Technology Toolkit

Technology Toolkit

This Toolkit includes guidance on how technology can make your organisation more inclusive. Created by our Technology Taskforce, a group of senior IT accessibility individuals from leading UK and global organisations.

All the resources in this Toolkit are free and open to all. Members and Partners enjoy exclusive access to the full range of Knowledge Hub resources plus additional membership benefits.

Technology can be a vital tool for disabled employees, customers, clients and service users – but only if it’s used in an inclusive way. Our Technology Toolkit, available free for everyone, is full of practical advice and tips on how technology can improve disability inclusion in your organisation.

If you need to create an inclusive technology strategy, not sure how best to integrate assistive tech, want to get your technology procurement right or to access the latest on accessibility standards, this Toolkit is for you.

Created and reviewed by our Technology Taskforce, (a group of senior IT accessibility individuals from leading UK and global organisations), this Toolkit will be useful to organisations of all sizes, sectors and industries, and is also a helpful reference for organisations conducting our Accessibility Maturity Model self-assessment.

Watch an introduction to the Technology Toolkit below.

Thank you

Business Disability Forum would like to thank the members of our Technology Taskforce for creating and reviewing the resources in this Toolkit and the Accessibility Maturity Model.

Toolkit resources

Section 1: Inclusive technology strategy

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Why do businesses need an inclusive technology strategy?

Accessibility and inclusive technology can offer huge benefits to businesses – such as greater productivity, innovation, employee retention, and brand reputation.

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How accessibility benefits your business

How does accessible innovation impact our teams and our business?

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How to avoid barriers in technology

Disabled people often encounter barriers to their full participation in society, related to their disability. These can arise from every aspect of society – including the technology we use. 

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Accessibility Maturity Model

Download our self-assessment tool to check your organisation’s progress on digital accessibility. This page also has guidance on how to use the AMM.

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Promoting digital accessibility across your organisation

This guide talks about promoting digital accessibility: what it means, whom it affects and why you should do it.

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How to measure and report on accessibility

This resource addresses the challenge of turning accessibility from a cause championed by a few passionate enthusiasts into a mainstream concern within the organisation.

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Obtaining management buy-in

This page sets out some shared experience in how to obtain it building on the experience of members of the Technology Taskforce.

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Accessibility Champions and Sponsors

In order for an organisation to move their accessibility agenda forward, it’s important to have Accessibility Sponsors and Champions.

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The Accessible Technology Charter

This guide will talk you through the process of signing up to the Charter, the commitment that you are making and how it will help you to embed accessibility into…

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Raising digital accessibility awareness across an organisation

In this page, we offer our reasoning and high-level advice as to how to raise digital accessibility awareness.

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Creating an IT accessibility policy

This resource provides guidance about what organisations need to consider when creating an IT policy on accessibility.

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IT accessibility funding

This resource has been produced to help organisations consider the different types of activity that need to be funded, and to identify and manage their budgets.

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Disability Smart webinar – Technology

This video explores the role of technology within our Disability Smart Framework, including how businesses can use technology to improve disability inclusion.

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The European Accessibility Act (EAA) – what businesses need to know and do.

The European Accessibility Act (EAA) is a pivotal legal directive designed to enhance accessibility by establishing common accessibility rules throughout the EU.

Section 2: Assistive technology

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What is assistive technology?

Our Technology Toolkit talks a lot about assistive technology (AT) – but what do we mean?

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Interview – How does assistive technology make your workplace more inclusive?

Watch our series of videos to find out what success can look like when assistive technology is available in your workplace.

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How assistive technology can make everyone more productive

In this resource, we’ll show you how integrating AT into your workplace can improve productivity for everyone, not just those with disabilities.

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Assistive technology catalogues

Many people with disabilities or impairments benefit from the use of assistive technology (AT) in the workplace.

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Supporting staff with assistive technology

Assistive Technology can refer to any kind of device, software or system that helps people with disabilities perform tasks with greater confidence, accuracy and independence.

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Assistive technology and IT security

Many people with disabilities or impairments benefit from the use of assistive technology in the workplace. However, the use of such technologies can introduce additional information risks that need to…

Section 3: Everyday technology

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Everyday technology and disability

In this resource, we explain the ways in which organisations can use everyday technology to support disabled people.

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Making Microsoft Word documents accessible

This guide is for people who are producing Word documents for internal circulation, to upload to the Internet, or to load into Adobe presentations.

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Creating accessible PDFs

This guide is for people who are producing PDFs documents for internal circulation, to upload to the Internet, or to load into Adobe presentations.

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Making Excel spreadsheets accessible

This guide is for people who are producing Excel 2010 (or later) documents for internal circulation, to upload to the Internet, or to load into Adobe presentations.

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Making PowerPoint presentations accessible

This guide is for people who are producing PowerPoint documents for internal circulation, to upload to the Internet, or to load into Adobe presentations.

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A user’s guide to accessible video conferencing apps

How accessible or usable any app is depends on the person using it, their disability, and the requirements of their work and employer.

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Accessible communication: Why video captions matter

This video explains who can benefit from video captions and how captions can improve anyone’s experience of watching video content.

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AI and new technologies

This resource explores some of the ways in which businesses should engage with new and emerging technologies in order to obtain the benefits of innovation without sacrificing disability inclusion.

Section 4: Adjustments for employees and customers

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Technology and adjustments

This resource outlines current practices around adjustments and technology.

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Barclays – Diverse Personas

In 2015, Barclays consulted with accessibility experts and disabled people to create a range of personas, representing people with different disabilities.

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Staff consultation methods

Employers need to understand the demographics and experiences of their workforce to enable them to perform at their best.

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Customer consultation methods

How to gather and interpret feedback from your customers.

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Legal case – Cherrington v Home Office

This legal case is about a disabled woman who had dyslexia and sight loss who was unable to start a job she was offered because of computer software compatibility problems.

Section 5: Technology procurement

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Why does inclusive technology procurement matter

Procurement is an area of huge importance for disability inclusion – but it is often overlooked because it is outside the business areas of disability inclusion professionals. 

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Inclusive technology procurement – Where to start

This user guide helps you develop a procurement policy to ensure you buy only accessible products.

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Request for Proposal

A Request for Proposal (RFP) document outlines preliminary requirements for commodities or services.

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Accessibility testing

Accessibility testing is a critical part of your organisation’s roll-out of new software, along with upgrades and updates to existing software.

Section 6: Accessibility standards and training

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Introduction to accessibility standards and training

This resource outlines the role of accessibility standards and training, and where to look for more information. 

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Overview of IT accessibility standards

This resource outlines the major IT accessibility standards so that you can decide which are relevant to your organisation’s needs.

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Accessibility training for IT professionals

It is best practice to make sure that everyone is aware of accessibility requirements, whatever their job role.

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Barclays – Inclusive design principles

Barclays has created seven principles of inclusive design. Download their PDF guidance.

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Accessibility training: A guide to available resources

Accessibility is about making information, products, and systems usable for disabled people and everyone.

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Ensuring accessible e-learning

This document outlines the baseline standard required for all e-learning, to meet minimum accessibility requirements.

Sponsor foreword – Freshfields

By Gary Smallmann (Chief Technology Officer) and Helen Ouseley (Global Head of Culture & Community)

Fuelling ambition through inclusive innovation

At Freshfields, we are committed to tackling complex legal challenges and unlocking opportunity for our clients and our people. Delivering on that ambition means continuing to build an environment where everyone can belong, engage and excel.

We are continually evolving how we use technology to meet the diverse needs of the people. Tools such as Copilot are already enhancing how we work, and our focus is on deploying these capabilities responsibly and at scale. We have invested in dedicated expertise within our IT function to lead this work, and to ensure that accessibility and inclusion are built into how these tools are designed and used across the firm.

Embedding digital accessibility is not straightforward. It requires sustained focus, investment and change. But it also creates a clear advantage. Organisations that prioritise inclusive design build better systems, enable more productive teams and broaden access to talent.

This is why we are proud to partner with the Business Disability Forum to support and present this Technology Toolkit. It is not simply a guide to compliance. It is a practical framework to help organisations turn accessibility and innovation into a source of capability and competitive strength.

We encourage you to use this Toolkit, as we will: to assess where you are, to identify where you can go further and to accelerate progress towards a more inclusive and effective organisation.