Why we’re so passionate about accessibility.

At Advocates Empowered, we’re here to help dismantle the systems that make accessibility optional. We partner with organizations to reimagine what inclusion can look like - designing systems, policies, and cultures that work for all brains, all bodies, and all backgrounds. Our work is about more than compliance; it’s about care, equity, and the courage to do things with the most marginalized in mind.

Why it matters:

We are always looking to both the data around us and the lived experience of the most marginalized to understand the impact that keeping barriers up for disabled and neurodivergent people has. Research around this topic shows a clear gap in unemployment numbers, but a clear advantage when diversity is prioritized.

• Around 20-30% of the population is neurodivergent

• 25% of people in the U.S. live with a disability

• Autistic adults face an 85% unemployment rate.

• Estimates suggest 30–40% of neurodivergent adults are unemployed

• The unemployment rate for people with disabilities in the U.S. stands at 7.5% - nearly twice that of those without disabilities.

• Neuro-affirming workplaces deliver up to 30% higher productivity.

• Companies that lead on disability inclusion realized 1.6× more revenue, 2.6× more net income, and 2× more economic profit than peers; also, they outperformed in productivity by ~25%

• 80% of consumers are more likely to buy from a company committed to disability inclusion.

Our Guiding Principles:

Founded by Kris Joy, a neurodivergent, disabled, and trans educator and professional, Advocates Empowered was born from a vision to create workplaces that work for everyone. Kris’s journey, from growing up in hyper religious environment in Kenya where their queerness was not accepted, to teaching in special education, becoming disabled and acquiring neurodivergence, to co-leading a corporate Employee Resource Group on neurodiversity and disability, revealed both the transformative power of inclusive design and the harm of exclusionary systems. Those experiences shaped our approach: to blend practical, actionable strategies with deep respect for individual experience.

We center Disability Justice, Universal Design, and Intersectionality in everything we do. We believe accessibility cannot exist in isolation but it must consider power, privilege, and historical systems of exclusion. We prioritize the experiences of those in the global majority and seek to decolonize the workplace by challenging inherited norms, dismantling barriers, and creating structures that recognize the full humanity of every employee

How We Support

We bridge the gap between individuals seeking accessible, affirming workplaces and organizations striving to do better but unsure where to start. Through consulting, training, and coaching, we:

• Build cultures of belonging and systemic accessibility

• Equip managers and leaders to embed inclusion into daily practice

• Empower employees with tools for self-advocacy and growth