actua11y

🔍 𝗜𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘄𝗲𝗯𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗹𝘆 𝗮𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗹𝗲? Many websites claim to be, but 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝗮𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 isn’t just about compliance—it’s about usability. And who better to test it than real disabled users? At actua11y, we recruit testers with cognitive, physical, visual, and auditory disabilities to identify real barriers and provide clear, 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀 to improve your site. ✅ Promote inclusion & equality ✅ Avoid legal risks ✅ Improve user experience for everyone 🚀 Don’t just guess—get real feedback! 𝗕𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗮𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝘁𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗻𝗼𝘄: 🔗 https://lnkd.in/e_Q56ZQh #Accessibility #InclusiveDesign #UX

3 reasons why BSL is amazing! 🤩 Why is BSL Sign Language Week so important? Here are 3 reasons why BSL is an incredible language that deserves to be celebrated! 1️⃣ It’s super expressive! Did you know that facial expressions, body language, and even eyebrow movements are just as important as hand movements in BSL? It’s a beautifully visual language that conveys tone and meaning in unique ways! 2️⃣ It connects thousands of people! For 151,000 Deaf people in the UK, BSL is their first language—it’s how they communicate, express emotions, and connect with the world. Language is identity, and BSL is at the heart of the Deaf community. 3️⃣ Anyone can learn it! Whether you’re Deaf or hearing, learning a few BSL signs can help make conversations more inclusive and welcoming. Just knowing “Hello” or “Thank you” can make a big difference! Want to give it a try? Next time you meet a BSL user, try signing *“Nice to meet you”*! 👍🤝 👉 NICE = Move your thumb sideways across your chin. 👉 MEET-YOU = Bring both index fingers together in a moving motion, representing two people meeting. #BSL #LearnBSL #SignLanguageWeek #BSLMatters #Accessibility #DeafCommunity

There's a new era of outdoor adventuring emerging, enabling people with disabilities to go further and experience more than ever before, are you ready!? Later today, I'm speaking at Naidex with Isaac Harvey MBE on the main stage, where I'll be showing this new video I've created and saying how I feel we're entering a new and exciting age, where the outdoors and adventuring is more accessible than ever before and we've got to grab the opportunity with both hands and celebrate it. There are barriers for many people currently and yes obstacles need to be overcome, but we're used to that and look how far we've come as a community over the years. The benefits to us for getting outdoors, into fresh air, into nature and exploring the world beyond our own doorstep are huge, physically, mentally and emotionally. I'm determined to show people what is possible, what can be achieved, the places they can go and the fun we can all experience, but we have to do the work for ourselves. Let's not rely on others, let's not go cap in hand to the government, instead we reach out to businesses and include them in our journey, show the value of their being involved and the benefits for their employees, because there are many organisations out there who will fully support the disability community. We're entering a new era, it's scary for sure, it'll be bloody hard work and take time to develop, but focus on the exciting opportunities that come with it and open your mind to exploring the unknown. There's a huge world out there and it's time for us to get out there and access it all 🤙 #Accessibility #AccessibleAdventures #DisabilityAdvocate #DisabledAdventurer

If you live in Edinburgh or can commute there, this is a great opportunity to learn about the best accelerator in Scotland and the UK. https://lnkd.in/eFJbNPdD

We are excited to get this pitch practise and opportunity to network next week

When organisations talk about user experience (UX), the conversation often focuses on digital spaces, making websites intuitive, reducing clicks, improving navigation. But what about physical spaces? Too often, the only metric considered is occupancy, rather than whether people can actually use a space effectively. For most non-disabled individuals, user experience in a workplace or public space is effortless; walk in, sit down, get to work. For disabled individuals, it’s a different story… Physical barriers - Step at the entrance? Narrow hallways? No accessible toilets? Minor inconveniences to some; but they dictate whether someone with a disability can even enter the space, let alone thrive in it. Digital barriers - The workplace intranet, HR systems, or training platforms might work for most employees, but not if it fails screen readers, lacks captions, impossible to engage with assistive technology, or doesn’t offer alternative formats. Attitudinal barriers - A workplace can be physically accessible but still inaccessible in culture. If leadership see disabled employees as less productive or high maintenance, the workplace remains exclusionary, even if accessibility is pristine. What can you do to change things you ask? Rather than just checking a compliance box, businesses need to think holistically about what it actually takes for ALL employees to show up, participate, and contribute: Design spaces for usability, not just occupancy. A ramp that’s too steep, a “disabled toilet” that’s also the cleaning cupboard, or a “step-free route” that takes 20 minutes longer isn’t inclusion, it’s a half-measure. Prioritise inclusive digital design. 51% of disabled people face barriers using online services, that’s HALF of a potential customer or employee base struggling unnecessarily. Disability awareness training led by disabled people is invaluable and essential to breaking down assumptions that keep organisations inaccessible. Understand that inclusion drives innovation. Accessibility benefits everyone. Look at curb cuts. Designed for wheelchair users, now used by parents with buggies, delivery workers, and cyclists. Accessibility always improves UX for more than just the intended audience. If you’re designing a space, a policy, or a service, and you’re not actively involving disabled people in the process, you’re missing the point. Test with real users, train your teams, and go beyond compliance, because inclusion is ever evolving, and it takes practice. It’s 2025. We know how to build better, design better, and lead better. The only question is whether you choose to. Alt text: this is a photo of Luis in an underground car park, sitting in his Sunrise Medical UK Q400M power wheelchair. He is positioned to the right of the image in front of his grey Wheelchair Accessible Vehicle (a great example of inclusive design) from Sirus Mobility. #UserExperience #Accessibility #DisabilityInclusion #BeyondCompliance #WorkplaceInclusion

A friendly Friday reminder To watch this video And consider what we are doing to be more inclusive Are you unpacking and unlearning your internalised ableism? Are you amplifying voices often muted? Are you considering who is in the room and who is missing? Are you being mindful of making assumptions and thoughtful of consent for assistance and boundaries? Are you creating space for all disabled voices? Male Allies UK might be more focused on gender But the skills of allyship are universal And have never been more important Credit to CoorDown for this World Down Syndrome Day production

If there was ever an image that explained the current situation with websites meeting accessibility guidelines but never having been tested with disabled people!

🌟REMINDER🌟 Edinburgh Accelerator Open days!! 18th, 19th and 20th March!! Why not come and join us? This is your chance to: ·       Get a tour of our vibrant Accelerator hub, ·       Meet entrepreneurs in our community, ·       Attend some of our fantastic events, ·       Work in the hub to get a feel of what it is like, ·       Meet our accelerator team. There will be space for 20 curious entrepreneurs everyday to join us so don't wait, book your space below now and share and tag anyone that would benefit within our ecosystem. https://lnkd.in/eN759cMu Heidi Simpson (nee Barnes) Mandy Bailey John Willoughby CCIBS

what do you see here? do you see the bank card? what do you notice about it? I want to commend the Royal Bank of Scotland Business for this card. We recently switched our business banking to RBS not least for the great support received through Mandy Bailey and the Startup Accelerator located in Edinburgh. Although the setup and switch UX lead something to be desired, this bank card still excels. What you hopefully will notice is that the card has a indent on the short side you hold when inserting the card to a card machine and it has 6 raised dots, which, tbh, I am not certain on, but guess are another accessibility feature. The point here is that putting accessibility at the start of a design process, involving disabled people as design partners means that you design for everyone at little or no additional cost. Delaying this, doing it retroactively, will cost more! Involving disabled people to serve the estimated £275billion UK's purple pound. shout out to ScotlandIS, The Data Lab Academy for providing the backdrop to this post. Image description: Purple Royal Bank of Scotland Mastercard which features a CHIP & PIN, indent on short side and 6 raised dots for accessibility, pictured on a red ScotlandIS notebook with a Scottish Datalab sticker. Royal Bank of Scotland Business NatWest Business NatWest Group NatWest Ulster Bank Northern Ireland - Business #edinburgh #glasgow #belfast