Paul Smyth is Head of IT Accessibility at Barclays and has been a leading advocate of greater focus on the needs of customers with disabilities for many years.

In a recent AbilityNet webinar he described the journey they’re taking in putting accessibility at the heart of their business strategy, including three key things he would recommend to others embarking on the same process.

Making the business case

So, firstly, why has Barclays decided to commit to digital accessibility?

There are three reasons, with the primary reason being that it makes good business sense. As Ashok Vaswani, CEO of Personal & Corporate Banking, says:

“This isn’t CSR… it’s fundamental to our business model”.

With disabled people, older people and their households estimated to have disposable income of more than £500bn in the UK alone, there is clear commercial value in focusing on the needs of these customers. There is a competitive advantage in being ahead of the pack in meeting their needs as well as broader benefits from making services easier for all customers.

Secondly, it also aligns with Barclays’ own values and a moral and social imperative to respond to people’s needs and help them achieve their ambitions in the right way.

And finally, there is a legal obligation to meet relevant requirements and, by doing so, it reduces the risk of expensive litigation.

Three key lessons about winning the business case

1. Senior executive buy-in is essential if you are to achieve your goals – but having a CEO of a major corporate make this sort of commitment doesn’t happen overnight. After a lot of internal advocacy, Paul points to an event called 'Living In Our Customers World’ as a key breakthrough moment.

“With the invitation issued from the very top, this was attended by our senior business leaders who were joined by a cross section of disabled people. As well as hearing about their experiences, we used a variety of disability simulation kit to bring the issues to life and deepen empathy –  winning hearts and minds in the process.

“There is no doubt this was the most significant milestone in our journey and was much more effective than trying to win the usual stuffy logical/rational business case argument. People left the room with a very personal insight into the challenges that our customers face, and were much more motivated to use their influence and resources to deliver strategic and operational change.”

2. Secondly, it’s a team effort.

To achieve success, you have to have a cross-departmental approach to tackling the whole accessibility agenda. Addressing the technological barriers faced by disabled and older customers is not solely an IT issue to fix, but rather requires a co-ordinated effort including HR, Marketing, Sourcing, Change teams and the wider business.

3. And, finally, be clear on your commitment and the resources you need to achieve it.

Making a public statement of intent with regards to Barclays’ ambition to become the most accessible ‘Go-To’ bank demonstrated that the organisation is serious and committed. We’ve started on this journey, but we will need to continuously seek feedback from and consult with disabled people in order to understand their needs and to keep us on track. Partnering with disability charities, external experts and our internal colleagues is playing a major role in improving our accessible services and support.

Real business benefits

Barclays has already seen several tangible business benefits from adopting this strategy, including the introduction of award-winning talking cash machines, hi-visibility debit cards and advances in using voice biometrics for telephone banking security. The latter is an alternative to traditional password and PIN-based systems which are a barrier for many disabled and older customers, but also has the potential to increase ease of access to services for every customer.

This final example is typical of what Paul sees as the next stage of the journey:

“Rather than thinking about what extra accessibility projects we can deliver to improve banking for disabled and older customers, we need to embed an accessibility mindset into the entire organisation and into everything we change and build. If we can achieve this, then it will lead to greater innovation and greater customer-centered service.”

View a recording of the AbilityNet webinar featuring Paul from October 2014

Multiple Sclerosis is a lifelong condition which affects the central nervous system and the spinal cord. 

Symptoms can include fatigue, vision problems and sometimes people with the condition can have cognitive issues too. Famous people with the condition include Jack Osborne and Jim Sweeney (UK comedian.)

How many people have the condition in the UK?

According to the MS Trust there are over 100,000 people in the UK with Multiple Sclerosis.

How can using a computer benefit someone with MS?

Based on calls to our helpline here are three of the most common questions asked by people with the condition or their carers.

I’m having difficulties using the keyboard. What can I do?

If you have the condition and it causes tremors you might have lots of unwanted extra characters and there are many ways you can adapt your keyboard to make it easier for you to use.

Use our easy to follow instructions to turn on Filter Keys on so that even if you find it really hard to take your hand away from the keyboard you won't end up with lots of unwanted letters.

You may also want to look at one of the many adapted keyboards which are available?

If you decide that you want to try and mimise your use of the keyboard, and if your voice is good you could look at using Voice Recognition. It's built into all current Mac and Windows computers and is also found on ANdroid, iOS and Wondows phones and tablets. It needs is a little bit of patience to get used to but can be a very effective way of working without using the keyboard.

My eyesight isn't as good as it was. How can I make it easier for me to see the screen?

If you struggle to see the screen you can make the text easier to see, either by increasing the text size or changing the colours used on screen. If you have issues with not being able to see the different colours on your computer you can customise them to your own particular needs.                                           

I'm fairly confident about changing settings on my computer. How do I customise my mobile device?

Technology is certainly a lot more mobile these days and all phones and tablets have accessibility options built in. Use My Computer My Way to identify your system and work out how to set up your mobile device to suit your needs.

Need more help?

There are plenty of other options that may be relevant to you. If you need more help just call our Helpline on 0800 269 545.

Case Study

Chung emailed us because his sister has MS and she likes to keep in touch with her friends and family using social networking sites. We suggested how she could tweak her mobile device to maske it easier for her to sdtay in touch with her friends wherever she is. We even arranged for a volunteer to go out and support her.

How can we help?

AbilityNet provides a range of free services to help disabled people and older people.

Call our free Helpline. Our friendly, knowledgeable staff will discuss any kind of computer problem and do their best to come up with a solution. We’re open Monday to Friday from 9am to 5pm on 0800 269 545.

Arrange a home visit. We have a network of AbilityNet ITCanHelp volunteers who can help if you have technical issues with your computer systems. They can come to your home, or help you over the phone.

We have a range of factsheets which talk in detail about technology that might help you, which can be downloaded for free. You may find our factsheets talking about voice recognition and keyboard alternatives useful.

My Computer My Way. A free interactive guide to all the accessibility features built into current desktops, laptops, tables and smartphones.

Claire Millross, AbilityNet's Volunteering and Free Services Administrator, explains the impact of invisible illnesses on her life

Invisible Illness Awareness Week (8^th-14^th September 2014) may be an American thing but I for one will be doing my best to take part, in even just one small way. Why? Because like so many of us in the UK, I have an invisible illness. Well, actually, I have 2 invisible illnesses - firstly I have Ehlers Danlos Syndrome and more recently I have been diagnosed with Fibromyalgia. Although I would consider myself to look as normal as most people, I am in constant pain and suffer with fatigue all the time.

This is why I do what I do in my work at AbilityNet. I have experienced the frustration of being too unwell to seek help when my computer breaks down - the gadget I rely on for everything from clothes shopping to keeping in touch with friends. I therefore feel great empathy with the clients I am helping - while I may not be physically able to help them myself I know that by working for AbilityNet I am doing my bit, however small.

Invisible Illness Awareness Week started in 2002 when Lisa Copen, founder of restministries.com saw so many people who felt misunderstood by everyone. She decided that everyone with a chronic illness could do with validation that their feelings were normal. And so Invisible Illness Awareness Week was launched and since then it has gone from strength to strength.

Sometimes with an invisible illness it can feel to onlookers like we are pulling the wool over their eyes but take it from one who knows, we aren’t. When we smile and laugh and seem to be enjoying ourselves, it is not because we’re not in pain, instead we smile and laugh and enjoy ourselves despite the pain.

So what do those of us with an invisible illness need?

We need understanding and acceptance. We do not need to be made to feel like we have to prove ourselves. And most importantly, we need functional tools to enable us to lead our lives as fully we can - and one such tool is our computers. This is where we at AbilityNet can help.

If you have an invisible illness and your computer is not working, please give us a call on our Freephone helpline 0800 269 545 and we will do our best to help.

For more information please see:

• Fibromyalgia and Computing - AbilityNet blog September 2014
• www.invisibleillnessweek.com
• www.ehlers-danlos.org
• www.fmauk.org