Last reviewed: May 2024

Accessibility and inclusive technology can offer huge benefits to businesses – such as greater productivity, innovation, employee retention, and brand reputation (to name a few). To achieve these benefits, businesses need a robust inclusive technology strategy. 

This resource explains why an inclusive strategy is so important, and the key steps businesses can take towards achieving one. 

The benefits of accessibility 

Understanding why accessibility makes you a better and smarter organisation is the first step in any long-term strategy. Accessibility has huge benefits – but not all businesses are aware of them.  

We have created a resource to help you make the business case for accessibility within your organisation. It outlines five core themes: 

• Innovation 
• Inclusion 
• Brand 
• Productivity 
• Compliance. 

Depending on the type of organisation you are, you may find some themes resonate with your own goals and values more than others. That is to be expected. We recommend that you elevate these themes when sharing with your stakeholders. Nevertheless, it is always worth highlighting that accessibility benefits the whole organisation – not just disabled employees.  

For more information, see our resource, ‘How accessibility benefits your business.’ 

First steps 

Assess your strengths and weaknesses 

A key first step to developing an inclusive technology strategy is to assess how your organisation is currently performing in terms of inclusive technology. 

This is vital, as you can use this information to build a strategy that protects your areas of strength while addressing areas of weakness. 

We have created a tool, ‘The Accessibility Maturity Model (AMM).’ This is a self-assessment tool which enables organisations to drill down to gather more information on different levels of IT accessibility. The AMM is designed to be informative and action orientated – it allows you to see your organisation’s current IT accessibility performance and support you in making decisions about future focus areas. 

While this is a key first step, it is also important to keep routinely assessing your strategy throughout its development and as you progress as an organisation. Our Technology Taskforce members aim to complete a self-assessment at regular intervals to check whether their strategy is having the desired impact. We would recommend that you review your AMM scores at least once a year. 

Accessibility Champions, Sponsors or Business Leads 

If you want your strategy to have the authority and reach to influence all the necessary business areas, you need Accessibility Champions, Sponsors or Business Leads. 

These roles can be held by people who focus on the Accessibility/Disability space, or by people who hold other positions within the organisation and play this role in addition. The Accessibility Sponsors and Champions work together to ensure the organisation has clear strategies and goals, and that the organisation is making tangible progress towards those goals.  

In brief: 

• The Sponsor is usually someone at the Executive level within the organisation. This person (or people) actively engages with internal and external experts to set the accessibility strategy and goals for the organisation.   
• The Champion is usually someone within the management team, but closer to the day-to-day running of the organisation. They are essentially ‘the voice’ of disabled people, bringing experiences together, in line with the business’s overall values and strategy.  

See our resource, ‘Accessibility Champions and Sponsors,’ for more information. 

Obtaining management buy-in 

Essential to any strategy is obtaining management buy-in. This will turn digital accessibility and inclusive technology from a niche interest of a few individuals or teams, and into mainstream ‘business as usual.’ 

We recommend that teams or individuals seeking to create an inclusive technology strategy ask management to take some key steps to signify their buy-in. To begin making meaningful progress, you will need: 

• Public commitment – Make a public commitment to inclusive technology, such as BDF’s Accessible Technology Charter. 
• Established measures – Set targets for the organisation, and measure its progress against these. An example is BDF’s Accessibility Maturity Model. Our resource, ‘How to measure and report on accessibility,’ has more information. 
• A Champion – Obtain agreement from a Board-level sponsor to champion your cause. This involves giving practical support as well as written and verbal commitment. Our resource, ‘First actions to becoming a Disability Smart organisation: For senior leaders and managers’ has more advice about what management can do once they have bought-in.  

See our resource, ‘Obtaining management buy-in for digital accessibility,’ for more information. 

What next? 

That is up to you! The appropriate strategy for your organisation is something you will need to tailor to its specific situation – strengths, weaknesses, maturity, culture, sector, and so on. 

The resources in the first section of this Toolkit, ‘Inclusive technology strategy,’ are designed to help you work out what your strategy may need to aim for and how to do so. 

There are also further sources of help available: 

• Technology Taskforce – Join our Technology Taskforce for the opportunity to talk to other professionals working on digital accessibility. 
• Advice Service – BDF Members and Partners can contact our Advice Service for tailored guidance on specific questions. 

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If you require a different format of this document please email us at enquiries@businessdisabilityforum.org.uk.