Collaboration. Or “collabs,” as the kids call them (according to my 11 year old). They’re a really popular strategy for many businesses. And as I conducted research for Inclusion Unwrapped: The 2023 Holiday Gift Guide, I found that businesses committed to a neurodiverse workforce were no exception.
Some of our favorite collabs this year included:
Grace Place Art, a business that features artwork by Grace, an artist with Down syndrome, and Happy Planner, a business that specializes in planners, stickers, and related accessories. The result: funky, artisically designed planners (which I’ve added to my own personal wish list).
Spectrum Designs, a custom apparel and promotional products business that creates meaningful employment for a neurodiverse workforce, and New York State Parks. The result: some REALLY cool state parks shirts and merch.
Spectrum Designs, this time with Colortime Crafts and Markers. The result: fun crafts for the kiddos in your life.
And these collaborations - often between businesses focused on neurodiversity and businesses that aren’t - struck me as really powerful. Sound business decisions, sure. But to me, they’re more; they speak to the true value of inclusion (that thing we’re always talking about!).
But to understand that, I think it’s important to first understand exactly why collaborations work. And we know they do, right? Many of today’s most successful brands are doing them. Like sneaker brands, video games, musicians. And there’s a reason for that. Brands recognize that when they collaborate, they can increase their own value.
Take the song Old Town Road, for example. A few years ago, this song, the result of a collaboration between Lil Nas X and Billy Ray Cyrus, was a massive hit and really, a cultural phenomenon. It topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart for 19 consecutive weeks, making it the longest-running number-one song in the chart's history at that time. (And was played at every school event I went to that year. Literally. Every. Single. One.)
And its success was about a lot more than just its catchy tune. The song combined elements of hip-hop (courtesy of Lil Nas X) and country (courtesy of Billy Ray). That created a really cool, unique sound that people loved. And it gave the song the ability to cross genres (in other words, expand its reach). And thus, a hit was born. For both artists.
So, what does all of this have to do with inclusion? (And more importantly, why have I spent so much of this blog post devoted to Miley’s dad?) Well, neither Lil Nas X nor Billy Ray partnered with the other out of pity or obligation. They were both established artists on their own, with their own style, their own songs, and their own followings. Neither NEEDED the other. But they both recognized that by joining together, they could create something bigger, better, and different than what they could do on their own. They both saw the VALUE in one another.
And that’s why I find so much hope in the collaborations I’m seeing between businesses focused on a neurodiverse workforce and those that aren’t. Because it means that both businesses are seeing the inherent value in one another. And in doing so, a powerful message about inclusion emerges: businesses with a neurodiverse workforce have their own strengths. Strengths that others recognize, appreciate, and actively seek to incorporate.
And isn’t that what we’ve been saying about inclusion all along? It doesn’t just benefit people with disabilities – it benefits everyone. And collabs are proof that this is true.
