How to build a business case for accessibility
Sociability
|
Sep 15, 2025
How to build a business case for accessibility?
One of the questions we get asked most frequently is how to build a business case for accessibility.
There’s no denying that accessibility is good for business. 1 in 4 people living in the UK are disabled, and the estimated spending power of disabled people and their households is estimated at £274 billion a year!
Yet, despite these numbers, it’s common to feel nervous before you ask for additional budget, or talk to senior leadership about accessibility and inclusion. One of our long-standing clients, Westminster City Council, understands the importance of communicating accessibility information, and has often had to negotiate tight budgets to put accessibility front and centre.
To help you get excited about creating an accessibility business case we caught up with their Business Improvement Programme Manager, Holly Igglesden, to discuss how accessibility is just good business sense, and get her advice on how to create a business case that secures buy-in from across your organisation!
How Westminster City Council built a case for accessibility and inclusion
We’ve been working with Westminster City Council for 3 years and the hard work of Holly and her team has led to the creation of 4 accessibility guides for leisure centres across their network - including Queen Mother Sports Centre, Moberly Sports Centre, Jubilee Community Centre and Church Street Community Leisure Centre.
Holly has extensive experience creating compelling business cases, and thanks to her team, Westminster residents now have reliable, up-to-date accessibility information readily available!
When you started building your business case for accessibility what was the first question you asked yourself?
The first question we asked ourselves was: “What barriers are people actually facing?” We wanted the suggestions we put forward to be based in the concerns of real customers and visitors, who were hesitant to visit our sites because of inadequate accessibility. That way we could show senior leadership the direct impact a lack of accessibility was having on our business!
How did you identify what those barriers were?
It was important to us that disabled voices shaped the solution, and so we started by talking to staff networks - like our ABLE network - and local residents, to get a clearer picture of what mattered most for inclusion.
For instance, a lot of people said they felt intimidated by civic buildings because they didn’t know if their needs would be met when they turned up. The people we spoke to told us that a lack of clear communication around available accessibility supports, and poor signage inside facilities, made them feel less confident about visiting.
Based on these real stories we were able to put together a business plan that prioritised initiatives like Sociability - which we felt would increase visitor numbers and satisfaction long-term, by ensuring visitors knew what to expect before they showed up.
The emphasis you put on speaking to people directly is really important. I think there’s a misconception that business cases need to be all about numbers and statistics. In your experience how does spotlighting real people’s stories help build a compelling narrative for improving accessibility?
Numbers do matter, but what really drives change is people’s stories!
Listening to disabled residents and staff gave us insights on what matters most, and provided insights that would be hard to get from a dataset.
When we shared the stories we were hearing with key decision makers in our organisation it changed the conversation, and we were able to reframe the narrative so that it stopped being about compliance and became about dignity, independence and inclusion!
And, after you’ve collected all these stories, what’s the best way to frame a business case for accessibility?
For us at Westminster, it was key to take the narrative beyond compliance, and to frame accessibility as core to delivering great services that create trust and loyalty with visitors.
In my experience it becomes much easier to win buy-in from across your organisation when you build a business case that shows how the changes you will make - automatic doors, accessibility guides etc. - support disabled people, and others with access needs, like parents with prams, older residents, and people who don’t speak English as a first language.
Finally, if you had 3 key pieces of advice for an organisation starting on its accessibility journey and looking to secure buy-in from across their organisation, what would they be?
Start with listening, and continue listening. We used the conversations we had with our ABLE network and local residents to put together our initial business case, but that real-time feedback continued to be important to expanding the programme. Feedback we got from disabled groups who started visiting the centre because of Sociability encouraged us to create accessibility guides for two more leisure centres - Jubilee and Church Street - which are now publicly available!
Go beyond compliance! Frame your business case around the idea that accessibility is important to creating great services and experiences for all your visitors and customers!
Balance quick wins with long-term impact! We built confidence with senior leadership and our community by delivering visible impact up front through accessible toilets, hearing induction loops and accessibility guides, while planning long-term to embed accessibility in organisational strategy. Prioritisation helps you show progress now, while creating the systems that will keep accessibility at the centre of your operations long-term.
If you’re looking to get Sociability for your organisation, and need help building a business case, book a discovery call with us for support starting the conversation with senior leadership!
Or, sign-up to our Beyond Compliance newsletter for more advice on creating an accessibility strategy for your organisation.
How to build a business case for accessibility?
One of the questions we get asked most frequently is how to build a business case for accessibility.
There’s no denying that accessibility is good for business. 1 in 4 people living in the UK are disabled, and the estimated spending power of disabled people and their households is estimated at £274 billion a year!
Yet, despite these numbers, it’s common to feel nervous before you ask for additional budget, or talk to senior leadership about accessibility and inclusion. One of our long-standing clients, Westminster City Council, understands the importance of communicating accessibility information, and has often had to negotiate tight budgets to put accessibility front and centre.
To help you get excited about creating an accessibility business case we caught up with their Business Improvement Programme Manager, Holly Igglesden, to discuss how accessibility is just good business sense, and get her advice on how to create a business case that secures buy-in from across your organisation!
How Westminster City Council built a case for accessibility and inclusion
We’ve been working with Westminster City Council for 3 years and the hard work of Holly and her team has led to the creation of 4 accessibility guides for leisure centres across their network - including Queen Mother Sports Centre, Moberly Sports Centre, Jubilee Community Centre and Church Street Community Leisure Centre.
Holly has extensive experience creating compelling business cases, and thanks to her team, Westminster residents now have reliable, up-to-date accessibility information readily available!
When you started building your business case for accessibility what was the first question you asked yourself?
The first question we asked ourselves was: “What barriers are people actually facing?” We wanted the suggestions we put forward to be based in the concerns of real customers and visitors, who were hesitant to visit our sites because of inadequate accessibility. That way we could show senior leadership the direct impact a lack of accessibility was having on our business!
How did you identify what those barriers were?
It was important to us that disabled voices shaped the solution, and so we started by talking to staff networks - like our ABLE network - and local residents, to get a clearer picture of what mattered most for inclusion.
For instance, a lot of people said they felt intimidated by civic buildings because they didn’t know if their needs would be met when they turned up. The people we spoke to told us that a lack of clear communication around available accessibility supports, and poor signage inside facilities, made them feel less confident about visiting.
Based on these real stories we were able to put together a business plan that prioritised initiatives like Sociability - which we felt would increase visitor numbers and satisfaction long-term, by ensuring visitors knew what to expect before they showed up.
The emphasis you put on speaking to people directly is really important. I think there’s a misconception that business cases need to be all about numbers and statistics. In your experience how does spotlighting real people’s stories help build a compelling narrative for improving accessibility?
Numbers do matter, but what really drives change is people’s stories!
Listening to disabled residents and staff gave us insights on what matters most, and provided insights that would be hard to get from a dataset.
When we shared the stories we were hearing with key decision makers in our organisation it changed the conversation, and we were able to reframe the narrative so that it stopped being about compliance and became about dignity, independence and inclusion!
And, after you’ve collected all these stories, what’s the best way to frame a business case for accessibility?
For us at Westminster, it was key to take the narrative beyond compliance, and to frame accessibility as core to delivering great services that create trust and loyalty with visitors.
In my experience it becomes much easier to win buy-in from across your organisation when you build a business case that shows how the changes you will make - automatic doors, accessibility guides etc. - support disabled people, and others with access needs, like parents with prams, older residents, and people who don’t speak English as a first language.
Finally, if you had 3 key pieces of advice for an organisation starting on its accessibility journey and looking to secure buy-in from across their organisation, what would they be?
Start with listening, and continue listening. We used the conversations we had with our ABLE network and local residents to put together our initial business case, but that real-time feedback continued to be important to expanding the programme. Feedback we got from disabled groups who started visiting the centre because of Sociability encouraged us to create accessibility guides for two more leisure centres - Jubilee and Church Street - which are now publicly available!
Go beyond compliance! Frame your business case around the idea that accessibility is important to creating great services and experiences for all your visitors and customers!
Balance quick wins with long-term impact! We built confidence with senior leadership and our community by delivering visible impact up front through accessible toilets, hearing induction loops and accessibility guides, while planning long-term to embed accessibility in organisational strategy. Prioritisation helps you show progress now, while creating the systems that will keep accessibility at the centre of your operations long-term.
If you’re looking to get Sociability for your organisation, and need help building a business case, book a discovery call with us for support starting the conversation with senior leadership!
Or, sign-up to our Beyond Compliance newsletter for more advice on creating an accessibility strategy for your organisation.
How to build a business case for accessibility?
One of the questions we get asked most frequently is how to build a business case for accessibility.
There’s no denying that accessibility is good for business. 1 in 4 people living in the UK are disabled, and the estimated spending power of disabled people and their households is estimated at £274 billion a year!
Yet, despite these numbers, it’s common to feel nervous before you ask for additional budget, or talk to senior leadership about accessibility and inclusion. One of our long-standing clients, Westminster City Council, understands the importance of communicating accessibility information, and has often had to negotiate tight budgets to put accessibility front and centre.
To help you get excited about creating an accessibility business case we caught up with their Business Improvement Programme Manager, Holly Igglesden, to discuss how accessibility is just good business sense, and get her advice on how to create a business case that secures buy-in from across your organisation!
How Westminster City Council built a case for accessibility and inclusion
We’ve been working with Westminster City Council for 3 years and the hard work of Holly and her team has led to the creation of 4 accessibility guides for leisure centres across their network - including Queen Mother Sports Centre, Moberly Sports Centre, Jubilee Community Centre and Church Street Community Leisure Centre.
Holly has extensive experience creating compelling business cases, and thanks to her team, Westminster residents now have reliable, up-to-date accessibility information readily available!
When you started building your business case for accessibility what was the first question you asked yourself?
The first question we asked ourselves was: “What barriers are people actually facing?” We wanted the suggestions we put forward to be based in the concerns of real customers and visitors, who were hesitant to visit our sites because of inadequate accessibility. That way we could show senior leadership the direct impact a lack of accessibility was having on our business!
How did you identify what those barriers were?
It was important to us that disabled voices shaped the solution, and so we started by talking to staff networks - like our ABLE network - and local residents, to get a clearer picture of what mattered most for inclusion.
For instance, a lot of people said they felt intimidated by civic buildings because they didn’t know if their needs would be met when they turned up. The people we spoke to told us that a lack of clear communication around available accessibility supports, and poor signage inside facilities, made them feel less confident about visiting.
Based on these real stories we were able to put together a business plan that prioritised initiatives like Sociability - which we felt would increase visitor numbers and satisfaction long-term, by ensuring visitors knew what to expect before they showed up.
The emphasis you put on speaking to people directly is really important. I think there’s a misconception that business cases need to be all about numbers and statistics. In your experience how does spotlighting real people’s stories help build a compelling narrative for improving accessibility?
Numbers do matter, but what really drives change is people’s stories!
Listening to disabled residents and staff gave us insights on what matters most, and provided insights that would be hard to get from a dataset.
When we shared the stories we were hearing with key decision makers in our organisation it changed the conversation, and we were able to reframe the narrative so that it stopped being about compliance and became about dignity, independence and inclusion!
And, after you’ve collected all these stories, what’s the best way to frame a business case for accessibility?
For us at Westminster, it was key to take the narrative beyond compliance, and to frame accessibility as core to delivering great services that create trust and loyalty with visitors.
In my experience it becomes much easier to win buy-in from across your organisation when you build a business case that shows how the changes you will make - automatic doors, accessibility guides etc. - support disabled people, and others with access needs, like parents with prams, older residents, and people who don’t speak English as a first language.
Finally, if you had 3 key pieces of advice for an organisation starting on its accessibility journey and looking to secure buy-in from across their organisation, what would they be?
Start with listening, and continue listening. We used the conversations we had with our ABLE network and local residents to put together our initial business case, but that real-time feedback continued to be important to expanding the programme. Feedback we got from disabled groups who started visiting the centre because of Sociability encouraged us to create accessibility guides for two more leisure centres - Jubilee and Church Street - which are now publicly available!
Go beyond compliance! Frame your business case around the idea that accessibility is important to creating great services and experiences for all your visitors and customers!
Balance quick wins with long-term impact! We built confidence with senior leadership and our community by delivering visible impact up front through accessible toilets, hearing induction loops and accessibility guides, while planning long-term to embed accessibility in organisational strategy. Prioritisation helps you show progress now, while creating the systems that will keep accessibility at the centre of your operations long-term.
If you’re looking to get Sociability for your organisation, and need help building a business case, book a discovery call with us for support starting the conversation with senior leadership!
Or, sign-up to our Beyond Compliance newsletter for more advice on creating an accessibility strategy for your organisation.
