On May 16, Crocs, Inc. recognized Global Accessibility Awareness Day with a special edition of an internal “Let’s Talk Purpose” session featuring speakers from our nonprofit partner, Special Olympics. The session, which highlighted the long history of Special Olympics, also featured Special Olympics athlete, Ben Collins.
Ben, who began competing in Special Olympics as a teenager, has competed in several events over the years. Most recently, he earned two silver medals and a bronze medal in bocce at the 2018 USA National Games in Seattle, Washington.
Ben shared his experience as an athlete, as well as his work with Special Olympics International headquarters in Washington, D.C where he has worked as a Special Olympics Operations Specialist for more than 30 years. Ben highlighted his experiences working in an office setting as a visually impaired person and introduced the assistive technology that he uses to manage his email, participate in meetings on tools such as Zoom and MSFT Teams. He also provided tips to the Crocs and HEYDUDE employees on best practices for using these platforms in a more inclusive way, such as how to better utilize chat features on Zoom and Teams so they are less disruptive to those using assistive technology.
Ben has also advocated for himself and other people who are visually impaired beyond the workplace. He contacted city officials in Washington, D.C. to share his experience as a commuter on public transit and to request audible street crossing signals, which were added to the streets close to Special Olympics headquarters to provide a safer, more inclusive experience for all commuters.
Ben’s presentation to our Crocs and HEYDUDE employees helped illustrate what accessibility means in practice — and how we can be better allies and accessibility champions both across our workforce and in our communities.
Every one-of-a-kind out there deserves to feel an authentic sense of belonging at home, at work and in our communities. Over the course of our partnership with Special Olympics, we have actively supported the adaptive needs community by piloting a line of classic slip-resistant Crocs clogs that were designed in collaboration with people with disabilities. In 2021 we donated nearly 3,500 shoes across four different chapters of Special Olympics across the U.S., and in 2022 we designed a series of exclusive products for Special Olympics USA Games.
Most recently, Crocs, Inc.’s support has been directed toward growing the work of Special Olympics Unified Leadership through an education series in the United Kingdom, slated to begin in Fall 2024. The education series leverages more than 55 years of experience cultivating inclusion in sport for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) to deliver game-changing strategies to people without IDD. As a result of this type of programming, people without IDD are prepared to transform their communities and workplaces to be more inclusive, so that people with IDD have opportunities to make meaningful contributions and thrive.
According to experts at Human Rights Watch, more than one billion people worldwide have disabilities. Stories like Ben’s demonstrate the ways in which the world is not always designed to be inclusive — and the kind of work we have ahead of us to unlock accessibility.
At Crocs, Inc., our Purpose is to create a more Comfortable World for All. We approach our Purpose through three pillars: Comfort for the Planet, Comfort for Our Communities and Comfort for All People.
Our vision is a world where everyone is comfortable in their own shoes. As a global leader in the footwear industry, we believe it is our responsibility to leverage our brand for good — and to advocate for change in our communities, across our value chain and for our employees. We actively pursue opportunities to foster inclusivity in our workplace and our communities.
Learn more about how we’re acting on our purpose in our 2023 Comfort Report.