dignity for all. However, the marketplace has yet to fully address the needs of consumers who experience systemic choice restrictions and daily barriers due to disabilities. This article offers a conceptual framework that identifies sources of sensory, cognitive, behavioral, and social (mis)matches in a consumer's journey, leading to perceptions of marketplace inclusion or exclusion. The authors examine the role of inclusive design in facilitating the alignment of abilities and its impact on consumer well-being and firm profitability. The article concludes with a stakeholder-focused inclusive design research agenda at the intersection of public policy, firm strategy, and consumer well-being.