Flutter works with RNIB to improve accessibility

Molly Duffield, Project Manager and Britt Whittingham, Senior Communications Executive, explain how working with RNIB was key to both understanding what accessibility means and how to embed this awareness throughout all communication in the organisation.

Essential training

RNIB collaborated with Flutter UK and Ireland to offer expert advice on accessibility and educate teams on what it means by leading training sessions colleagues were taught about different sight and neurodivergent conditions and how they affect the way people engage with communications.

Britt: “It was really useful to have training with RNIB and show us things we’ve not seen before. We explored some apps that help you understand how a partially sighted person might see something, which was really useful to see for ourselves.” 

The team explored what changes are needed going forward to make their communication materials more accessible. They are in the process of creating a checklist of dos and don’ts that the team can consult for each communication channel.

Learning about accessible design

The training focused on considering features including; fonts, colour contrast, making sure text is left aligned, limiting the use of capital letters, and making sure to use the checker that RNIB introduced. The team worked with their graphic designers to come up with key points that were focused on accessibility, in preparation for launching their new brand.

After developing those points, the team went back to RNIB and talked through their direction for the new brand. RNIB helped them tailor this proposal, so it would improve accessibility in their communications. 

They have now redesigned the intranet platform and are in the process of redesigning the external career site. 

Molly: “The relationship with RNIB is ongoing so that we can sense check things with them when certain things arise. Our first deadline is to make sure that we provide the whole business with the information and tools to be able to improve accessibility. RNIB is helping us with the wording around this, making sure that instructions and checklists are easy to follow and make sense.”

Molly’s team will encourage good practice across the organisation, by ensuring all templates are accessible.

Embedding awareness of accessibility

People across the organisation, who may not have had accessibility training need to understand and follow the new guidelines. 

Britt: “It’s also about making behavioural changes, having training from RNIB was a really big shift for us.” 

RNIB now plan to help the team create experiential immersive experiences to understand accessibility – to help simulate certain neurodivergent conditions, visual impairments or even physical disabilities. This will encourage colleagues at Flutter UK and Ireland to get involved and understand what it can be like to be partially sighted – for example through the use of glasses to simulate a visual impairment. 

Molly: “RNIB’s User Experience Evaluator was so good at simplifying everything and making accessibility easy to understand. That was what really helped my team, because sometimes when you mention the word accessibility, people aren’t always sure what that means.”

The team is doing an internal communications audit and looking to do a full research piece internally about how the communications are received. Accessibility of communications will be a part of this research and they aim to do this every year, so they keep measuring progress.

Robin Spinks, Head of Inclusive Design at RNIB: “We’re delighted to be working with Flutter UK and Ireland to improve the accessibility of their internal communications. Continuous feedback and regular testing are critical to ensuring inclusiveness across the business.

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If you’ve got a project that would benefit from our expertise in accessibility, get in touch with us directly on 01733 375 370 or use our contact form