Over 200 delegates joined us from across the county and beyond for the first Kent Digital Accessibility Conference, which was held on Thursday 6 June at the University of Kent’s Canterbury campus.

The conference celebrated the partnership between the University of Kent and Kent Connects (an IT partnership of public sector organisations in Kent), who have been working together to improve digital inclusion and accessibility. The conference was organised as an opportunity to share information and resources with the wider community in the field of digital accessibility.

The conference consisted of talks from industry experts such as Microsoft, Government Digital Service, Kent County Council and University of Kent staff and students. The talks focused on their experience and advice to organisations in the region who need to meet their obligations under new Public Sector Digital Accessibility Regulations.

Many speakers highlighted the positive impact for all users when digital content is made truly accessible, whether they currently have a disability or not. The afternoon was dedicated to practical workshops to upskill attendees on Accessibility in Microsoft; Auditing for Accessibility; Legislation; Writing in plain English and describing visual content; and Tools for productivity.

Attendees commented that it was a pioneering event, and that the information shared addressed a real knowledge gap in the public sector, inspiring them to return to their institutions and put into practice improvements in their digital offering for greater inclusion.

For further information please see the accessibility webpages