Investing for Agency: A Discussion with Rich Donovan, Pioneer of Investing in Disability

It is estimated that there are 1.3 billion people with disabilities in the world, and that 70 percent of disabilities among the general population are invisible or non-obvious. The number of young people with disabilities worldwide has been estimated as being between 180 and 220 million, of whom nearly 80 percent live in developing countries.

Rich Donovan has spent more than 10 years focused on defining and unlocking the economic value of the disability market. Rich’s pioneering work includes the Return on Disability index, an investment vehicle listed on the New York Stock Exchange in 2014 under the ticker RODI. RODI seeks to invest in companies that economically empower persons with disabilities by understanding, designing for, serving, and hiring them.