The Digital Accessibility Podcast – Ted Drake

In this episode of The Digital Accessibility Podcast, Joe is joined by Ted Drake, Global Head of Accessibility and Inclusive Design at Intuit, where he leads accessibility strategy across products used by millions of people worldwide.

Ted shares his journey into accessibility, from building websites in the early 2000s with no formal coding background to becoming one of the most respected accessibility leaders in the industry. He reflects on how curiosity, creativity, and a passion for inclusive experiences helped shape his career and approach to leadership.

Throughout the conversation, we explore what it really takes to embed accessibility at scale inside a global technology organisation, and how accessibility leaders can influence culture, product development, and long-term business strategy.

We also discuss the rapidly evolving role of AI in accessibility, including both the opportunities it creates and the risks the industry and its users needs to be aware of moving forward.

We discuss:

• A non-traditional path into accessibility: How Ted transitioned from a fine art background into digital accessibility and inclusive design.
• Accessibility at scale: What it takes to embed accessibility across product, engineering, design, and organisational culture.
• Inclusive design leadership: Why accessibility should be viewed as a business and human-centered strategy, not simply compliance.
• Driving organisational change: How to influence teams, build momentum, and sustain accessibility practices inside large companies.
• AI and accessibility: The opportunities artificial intelligence presents for improving accessibility, alongside the potential risks and ethical considerations.
• The future of accessibility: Ted’s perspective on where the industry is heading and the importance of continuing to evolve accessibility practices alongside technology.

Ted also shares valuable insight into the importance of persistence, collaboration, and maintaining a strong focus on the real people accessibility is designed to support.

Follow Ted Drake:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/draket/

Website: https://www.last-child.com/

Follow Joe James:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joeajames/

Twitter (X): @A11yJoe

PCR Website: www.pcrdigital.com

Resource links:

Your undivided Attention Podcast:

https://open.spotify.com/show/4KI3PtZaWJbAWK89vgttoU?si=36e3beefc3ba49a9

Little, Yellow, Different, Ernie Hsiung:

https://www.littleyellowdifferent.com/

The Digital Accessibility Podcast – Becks Brindley

In this episode of The Digital Accessibility Podcast, Joe is joined by Becks Brindley, Digital Accessibility Lead at NatWest, who leads accessibility strategy across one of the UK’s largest banking organisations.

This episode introduces a slightly different format, with Becks also turning the tables to ask Joe questions! Creating a more open, two-way conversation that explores both in-house accessibility leadership and the external hiring landscape.

Becks shares how accessibility has been part of her journey from the very beginning, from learning to code with accessibility in mind to now leading strategy at scale. She reflects on the importance of challenging the status quo, influencing stakeholders, and keeping accessibility grounded in its core purpose... utilising technology to enable people.

We discuss:

• A career shaped by accessibility: How early exposure to accessible coding influenced Becks’ mindset and career path.
• Challenging the status quo: Building confidence to push back on inaccessible practices.
• Accessibility as a mindset: Why it should be embedded into everyday thinking, not treated as a task.
• Leading at scale: The realities of driving accessibility across a large organisation.
• Engaging stakeholders: Practical ways to start conversations and influence change.
• A two-way perspective: Insights into hiring, team building, and what good looks like across the industry.

Becks also highlights that real progress in accessibility comes from persistence and continuous improvement and not perfection.

Follow Becks Brindley:

• LinkedIn: Becks Brindley LinkedIn

Follow Joe James:

• LinkedIn: Joe James LinkedIn
• Twitter (X): A11yJoe on X
• YouTube: PCR Digital YouTube

Visit PCR Digital:

• PCR Digital Website

The Digital Accessibility Podcast – Jane Abbott (Episode 26)

In this episode of The Digital Accessibility Podcast, Joe welcomes back Jane Abbott, Managing Director of PCR Digital and Founder of Welldone Consulting, a new consultancy dedicated to Mobile App Accessibility.

Jane returns to the podcast to discuss why mobile accessibility now demands its own specialist focus, and how years spent recruiting accessibility talent, advising organisations, and working closely with designers and engineers led her to launch Welldone Consulting. With deep insight into both the commercial realities of product teams and the practical challenges of accessibility delivery, Jane offers a grounded, strategic view of where mobile accessibility is today — and where it needs to go next.

We discuss:

1. From recruitment to consultancy: How Jane’s long-standing work in web and digital accessibility highlighted a growing gap in mobile expertise, and why a consultancy model is the right next step.
2. Why mobile accessibility is different: The key differences between web and native mobile accessibility, including platform-specific considerations across iOS and Android.
3. What makes Welldone Consulting different: A focused, specialist approach to mobile accessibility, faster turnaround times, clearer commercial alignment, and hands-on expertise rather than generic audit-only services.
4. Barriers faced by teams: The most common challenges product managers, designers, and engineers face when trying to build accessible mobile apps — from skills gaps to organisational mindset.
5. The future of mobile accessibility: Jane’s vision for how mobile accessibility should mature, and what needs to change for inclusive mobile experiences to become the norm rather than the exception.

Jane also shares why mobile accessibility shouldn’t be treated as an afterthought or a checkbox, but as a core part of building high-quality, inclusive digital products for a global audience.

Follow Jane Abbott:

1. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/janeabbott/

Follow Joe James:

1. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joeajames/
2. Twitter (X): https://twitter.com/A11yJoe
3. YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@PCRDigital

Visit PCR Digital:

1. https://www.pcrdigital.com/