Does it hold up? The disability community knows when a site doesn't work for them, and when accessibility was an afterthought. Getting it right matters. And it doesn't mean compromising on how it looks.
Your website isn't just marketing. For a disability-focused organisation, it's a direct expression of what you stand for. If it's inaccessible, unintuitive, or relies on imagery that's more tragic than authentic, your community will notice. Many of them live with the daily experience of being failed by digital products that weren't designed with them in mind.
Meanwhile, you're managing complex service information, multiple audiences (people with disability, carers, referrers, supporters), and often a limited design budget. The site might have been built years ago, or by someone who meant well but didn't have the design expertise to back it up.
There's a real brand opportunity here too. Many disability organisations share similar branding: the same colour palettes, the same motifs, the same general aesthetic. And ironically, those palettes are often not contrast-friendly. Your brand is a chance to stand apart from that, with a visual identity that's both distinctive and accessible to everyone.
The disability community has seen enough overlays to last a lifetime. There's more effective methods!
Some of what this looks like in practice:
Some organisations add an overlay and assume the job is done. It's understandable. They look simple and they promise a lot. But overlays don't fix the underlying issues, and the disability community knows it. If that's where you are right now, don't stress. It's a starting point, not a dead end.
Accessibility isn't something I layer on at the end of a project. It's how I design from the start. For disability-focused organisations, that means thinking about keyboard navigation, screen reader compatibility, colour contrast, and content structure before anything else.
From there, the UX work: how people move through the site, where the most important information lives, and how easy it is to get in touch or access services. Then the visual design, where I bring the same care and craft I'd bring to any project.
There's an unfair assumption that accessible design has to be bland, and it shows up in branding too. Many disability organisations end up with similar palettes and motifs, and ironically, those choices are often not contrast-friendly. I pride myself on doing it differently. Accessible colour palettes, considered typography, and a visual identity that stands out from the crowd while remaining usable by everyone. That's not a compromise. That's the goal.
Hi, I'm Shannon, your Inclusive Design Partner who is on a mission to make beautiful websites that work for everyone
My route into accessible design came through one of my first design roles, doing complex UX work across physical and digital spaces. Trying to make our interactives inclusive is what drew me in. The logic was undeniable: things created for the disabled community end up benefiting everyone.
Real accessibility goes beyond WCAG. With a strong foundation in UX and design, I can get both right. If that approach resonates, we should talk 💙
Your website isn't just marketing. For a disability-focused organisation, it's a direct expression of what you stand for. If it's inaccessible, unintuitive, or relies on imagery that's more tragic than authentic, your community will notice. Many of them live with the daily experience of being failed by digital products that weren't designed with them in mind.
Meanwhile, you're managing complex service information, multiple audiences (people with disability, carers, referrers, supporters), and often a limited design budget. The site might have been built years ago, or by someone who meant well but didn't have the design expertise to back it up.
There's a real brand opportunity here too. Many disability organisations share similar branding: the same colour palettes, the same motifs, the same general aesthetic. And ironically, those palettes are often not contrast-friendly. Your brand is a chance to stand apart from that, with a visual identity that's both distinctive and accessible to everyone.
Let's build a website your community can be proud of. Let's talk 💙
