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Away Day Introduction (2025)

Introduction​

Hello everyone, and thank you, [name].

I'm relatively new to the role, having started at Medway Council just four weeks ago – with two of those weeks being four-day weeks, so I picked a great time to start!

I come from a background in web design and development, with a strong interest in:

  • Accessibility
  • Inclusion
  • Diversity awareness

As you’d expect, I'm the team’s new Accessibility Specialist.

Importance​

The creation of this role – and my appointment – hopefully highlights the importance of accessibility.

As you know, there are many legal rights and standards associated with and linked to accessibility. However, if we consider the user from the very beginning of any project, the process and deployment will become much smoother.

This approach is far better than treating accessibility as:

  • An afterthought
  • A box to tick
  • Or even a roadblock to completion.

Work and Ambition​

My aim is to perform a mix of reactive and proactive tasks.

My understanding so far is that a lot of documents and content come through the Content Team, as you’d expect.

I will be:

  • Reviewing and advising on potential accessibility issues during the review process
  • Responsible for Medway Council’s and some microsites’ accessibility
  • Maintaining their associated documents, such as:
    • Accessibility statements
    • Disproportionate burden assessments
  • Proactively, I want to:
    • Build greater awareness of accessibility
    • Introduce relevant training
    • Develop internal programmes with Accessibility Champions

And I intend to carry on the great work that Amie and the team established before this role was created.

Conclusion​

There’s a lot to get my teeth into, and I welcome anyone who wishes to contact me for a chat – especially if you have ideas or are facing challenges relating to accessibility.

I will now pass you back to [name].