QVC announced this month it is making an expanded commitment to growing its accessible and adaptive assortments, as well as streamlining how customers find and explore these products and enhancing the accessibility of its end-to-end shopping experience. QVC is the live video commerce arm of Qurate Retail, Inc., and Qurate is one of Women in Retail Leadership Circle’s corporate partners.

As part of this journey, QVC has named actor, best-selling author and disability advocate Selma Blair as its brand ambassador for accessibility. QVC also launched a dedicated accessible & adaptive category on its website, which features hundreds of products in the fashion, home, electronics and beauty categories. QVC is highlighting accessible products within each category and has launched a digital storefront for these products, with solution-based navigation and options to filter by adaptive features.  

“We believe everyone deserves inclusive shopping experiences, services and products that make them feel seen, including the millions of Americans who are living with a disability; aging in place or in assisted living; recovering from a surgery, illness or injury; or supporting others as a caregiver,” said Rachel Ungaro, GMM and vice president of fashion merchandising for QVC, in a press release. “Our goal is to meet each customer where they are in the arc of life and empower them to express their own unique style.”

Ungaro added that QVC also plans to expand its offerings in its accessible & adaptive category by attracting new brands to QVC, widening its relationships with existing vendors, and developing proprietary products and brands.

The task force leading QVC’s accessibility initiatives includes team members from the disability and caregiving communities and from QVC’s diversity, equity and inclusion team. The accessibility initiative reflects QVC’s commitment to fostering inclusive environments and touches every aspect of how the company operates. QVC has articulated commitments specific to disability inclusion as part of The Valuable 500, the largest community of Global CEOs committed to disability inclusion in business.

QVC has also introduced “Accessible Living,” an on-air show focused on home products that simplify everyday tasks and promote independent living. In addition, across all vCommerce programming, QVC said it is demonstrating the accessibility features of products more frequently, while also representing the disability, aging, post-surgery and recovery, and caregiving communities in product presentations and photography. The retailer is also conducting a 360-degree review of all customer touchpoints – from its advertising to its vCommerce platforms, delivery processes and more – and making changes to increase accessibility and ensure a barrier-free customer experience. 

As part of its commitment to accessibility, QVC has also joined forces with Maura Horton, a disability diversity and inclusion consultant affecting change through education, product development, strategic partnerships and embracing global inclusion. Horton’s roots are in product design and development, as she was a trailblazer in the adaptive fashion movement. After her husband was diagnosed with early-onset Parkinson’s disease, Horton pioneered the concept of adaptive clothing that prioritized function and fashion equally. She founded MagnaReady, an adaptive apparel company, then sold her company in 2019 and shifted to overall inclusion work. She continues to be a driving force of the adaptive movement, working to develop holistically inclusive designs that span digital strategies, language guides, and authentic representations in wellness, home, beauty, style and more.