Champions! Growing an Accessibility Culture Together

Image: Inclusive Design Masterclass, CDS

One of the most meaningful things I helped create at CDS wasn’t a product or a deliverable, it was a network.

The Accessibility Champions Network started as a simple idea: bring people together who cared about inclusive design and give them the space to share, learn, and lead. What it became was a powerful force for change; a community of people across disciplines, departments, and locations, all working together to make accessibility part of how we work, not just what we deliver.

It wasn’t top-down. It wasn’t mandated. It was built from the ground up by people who cared.

We created a safe, supportive space where colleagues could ask questions, share wins (and failures), and learn from each other. We designed and delivered talks and practical sessions, including a masterclass at Leeds Digital Festival on ‘Baking-in Accessibility and Inclusivity’. And we backed it up with resources, tools, and a shared understanding that accessibility is everyone’s responsibility not just the specialists'.

This work drove real change.

We saw inclusive design principles adopted across the organisation, improving usability for diverse audiences and strengthening the agency’s reputation as a leader in accessible digital experiences. But the impact didn’t stop there, we also supported our clients to build their own capability.

We ran workshops, delivered tailored training sessions, and built in knowledge transfer to help external teams become more confident and self-sufficient. It wasn’t just about doing accessibility for our clients, it was about doing it with them and leaving them with the tools and confidence to keep pushing for inclusive practices long after the project ended.

For me, this was about more than accessibility, it was about empowerment. We helped people realise they could be champions, even if they weren’t accessibility experts. That they should ask questions, push for better, and speak up when something doesn’t work for everyone.

It’s a reminder that change doesn’t always have to start big. Sometimes it starts with a conversation, a shared goal, and the belief that we can do better... together.