Christmas Campaign Wishes the Gift of Digital Inclusion for Everyone This Festive Season

Former BBC journalist Rory Cellan-Jones, TV presenter Mik Scarlet, comedy writer Sara Gibbs, author and campaigner Sandi Wassmer and gold medal paralympian Giles Long are just some of the people living with conditions and disabilities who have made a Christmas wish for greater inclusivity by sharing the barriers they face using websites, apps, browsers and devices. 

The online and social media campaign, which launches today (December 1st 2022) and ahead of the UN’s International Day of Disabled Persons playfully adapts the festive phrase ‘All I want for Christmas is…’ and encourages others to tell their stories using the hashtag #AllIWantForDigital. 

Supported by BIMA, the UK’s digital and tech trade body, the Royal Association for Deaf People, Employers Network for Equality & Inclusion,  LEXI, Phab, AbilityNet and created by digital transformation agency Cyber-Duck, the campaign aims to show how accessible design improves the experience of using digital products for everyone.

With over 22% of the UK population reporting a condition or disability, brands, organisations and the digital industry are being called on to close the gap between good intentions and positive action to ensure that all digital products and experiences are designed to be more inclusive and accessible. Currently, less than 3% of website homepages actually meet web accessibility guidelines.

With the UK in the middle of a cost of living crisis, a downturn in consumer spending expected this Christmas and many products and services only available and cheaper online, poor accessibility creates even bigger practical and economic barriers. 

Follow the hashtag #AllIWantForDigital or visit alliwantfordigital.com to find out more.

#AllIWantForDigital Contributors

“More and more I’m trying to use voice to tech software. But it’s not very good on websites. So what I’d like for Christmas please is for every website to have that big red microphone symbol that I could press and off it would go. Instead of typing, I would be talking and that would make me very happy.” - Rory Cellan-Jones, former BBC technology correspondent. Parkinson’s Disease.

“All I want for Christmas is an accessible e-learning platform. Although e-learning is now a mainstay of most organisations' learning and development activities, as a blind screen reader user with ADHD, I've been unable to use any of the e-learning platforms I've tried, and trust me, I've tried a few.” - Sandi Wassmer, chief executive of the Employers Network for Equality and Inclusion. Visually impaired, ADHD.

“What I really want for Christmas is a day without frustration when I'm accessing apps and websites. And that requires people to have followed the accessibility guidelines. If you do things in a certain way, then people with a range of disabilities will be able to use those apps and websites so much more easily. Please guys, be part of the solution. If you make your apps and websites inclusive, then actually it will be easier for them to be used by every single person.” - Robin Christopherson MBE, head of digital inclusion, AbilityNet. Visually impaired.

“All I want for Christmas is an alternative way to be able to scan QR codes because currently I am unable to pick up my phone to scan certain codes.” - Isaac Harvey, president at Wheels and Wheelchairs, The Shaw Trust Disability Power 100. Limb pelvic hypoplasia (no arms and short legs).

“All I want for Christmas is for those people who design or own a website or app to have a mindshift change. To stop thinking that they’re designing for disabled people or for those people over there and remember that good products work for everybody.” - Mik Scarlet, TV presenter, co-CEO Phab, The Shaw Trust Disability Power 100, access and inclusion expert. Wheelchair user. 

“All I want for Christmas is for websites and apps with large blocks of text or articles to have decent text to speech functionality. This would help people like me who struggle with sensory overload due to prolonged screen use and light sensitivity.” - Sara Gibbs, comedy writer. Autistic.

“All I want for Christmas is to access online groceries without the promotions popping into my screen left, right, and centre. Ironically, overly accessible websites make life harder because my screen reader describes everything, from the promotions to the basics, making it hard to just buy essentials like bread and milk.” - Yahye Siyad, former paralympian, Diversity & Accessibility Lead, Cyber-Duck. Visually impaired.

“All I want for Christmas is a website that presents instructions in a variety of formats. For example, videos, audio, et cetera, in order to make the whole process of going through complex instructions less overwhelming for someone like me.” - Rosemary Richings, author, writer and Trustee of Dyspraxic Me.

“All I want for Christmas is for online tools and applications to let me choose how I layout my dashboards, in the same way that I can arrange my apps on my phone. For instance, in financial services – I have cards with four different providers but each one has a completely different interface that I’ve had to learn. If I could choose my own layout, I’d set them all up in the same way, making them much quicker and easier to use. As things stand, it’s much harder to track my spending – although there is something to be said for not knowing how much you’ve spent over Christmas.” - Giles Long MBE, paralympic gold medallist, TV presenter and founder of LEXI. Physical impairment.

“My wish is for all websites to have British Sign Language translation because only having information in English creates a barrier for me and causes misunderstandings. BSL translation means that I can engage with the information in my first language.” - Chris Fonseca, professional dancer, choreographer, creative director. Ambassador for The Royal Association for Deaf People. Hearing impaired.

Cyber-Duck has been leading in digital accessibility since its founding in 2005. Winning a number of awards along the way including: Webby, UXUK, The Drum’s DADI and BIMA100.

Danny Bluestone, CEO and Founder of Cyber-Duck says of the campaign: “‘Tis the season to be jolly, not to worry about being excluded from digital activities many of us take for granted. Whether you are trying to pay utility bills online, order groceries, find gifts for friends and family, apply for a job or keep in touch over the holidays, no one should feel excluded because of poorly designed digital experiences, which are not inclusive.

"Accessibility guidelines are a tick box activity for some but we and our campaign partners want to see more positive action taken to design with inclusivity in mind, creating accessible experiences which benefit everyone. Accessibility can’t be an after-thought and can’t be solved with plug-ins.”