After serving as the Director of Partnerships at the New York State Brewers Association for nearly a decade, Meghan founded Inclusive Saratoga, a nonprofit consultancy helping breweries and hospitality businesses better attract and serve disabled customers. Since 202, Meghan has been an advisor to Craft Beer Professionals, a national education / media company serving the craft beer industry. She sits on the Saratoga Springs Open Spaces Committee which advises City Council on use of public land. In this role, Meghan provides a voice for the disability community.
In 2023, Bart Watson, the newly appointed CEO of the Brewers Association, gave a keynote address at the Craft Brewers Conference. The main takeaways from his talk were that the craft brewing industry was changing and that breweries needed to be creative in identifying new customers. Similarly, in her 2025 NYSCBC keynote address, Julie Rhodes, talked about the need for breweries to differentiate themselves beyond their beer.
Craft beer tends to be a socially liberal industry which is one of the main reasons I was drawn to it. Breweries play an important role in the communities in which they exist. Taprooms are gathering places, bringing people together in conversation. Though Bart’s call to action was two years ago, many breweries didn’t feel the societal shifts until more recently. Julie’s talk hit home to many brewery operators in the audience.
There has never been a better time for you to serve your customers by embracing disability inclusivity.
More than 28% of the adult population in the US has a disability. That is a large percentage of your potential customers. If your brewery isn’t actively making accommodations and communicating them, then you are essentially ignoring over a quarter of your customer base. The thing about disability accommodations is that everyone benefits, not just those individuals with a disability.
According to a 2018 Accenture study, businesses that embrace disability inclusivity see 30% higher profit margins. The disability community is vocal and word of mouth about positive experiences spreads quickly because sadly, it is an anomaly.
By layering in disability accommodations into your customer experience, your brewery can benefit in the following ways:
You’ve gotten this far in the article and are feeling inspired. What now? Though typically a small investment can address a myriad of challenges your customers face, you don’t have to spend any money to get started. Here are four things you can do today:
Disability inclusivity is a process. Every step, though small as it might seem, can have a big impact both on the disability community and the bottom line of your brewery.
