Skip to main content
BoF Logo

Agenda-setting intelligence, analysis and advice for the global fashion community.

Sinéad Burke on Making Change a Movement, Not a Moment

The writer and disability advocate advises how the fashion industry can uproot ableism and redesign what accessibility looks like.
Sinéad Burke, BoF VOICES 2021

The author has shared a YouTube video.

You will need to accept and consent to the use of cookies and similar technologies by our third-party partners (including: YouTube, Instagram or Twitter), in order to view embedded content in this article and others you may visit in future.

The author has shared a Podcast.You will need to accept and consent to the use of cookies and similar technologies by our third-party partners (including: YouTube, Instagram or Twitter), in order to view embedded content in this article and others you may visit in future.

To subscribe to the BoF Podcast, please follow this link.

Four years ago, writer and activist Sinéad Burke made her debut at BoF VOICES, when she implored the fashion community to start designing for disability, noting that the global spending power of disabled people is more than $1.9 trillion.

Following a series of high-profile appearances after VOICES 2017 — from Davos to the Met Gala — Burke has been honing her sense of mission and purpose, and has come to the conclusion that creating products for disabled people is not enough.

In her return to the BoF VOICES stage in 2021, she said: “If change is only embedded in the present, change will be a moment, not a movement.”

ADVERTISEMENT

On the latest episode of The BoF Podcast, Burke lays out a path for removing abelism from our society. Systemic change, she said, has to happen based around four pillars: people, places, product and promotions, and be jump-started with awareness, allyship and advocacy. In short this means “nothing about us, without us.”

This podcast is made in partnership with Shopify.

Further Reading

VOICES 2021: Live Your Best Life

In the fifth and final session of BoF’s annual gathering, Vanessa Kingori, Jay Shetty, Sinéad Burke, Christian Louboutin and others spoke about finding personal fulfillment in the face of adversity.

In This Article

© 2026 The Business of Fashion. All rights reserved. For more information read our Terms & Conditions

More from Workplace & Talent
Analysis and advice on the future of work, careers and management.

Can Sporty & Rich’s Emily Oberg Break the Founder-CEO Curse?

Oberg stepped into the top job at her startup last August. In an exclusive interview with The Business of Fashion, she explained how she plans to scale her business while sidestepping the ‘founder’s ego’ problem that has doomed many emerging brands.


view more
Latest News & Analysis
Unrivalled, world class journalism across fashion, luxury and beauty industries.

Estée Lauder’s Surprise Acquisition, Explained

The American cosmetic giant’s buyout of Ayurvedic beauty line Forest Essentials came as a surprise. By picking an under-the-radar brand it knows well, the company can show that it’s still in the M&A game without needing to outbid rivals.


VIEW MORE
Agenda-setting intelligence, analysis and advice for the global fashion community.
CONNECT WITH US ON