Introducing the first cohort of Everyone's Business programme!
Meet the 11 social enterprises contributing to a more inclusive, sustainable, and hopeful Sweden.
This diverse group includes individuals with physical, sensory, intellectual, and mental health challenges, each navigating unique barriers in accessing education, employment, healthcare, and societal participation. Despite significant progress, many people with disabilities still face discrimination, limited opportunities, and inaccessible environments. These challenges often lead to higher poverty rates and lower life satisfaction compared to those without disabilities.
At IKEA and through IKEA Social Entrepreneurship, were committed to creating a world where everyone can participate. By championing disability inclusion, we strive to honour and leverage the diverse talents of all individuals.
Through our accelerator programmes, we support social enterprises around the world that focus on creating a better everyday life for persons with disabilities.
Through its flagship initiative, the Pankh programme, TRRAIN has empowered over 32,000 individuals by providing training, skilling, and job placements in the retail industry. This work not only ensures decent livelihoods but also transforms India’s retail market into a more inclusive and sustainability-conscious sector.
Empanacombi trains and provides people with disabilities with quality jobs in gastronomy in Peru. The company produces high quality empanadas, and other baked and frozen food products that are sold in cafés and convenience stores throughout the country, as well as through their own catering business. Through the support received from our South America Accelerator Programme, they were able to open their first store earlier this year in Lima, selling organic coffee, artisanal panettone and, of course, empanadas.
PIXED pioneers affordable, high-quality medical technologies like 3D-printed prosthetics for individuals with physical disabilities. This innovative enterprise offers not only products but also psychological and technical guidance to ensure successful integration. “The day of product delivery is a day I will never forget. I feel it was a defining moment in my life,” says Bruce Klar Salazar, who received a prosthetic hand made by PIXED. PIXED’s long-term commitment to clients has improved the lives of over 70 families and 20 health institutions. With its success in Peru, PIXED has expanded to the U.S., Chile, Brazil, El Salvador, and Honduras, making a global impact.
Founded by Jenny Lindström Beijar, whose daughter was born with Down syndrome, Our Normal provides Sweden’s first digital platform where families connect, share experiences, and foster friendships. As part of our Dela Accelerator, Our Normal challenges societal boundaries around inclusion by partnering with disability rights organizations and reshaping language and perceptions around disability. By celebrating diversity and focusing on friendship and community, the initiative supports families in navigating and building a more inclusive future.
This International Day of Persons with Disabilities is a call to action for everyone—governments, businesses, schools, and individuals. Let’s celebrate the contributions of people with disabilities and work together to build a world where everyone belongs.
At IKEA and through IKEA Social Entrepreneurship, were committed to creating a world where everyone can participate. By championing disability inclusion, we strive to honour and leverage the diverse talents of all individuals.
Through our accelerator programmes, we support social enterprises around the world that focus on creating a better everyday life for persons with disabilities.
Building a more inclusive retail sector in India
TRRAIN, a non-profit organsisation based in India, aims to create equitable opportunities for marginalised communities, including people with disabilities. As part of our co-created Dela Accelerator with Ashoka, TRRAIN has sacled its livelihood programmess for individuals with locomotor disabilities, hearing impairments, visual impairments, and learning disabilities.Through its flagship initiative, the Pankh programme, TRRAIN has empowered over 32,000 individuals by providing training, skilling, and job placements in the retail industry. This work not only ensures decent livelihoods but also transforms India’s retail market into a more inclusive and sustainability-conscious sector.
Inclusive design and labour inclusion in Peru
Nearly one million people in Peru have a physical disability which limits their mobility and ability to work. Through our South America Accelerator with NESsT, we’re supporting enterprises like Empanacombi and PIXED.Empanacombi trains and provides people with disabilities with quality jobs in gastronomy in Peru. The company produces high quality empanadas, and other baked and frozen food products that are sold in cafés and convenience stores throughout the country, as well as through their own catering business. Through the support received from our South America Accelerator Programme, they were able to open their first store earlier this year in Lima, selling organic coffee, artisanal panettone and, of course, empanadas.
PIXED pioneers affordable, high-quality medical technologies like 3D-printed prosthetics for individuals with physical disabilities. This innovative enterprise offers not only products but also psychological and technical guidance to ensure successful integration. “The day of product delivery is a day I will never forget. I feel it was a defining moment in my life,” says Bruce Klar Salazar, who received a prosthetic hand made by PIXED. PIXED’s long-term commitment to clients has improved the lives of over 70 families and 20 health institutions. With its success in Peru, PIXED has expanded to the U.S., Chile, Brazil, El Salvador, and Honduras, making a global impact.
Challenging the conventional boundaries of inclusion in Sweden
Typically, families with children diagnosed with diverse abilities often find themselves divided by specific medical labels, resulting in a lack of cohesive support and a sense of community. Our Normal, a Swedish social enterprise, is reimagining what it means to be ‘normal’ for these families.Founded by Jenny Lindström Beijar, whose daughter was born with Down syndrome, Our Normal provides Sweden’s first digital platform where families connect, share experiences, and foster friendships. As part of our Dela Accelerator, Our Normal challenges societal boundaries around inclusion by partnering with disability rights organizations and reshaping language and perceptions around disability. By celebrating diversity and focusing on friendship and community, the initiative supports families in navigating and building a more inclusive future.
This International Day of Persons with Disabilities is a call to action for everyone—governments, businesses, schools, and individuals. Let’s celebrate the contributions of people with disabilities and work together to build a world where everyone belongs.
Read the article from last year: Creating a more inclusive world for persons with disabilities.