"Sound Sites" by VML Kansas City and Nashville for the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development: Rewriting what vacation planning means for blind communities
Nothing Without Us Awards Honor Breakthrough Disability Inclusion Efforts
VML’s Josh Loebner named Change Maker of the Year as Sound Sites earns honors for advancing accessible, authentic disability representation in global marketing
- Published Date
- Dec 04, 2025
The inaugural Nothing Without Us Awards were announced at SYNC25 in Tokyo, recognizing commercial marketing work that advances authentic disability representation. Among the honorees, VML’s Global Head of Inclusive Design and Accessibility, Josh Loebner, was named Change Maker of the Year for his leadership in improving accessibility standards across the creative industry.
Loebner, the first person to earn a PhD in advertising and disability, has helped shape a systems-based approach to inclusion that spans VML, WPP agencies, and global brand partners. His work emphasizes co-creation with disability communities and aligning creative processes with accessibility best practices. He also guided the development of Sound Sites, honored with an Honorable Mention for Inclusive Campaign of the Year, which reimagined alt text by inviting songwriters to craft descriptive, sensory-rich image narratives.
In accepting the award, Loebner said the recognition was “magical and heartfelt,” noting that the path toward authentic representation requires collective action.
Championing advertising and disability was uncharted territory early in my career, but I saw potential for greater representation and accessibility within the creative and among creators. Turning that potential into progress requires a community of commitment among corporate leaders, agencies, brands, and allies.
Hosted by Valuable 500, the Nothing Without Us Awards highlight a continued gap across the marketing industry. Despite disabled people representing 16% of the global population, only about 1% of ads feature disability representation. Award organizers noted that just 11 campaigns met eligibility criteria this year, underscoring the need for more accessible production processes and a deeper commitment to authentic portrayal.
SYNC25, the world’s first accountability summit on disability inclusion, also saw the launch of the Authentic Representation Tool (ART), a free resource designed to help brands benchmark and strengthen inclusive practices across leadership, production, culture, and creative output.
As the industry looks to 2026, the awards aim to set a clear standard for commercial campaigns and elevate work that reflects lived experience, equitable collaboration, and measurable impact.
VML is committed to inclusion and accessibility across our work. Recent examples of initiatives advancing accessibility include:
