The rotating dishwasher rack, an employee resource group challenge that was informed by the disability community, is recognized in the Accessible Design and Home categories
NORTHAMPTON, MA / ACCESS Newswire / October 16, 2026 / Whirlpool Corporation is proud to announce that the Whirlpool brand Spin&Load Dishwasher Rack has been named a Finalist in the Accessible Design category and received an Honorable Mention in the Home category of the Fast Company Innovation by Design Awards for 2026.
Now in its 15th year, the Innovation by Design Awards celebrate the designers and businesses addressing today's most urgent challenges while anticipating tomorrow's problems. The program is one of the industry's most prestigious design competitions, spotlighting work that exemplifies originality, beauty, sustainability, user insight, cultural significance, and measurable business impact.
The Spin&Load Dishwasher Rack is a lower dishwasher rack that rotates 360 degrees, bringing dishes to the user instead of requiring them to reach across the rack, a common barrier for wheelchair users and anyone with limited mobility. The concept came from an intern challenge led by Whirlpool Corporation's AVID (Awareness of Visible and Invisible Disabilities) employee resource group and was developed with members of the United Spinal Association.
"Inclusive design isn't a separate product line for us. It's a better way to design for everyone, and this honor from Fast Company tells us the approach is working."
"Spin&Load started with our own employees, was shaped by people who live with mobility disabilities every day, and was engineered to look like any other rack in the kitchen. That's why recognition in Accessible Design means so much to our team," said Rob Moser, Vice President, Global Consumer Design, Whirlpool Corporation. "Inclusive design isn't a separate product line for us. It's a better way to design for everyone, and this honor from Fast Company tells us the approach is working."
The rack fits all 24-inch Whirlpool Corporation dishwashers manufactured after 2018 and comes standard on the Whirlpool 24-inch Stainless Steel Dishwasher with Spin&Load Dishwasher Rack.
"AVID's challenge to our interns was simple: design something that people in the disability community would actually want to use. Seeing Spin&Load go from that challenge to a product in homes, and now to a Fast Company finalist, shows what's possible when employees with lived experience help inform how our products are designed," said Monica Cederstrom, Senior Vice President, Human Resources and Executive Sponsor of Whirlpool Corporation's AVID employee resource group.
Honorees were selected by a panel of top designers, business executives from leading organizations, and Fast Company editors.
To see the complete list, go to fastcompany.com/innovation-by-design/list, and read about the honorees in the Fall issue of Fast Company magazine, on newsstands now.
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View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire:
https://www.accessnewswire.com/newsroom/en/industrial-and-manufacturing/spinandload-dishwasher-rack-by-whirlpoolr-named-finalist-and-honorable-1237652
