Accessible Me Ltd

An epic time was had at The Learning Network Mastery Day on Accessible Learning in Edinburgh last week. The day started with a captivating introduction by Michael Osborne, who set the stage with a fun "escape room" scenario. This practical session allowed us to explore some of the experiences and challenges people with disabilities face when accessing technology. Activities included trying on glasses that simulate colour blindness and a range of visual impairments, as well as speech, cognitive, and listening exercises. Having a tiny glimpse into other people’s experiences and challenges was undoubtedly extremely powerful and valuable. Susi Miller followed with a session on innovative strategies to boost accessibility and some new terms, including ‘diversish’ and ‘quiet accessibility’). We learnt about Accessibility sparks. These are the things that make people realise the impact that accessibility barriers have on their lives and want to make positive changes. My personal accessibility spark was when I began doing accessibility audits and experienced the horror show firsthand! We then worked together to see how we could ignite this spark in others to make the case for accessibility. The outcome - use different methods to foster engagement in accessibility and vary your approach to the person/ their role. Among ourselves, we found the most effective way to persuade people about the importance of accessibility is through the power of empathy and storytelling. Using statistics creatively, however, can also convey the importance of accessibility as long as they are used as part of an activity that makes them feel. The Q&A led by Tom McDowall hit on topics we have been discussing on repeat in the office. Such as the subjective nature of alt text – when is it distracting/overloading and when are we removing something that is enhancing the experience. Another is the issue of elearning that’s created to be WCAG accessible but can exclude certain audiences. My only wish was for the Q&A to have been twice as long (or more), but luckily, we were able to continue our discussions a bit longer in the pub afterwards! The day concluded with a gamification-focused session led by Michael Osborne. A few people who attended came from games background so it was interesting to get their take on some of the differences between our industries along with strategies you could use. My top accessibility takeaways here were the reminder to use personal benchmarks for success rather than competitive leaderboards and the importance of tailoring motivators to learners individual needs. Overall, Jamie Laurence and I thought the conference was an enriching experience, fostering meaningful conversations about accessibility in learning design. I loved meeting new fellow accessibility advocates and look forward to future discussions on this vital topic! And damn, the haggis was GOOD!!

Happy Halloween folks! Finn and I are just putting the finishing touches to our spook-tacular October newsletter - you still have a couple of hours left to sign up if you'd like to receive that later today... In the meantime, here's my own brief round-up of good stuff from the last fortnight. Alongside the usual juggling of various client projects, here are some personal highlights, inside and outside of work: 👓 I learned a lot at The Learning Network's Accessibility Mastery Day in Edinburgh, hosted by Katerina Vourlakos, Michael Osborne and Susi Miller - from the moving experience of wearing different glasses that simulate forms of sight loss (a glimpse of how the world might look to me in a few years time!) to considering how to create an accessible digital escape room. 🍻 It was lovely to catch up with Roy Spiers while in Edinburgh - Roy and I previously worked together on an e-learning course, 'Wellbeing for Lawyers', and it was great to hear what he's been up to since then. Thanks for the tour, Roy! 🎮 Tom and I had great fun at the Game On exhibition (National Museums Scotland) and I was really pleased to see a section on accessibility, as well as some innovative uses of video game tech to explore topics like mental health. 🔐 And we loved tackling the Anatomist escape room - a great way to learn about the "body-snatchers" of 19th C Edinburgh, and food for thought around interactive / puzzle-based learning experiences which I'm keen to explore... 🏆 Talking of puzzles, I competed in The Times Crossword Championship for the first time and loved it! I did better than expected, scoring 86 out of 90 in the 1st round (with 3 cryptics to solve in 1 hour), and coming 94th overall. 🌲Running White Bicycle Ltd, Finn and I spend a lot of time together, but often more as business partners than brother and sister. So it was lovely to take a day off to explore Rendlesham Forest, enjoy some autumn sun, and just hang out! #SmallBusiness #OnlineLearning #DigitalAccessibility [Image descriptions: 1. Leah wearing a pair of sight loss simulation glasses (which look a lot like safety goggles) and smiling next to a banner for The Learning Network. 2. Leah next to a sign titled "Gaming for all" which has information about how games like Minecraft can be adapted to meet different players' needs. 3. Tom and Leah having completed the Anatomist escape room, with Tom holding a chalkboard that says "We escaped", while Leah's sign shows the time taken as 51 minutes and 32 seconds. 4. A room in the News Building looking a lot like an exam hall, with rows of desks and a screen at the front displaying the words "The Times Crossword Championship". Leah is visible on the right-hand side, wearing a dark blue shirt and turning over the crossword booklet in front of her. 5. Finn and Leah balancing on large wooden beams that are part of the assault course in the middle of Rendlesham Forest, surrounded by tall trees.]

This month, I had the chance to be a guest on EDASD, sharing the journey that led me to found Accessible Me Ltd. My mission has always been simple: to break down barriers and make sure people, regardless of disability, don’t face limited opportunities. From studying Games Technology and drawing inspiration from animation as a young lad, to becoming a voice for accessibility and gamification, each step on my journey has shaped my work. I also opened up about how my own experiences with neurodivergence, including ADHD and Tourette’s, have deepened my commitment to universal design principles. Advocating for accessibility is more than a career - it’s personal, and it was an absolute pleasure joining [fellow Learning Technologies Exhibition & Conference Thirty Under 30] Hannah Frame and Nicki Finnigan, The Podcast Guys® and St. James’s Place on this very special podcast. #podcast #LearningAndDevelopment #technology https://lnkd.in/ezXrjPDR

🚀 Back from an incredible experience at the Learning Network Mastery Day in Edinburgh last week, and wow—12 hours of travel was absolutely worth it! #Accessibility is such a vital part of learning design, and I came away energised with new insights and inspiration. Here are a few highlights that really resonated with me: ✨ Finding your 'Accessibility Spark': Thanks to Susi Miller’s workshop, we explored those “a-ha” moments—when accessibility’s impact really clicks. For me, it was realising how accessible design creates quality learning experiences with a broader reach. That’s when I appreciated accessibility wasn’t just a checkbox; it’s the foundation for impactful, inclusive learning. 🌎💡 🔐 A11yShip Escape Room with Michael Osborne: From wearing tunnel vision goggles to experiencing noise-cancelling headphones, we got a powerful dose of empathy for diverse learning needs. It brought home the importance of truly understanding the end-user experience and designing with them at the centre. #EmpathyInDesign 🌐 Accessibility is about empowering EVERYONE: While considerations for things like screen readers and colour contrast are essential, they’re just the start. Accessibility is about user experience: giving learners options to control their journey is what makes it truly personal. When learners feel supported in their unique needs, engagement skyrockets. 📈💻 It was such a pleasure to connect with others who find new accessible features in an authoring tool just as exciting as I do! Here’s to creating more accessible, inclusive, and impactful learning with Bloom Creative Learning. #LearningDesign #UX #EdTech