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Why Inclusive Design Matters to Me — And to All of Us
In the UK, disability is far more common than many people realise. Around one in five people live with a disability today, and that number is rising as the population ages. Crucially, many disabilities are not present from birth. They emerge over time—through illness, accident, or simply ageing. Most of us will experience disability at some point in our lives.
As someone who is partially sighted, I experience the challenges of digital accessibility every day—at work, while travelling, when shopping, and when simply trying to participate independently in modern life.
Accessibility by Design, Not as an Afterthought
One of the biggest mistakes organisations make is treating accessibility as something to “bolt on” at the end. A final check. A compliance exercise. A rushed fix once users start struggling.
When digital products, services, and workplaces are built with accessibility in mind, they are easier to use, easier to support, and far more resilient. Retrofitting accessibility later is slower, more expensive, and often deeply frustrating for the very people it is meant to help.
Accessibility by design means thinking early about contrast, font size, navigation, keyboard access, voice interaction, and cognitive load. It means testing with real users who have different needs and recognising that not all disabilities are visible.
When Assistive Technology Becomes Mainstream
One of the most encouraging developments in recent years is how much assistive technology has moved into the mainstream.
Voice dictation and captions are now built into smartphones and productivity tools. Read-aloud features are standard in browsers and document platforms. Navigation apps provide clear audio guidance. AI copilots can summarise content, explain complex information, and reduce the cognitive effort required to get work done.
These tools don’t just help people with disabilities—they help everyone. Busy professionals, people working on the move, those with temporary impairments, and anyone who benefits from clearer, simpler interactions.
Some of the most powerful accessibility gains I’ve experienced haven’t come from specialist accessibility tools, but from mainstream technology designed for convenience and efficiency.
Take the Trainline app. On the surface, it’s a booking and journey-planning tool. For me, it’s transformative. I can book tickets independently, check live delays, and find out which platform my train is departing from—without trying to read information boards I struggle to see. That certainty reduces stress and turns travel from something I endure into something I can manage confidently and even enjoy.
The same is true of the Uber app. Before, getting a taxi often meant standing outside, trying—and often failing—to spot an approaching vehicle. Now, I can book from indoors, track its arrival, and leave when it’s effectively at the door. What was designed for speed and convenience also delivers independence, dignity, and safety.
Even self-service kiosks in places like McDonald’s make a difference. Introduced to reduce queues, they give me something far more valuable: choice. Previously, I would order the same thing every time because I couldn’t see menu boards behind counters. Now I can read the menu at my own pace, make informed decisions, and order independently—without pressure or guesswork.
Good Design Benefits Everyone
This is the real point: good accessibility is simply good design.
Clear layouts reduce errors. Flexible input methods increase productivity. Well-designed interfaces lower support costs. Inclusive technology allows people to focus on their strengths rather than their limitations.
If we stop seeing accessibility as a specialist requirement and start treating it as a core design principle, we don’t just build better tools for people with disabilities. We build better technology for everyone.
Bio: Geraint Williams, Director of Mission Control, Fujitsu
Geraint Williams is Director of Mission Control at Fujitsu, where he supports strategic engagement across the UK public sector’s digital transformation agenda. With nearly 30 years’ experience spanning application development, infrastructure support, cloud platform management, service delivery, and digital strategy, he focuses on mission‑led transformation, human‑centred design, and inclusive innovation. Geraint is particularly interested in how accessibility and inclusivity can help ensure opportunities for everyone to enter, contribute, and build sustainable careers in the technology sector and society more broadly.
About the campaign
techUK’s TechTogether campaign continues with a focus on ‘equity by design'. Our insights this week focus on the importance of inclusive design in product development, creating technology that is accessible to people with disabilities, tackling affordability, connectivity, and digital skills gaps through cross-sector partnerships and community-led initiatives, and, ensuring public services are co-designed with disabled, ethnic, and older users.
TechTogether - Week 3
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