At Lenovo, we believe inclusion drives innovation. Through our Lenovo Disability Advantage strategy, we aim to build workplaces and communities where people of all abilities can thrive. Anchored in three pillars: creating awareness and innovation, transforming workplaces through integrative accessibility, and challenging the status quo to embrace change, this global initiative turns Lenovo’s vision of Smarter Technology for All into tangible action.
As we mark the International Day of People with Disabilities, we celebrate the Lenovo employees who embody this mission, advocating for accessibility, leading by example, and proving that inclusion drives creativity, empathy, and progress.
Creating Awareness, Resources, and Innovation
Masashi Kuze, Specialist, Product Marketing – Tokyo, Japan
In Tokyo, Masashi Kuze combined empathy with action. During Environment Month, he organized a wheelchair cleanup activity, inviting colleagues to navigate city streets from the perspective of a wheelchair user.
Participants quickly discovered how small details, uneven slopes, narrow entrances, or distracted pedestrians, can create barriers to independence. Those insights inspired practical changes, from improving accessible restrooms to rethinking office layouts. The initiative also encouraged teams to share accessibility learnings across functions, sparking new ideas for how inclusive design can shape workplaces and products alike.
“Experiencing inclusion changes how we design for it.”
By linking environmental responsibility with inclusion, Masashi showed that accessibility and sustainability are deeply connected, both rooted in empathy and design thinking.
Blagica Gjorgjievska, ISG Inside Sales Support Representative – Bratislava, Slovakia
Blagica Gjorgjievska’s journey is deeply personal. Having faced her own mental health challenges, she now leads Lenovo’s Mental Health First Aiders program in EMEA creating safe, stigma-free spaces for employees to talk about anxiety, depression, and emotional wellbeing.
Through confidential conversations, walks in nature, and open dialogues, Blagica helps colleagues find balance and resilience. Her work addresses a global challenge: mental health issues that contribute to billions of lost workdays each year and transforms it into a foundation for inclusion. Today, her efforts are part of a growing network of wellbeing advocates across Lenovo, supporting a culture where empathy and care are central to belonging.
“Inclusion starts with empathy for every part of a person’s life.”
Blagica’s message for International Day of People with Disability is clear: inclusion must extend beyond physical accessibility to embrace emotional wellbeing and human connection.
Transforming Workplaces with Integrative Accessibility
John Lee, Accessibility Design & Research, Group Operations – Morrisville, United States
John Lee’s journey began with breaking barriers: as the first blind student in North Carolina to attend school full time, he learned early how persistence and advocacy can shape opportunity. Today, John channels that same spirit at Lenovo, by helping to ensure that HR documents, digital tools, and internal platforms meet the needs of all employees.
From testing alt text and color contrast to optimizing screen reader compatibility, John’s work transforms potential barriers into efficiencies helping everyone, not just those with disabilities, access information more easily. As part of Lenovo’s Inclusive Product Design Office (IPDO), John collaborates closely with designers and engineers to embed accessibility into new product concepts from the very start, ensuring every innovation reflects the needs of diverse users. His efforts remind teams that accessibility isn’t a feature, it’s the foundation of truly inclusive design.
“Accessibility isn’t a checklist. It’s a shared responsibility.”
His team’s influence extends far beyond compliance, fostering a company-wide culture where designing for the edges improves experiences for everyone in the middle.
Challenging the Status Quo and Embracing Change
Elcimar Bertrame, Manufacturing Manager – Indaiatuba, Brazil
When Elcimar noticed communication challenges between hearing and deaf colleagues at Lenovo’s Indaiatuba site, he saw an opportunity for change. He introduced LIBRAS (Brazilian Sign Language) courses, which quickly gained momentum, over 100 employees have now learned to sign.
The impact was immediate: smoother communication, stronger teamwork, and a workplace where every employee feels heard and included.
“Inclusion is when everyone has a voice and a way to be heard.”
For Elcimar, seeing colleagues sign naturally to one another, without interpretation, was the moment inclusion truly became part of daily life, woven into Lenovo’s culture on the factory floor.
Sandy (Xuan Xuan) Wang, GM, SSG China ESG – Beijing, China
For Sandy Wang, inclusion begins with listening. She launched Lenovo’s PwD Listening Salons—a pioneering series of workshops that brought people with disabilities, NGOs, and Lenovo designers together to co-create inclusive technologies.
Through ten sessions, participants brainstormed new solutions and shared lived experiences that were brought into consideration Lenovo’s design roadmap, such as one idea from a student with a hearing-impaired to integrate charging functions into tablet stands. The program also inspired a shift in mindset among Lenovo’s designers, showing that inclusive design starts with empathy, not assumptions.
“True inclusion means listening, learning, and co-creating.”
Sandy’s team also partnered with Beijing Union University’s Special Education College for three years, designing ESG-themed calendars and offering sign language classes to employees. The result: inclusion that’s not just policy, but creativity in action that continues to influence Lenovo’s ESG work across China and beyond.
Building a Culture of Accessibility and Belonging
These stories, from accessibility design in the U.S. to sign language training in Brazil and co-creation workshops in China, reflect Lenovo’s global commitment to ensuring that disability inclusion is woven into everything we do.
Through the Lenovo Disability Advantage strategy, our teams are not only removing barriers but reimagining what’s possible when technology, empathy, and innovation come together. Creating accessibility and belonging isn’t a one-time effort—it’s an ongoing journey powered by people.
As we celebrate the International Day of People with Disabilities, we honor these employees for leading the way toward a smarter and more inclusive future for all.