When I walked through the doors of Gillingham Jobcentre in 1996, I thought I’d found a temporary job until Christmas after being made redundant. Nearly 30 years later, I’m still in working in the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and I’ve been shortlisted in the Civil Service Awards Lifetime Achievement category. To say I’m shocked would be an understatement.
In 2011, everything changed. I had an accident that left me with an upper limb disability. I struggled mentally as well as physically, facing barriers to using a computer and navigating daily life. This opened my eyes, as until I experienced it, I hadn’t realised how inaccessible the world truly was.
When I first started using Dragon Voice Recognition software in 2014, almost all the documents we used in DWP were not designed with assistive software in mind. Neither were most of the applications we used.
I soon realised that although the physical environment of our offices mostly considered disabled colleagues’ requirements, the digital environment lagged far behind. That’s when I started focusing on document accessibility over ten years ago.
Today, in my role as a Senior Accessibility Specialist in DWP Digital, I lead on document accessibility for the entire department. This means documents that can be used and understood by everyone, including people with disabilities or impairments. With over 42 million documents across our various file stores, the challenge is huge.
I initially focused on awareness, knowledge, and training to improve the accessibility of documents and those designing them.
This work matters because so much interaction with all levels of government is now digital by default. If these documents aren’t designed with accessibility in mind, we could be limiting up to one in four customers from accessing information which could affect their decisions, leading to financial and wellbeing implications.
Some of my achievements include working with my Head of Role when we identified the need for a new policy. This Digital Document Accessibility Policy was published in July 2024 and has had a huge impact for hundreds of colleagues who have since been able to get accessible content.
I’ve designed, written and launched three courses on Microsoft products for over 600,000 civil servants on the Civil Service-Learning platform. What makes these courses different is that they give step by step instructions on how to perform actions using assistive software keystrokes, which is a first. Over 3,000 colleagues have already started the modules, and the third course on Excel has just been published last month.
There’s still more work to do, but we’re moving in the right direction.
When I found out I’d been shortlisted for a Lifetime Achievement award, I was shocked. I’ve had some lovely messages that brought tears to my eyes. Whatever happens next, anything that brings attention to accessible document creation is brilliant and I’m humbled to be shortlisted alongside two great colleagues from the Home Office.
As a person with a disability, I’m particularly proud to show that you can overcome setbacks and still make a difference. I’ve tried not to let the negative consume me, it’s built my resilience and instead I’ve used it as a catalyst for change.
From a temporary job to nearly 30 years in the Civil Service, it’s been quite a journey. I never imagined I’d still be here, let alone making the impact I am today. I’ve dedicated my life to public service as I’m passionate about work that truly matters of helping real people overcome real barriers.