Inclusive design

Two Decades of Accessibility Leadership

A Career in Inclusive Design Across Government, Enterprise and Community
Role: Accessibility Advocate, Educator, and Practice Lead

Overview

Accessibility (a11y) has been central to my work for over 20 years. From hand-coded manuals in HTML to national-scale digital health systems, I’ve consistently advocated for design that includes all people – regardless of ability, language, context or condition. I’ve embedded accessibility into UX practice, trained entire teams, and created scalable frameworks that continue to guide organisations long after I’ve moved on.

Origins in Web Standards

My a11y journey began in the early 2000s through the Web Standards Group. I founded the London WSG chapter in 2003 and supported the Sydney chapter from 2008. Coding training manuals in HTML4 taught me the value of semantic HTML – a powerful baseline for accessibility, without needing to build separate screen reader versions. This early technical grounding became a long-term foundation for inclusive practice.

Scaling Practice Across Projects

At Stamford Interactive, I conducted dozens of accessibility audits for government and commercial clients, helping shape repeatable reporting processes. Later, I co-authored large portions of the AccessIQ online a11y tool (2012–13). Across startups, enterprise teams and public sector contracts, I adapted these methods to suit agile delivery and modern tech stacks.

At Objective Corporation, I served as in-house a11y expert:

  • Designed accessible wireframes, prototypes, and workflows
  • Led developer capability uplift
  • Ran inclusive user testing and introduced new research methodologies
  • Built frameworks that were still used years after I left

At ADHA, I scaled accessibility across an entire agency:

  • Embedded WCAG conformance across multiple digital health products
  • Interpreted audit results and led remediation plans
  • Delivered conformance summaries for the Senior Executive Committee (SEC) and government stakeholders
  • Introduced accessibility annotations into the Figma-based design system

Philosophy & Methods

I advocate for accessibility not just as legal compliance – but as good design and ethical service delivery. Starting with inclusive principles reduces cost, increases usability, and respects diverse users from the outset.

Core Practices I Use:

  • Semantic, standards-based markup
  • WAI-ARIA only where native elements fall short
  • Plain language and readability techniques for CALD and low-literacy users
  • Early user input from people with disabilities
  • Developer and QA education for sustainable implementation
  • WCAG 2.0 → 2.1 → now adopting 2.2 criteria, especially mobile
Character icons from a Microsoft guidebook about accessibility. they include characters across three contexts: Permanent, Temporary and Situational; as well as across four disability types, Touch, Sight, Hearing, Speaking. The icons are simple outlines and describe an example of each condition across these contexts and types.
These are character icons in The Persona Spectrum from the Microsoft Inclusive 101 Guidebook, a valuable a11y resource

Team Enablement & Education

I’ve led a11y capability uplift at multiple organisations, including:

  • BeamIt and Objective: Leading audits, training developers
  • ADHA: Mentoring 3–5 UX designers, running knowledge shares, advocating across departments (e.g. Education, Architecture, Policy)
  • Content teams: Teaching clear writing for audiences with cognitive disabilities or limited English
  • UI designers: Supporting accessible design tokens (colour, contrast, sizing) and design system documentation

Community Building & Advocacy

I’ve championed accessibility in the design community for decades:

  • Founded the London Web Standards Group (2006)
  • Co-led IxDA Sydney, (2013-2023) ensuring regular a11y-focused events
  • Prioritised accessible venues and speaker inclusion in all event planning
  • Taught developers the difference between “can be accessible” and “is proven accessible”

Reflection

Accessibility is not a step – it’s a process. I design with people, not for them. I work to make inclusivity the default, not the exception – and I help others do the same, at scale, across systems and teams.