Celebrating Human Connection and Inclusive Design Evolution

Last updated November 21, 2025

Anne-Marie McCullagh

4 min read

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Event introduction

The Irish Accessibility Networking Group partnered with Accessibility Ireland to host an accessibility event in TU Dublin last week, “Shaping the Future of Inclusion: Ireland’s Accessibility Evolution”, supported by Workhuman and Morgan McKinley.

This event marked a special milestone for me personally, and for Ireland’s accessibility community. We brought people together for an evening of lightning talks, a speed meet event, and a Vision Ireland ‘demo’ booth that showcased the incredible innovation happening in the assistive technology space. This collaboration was a first for both groups, and was a good reminder why the Irish Accessibility Networking Group began in the first place, and the role it continues to play in Ireland’s accessibility landscape.

An event announcement for "Shaping the Future of Inclusion: Ireland's Accessibility Evolution" scheduled for November 12. The graphic features headshots of speakers: Sean Doran from Vision Ireland, Catherine Murray from AHEAD, Melissa Garlington from Workhuman, Paul Geoghegan from Canonical, and Bridget Connaughton from ESB. The event is organized by IANG and a11y Ireland and will take place from 6 PM to 8:45 PM at TU Dublin, Aungier Street, with support from Workhuman and Morgan McKinley.

^{Our Event Promotion}

The Irish Accessibility Networking Group – why was it set up?

Accessibility can be isolating work. Many are hired as “the only one” in an organisation, often without support, resourcing, buy-in, or the authority to make meaningful change. Constantly advocating, influencing, educating and trying to “make everything accessible” on your own takes a toll. Combined with a higher prevalence of disability among people working in this space, it’s no surprise that burnout across this industry is extremely common.

To try change that, I co-founded the Irish Accessibility Networking Group in 2023, teaming up with Conor Hartigan, a Principal Accessibility Engineer in financial services. Our goal was simple - to bring accessibility engineers, designers, testers and advocates together and create a welcoming and inclusive space to connect, support, exchange ideas and collaborate on shared challenges. The reaction was immediate and encouraging. We steadily grew from two accessibility engineers to a network of over 80 members today representing enterprise organisations, charities, agencies and the public service. And we’re still growing.

What do we do?

The IANG is about supporting our members so we can do our jobs more effectively, healthily, and ultimately build more inclusive digital experiences. We schedule regular virtual sessions with small groups to share our knowledge, present ideas and talk about shared challenges. The vibe is casual, open and inclusive. Connecting with other Irish-based professionals helps ‘lone rangers’ feel more supported and understood, while we all benefit from expertise and perspectives from across a wide range of roles and industries.

Highlights of 2024 included a group visit to the Google Accessibility Discovery Centre in Dublin followed by a networking lunch. In 2025, we toured the incredible Wayfinding Centre, a one-of-a-kind space dedicated to education and training surrounding transport accessibility and innovation in Ireland.

A group photo featuring fifteen individuals, including a man in a wheelchair, posing in a transportation setting. Some people are seated on a bench, while others stand behind them. Everyone wears visitor badges, and a red bus is visible in the background. The atmosphere appears friendly and casual.

^{Visiting the Wayfinding Centre}

The benefits to me, personally, and our members are tangible. New connections and events have resulted in new employment for some of our members, new insights into lesser known corners of the industry, shared learning, study-buddies for accessibility certifications and most importantly, a stronger sense of community.

TU Dublin welcomes IANG / Accessibility Ireland collaboration

Accessibility IrelandOpens in a new tab is no stranger to organising meet-ups. Established in 2024 by a group of experienced accessibility engineers from Optum, they focus on accessibility education and training in the form of meetups, book clubs and consultation. Their past events have showcased some of the inspiring work happening across accessibility engineering, legislation and inclusive design - and they’ve certainly led the way in terms of outreach to the UX, Education and Tech communities.

With a larger event in our sights for 2025, a collaboration seemed like a natural next step - and since all of us are holding down full-time jobs, fortunately many hands do make light work!

We had four goals when we planned the November 12^th event:

to partner with disability charities to showcase their work and help raise much needed funds
to invite advocates and professionals to present in a lightning talk format
to help others meet (or that other word we all love, “network”) with others in the industry
… and to trial run a larger event space for a full-day accessibility conference in 2026.

TU Dublin fit the bill. A large room on the 5th floor gave us the space we needed in a central Dublin location. An accessible building entrance, along with space for a quiet room sealed the deal. Workhuman sponsorship allowed us to sign on the dotted line, well-timed support that we gratefully received alongside Morgan McKinley, long-time partners of Accessibility Ireland.

Our theme

Our chosen theme, “Shaping the Future of Inclusion: Ireland’s Accessibility Evolution” reflects the significant change that has recently impacted our industry. The enactment of the European Accessibility Act (EAA) in June 2025, the rapid introduction of AI across industries including accessibility, combined with increasing focus on employment equality have all brought change. With one in five people in Ireland living with a disability, this shift is not optional. Processes, tooling, technology, and especially our own attitudes and biases have all had to evolve to meet the demands of this new environment, and the rights of people with disabilities

Lightning talks, connection and inspiration

Melissa Garlington, Principal Designer at Workhuman and a staunch supporter of accessibility and inclusive design, shared an inspiring talk on the night. Outlining the evolution of our Product Design principles and processes, she reflected on our journey to design inclusively from the outset as well the benefits it brings to our employees, our users and our product quality.

A speaker stands at a podium in front of an audience during a presentation titled "Designing with Everyone in Mind," highlighting Workhuman's journey towards global recognition and accessibility. The slide displayed on a large screen features colorful icons representing inclusivity and accessibility. Attendees are seated, focused on the presentation, with some visible reactions to the content.

^{Melissa Garlington delivering her talk}

The WIDE framework was showcased by Catherine Murray of AHEAD. The Widening Inclusion of Disability in Employment (WIDE) Framework supports organisations in Ireland to hire, retain, and promote more disabled people and create a more inclusive workplace. Paul Geoghegan, software engineer at Canonical spoke to the importance of testing with the Orca screen reader on Linux, a lesser known but vital tool that enables disabled users navigate this open source operating system. Design Lead at ESB, Bridget Connaughton shared their innovative and data-driven approach to AI-enabled, but human guided design.

Speed meet – will everyone just run away?

Our speed meet event was a first for all of us. We joked with our attendees that we may have to lock the doors to prevent anyone running away at the thoughts of ‘enforced networking’ but to our relief, no padlocks were required.

Tables categorised by birth month helped attendees find their group (the discovery of shared star-signs was an unexpected bonus) – and gentle prompts helped guide conversation. The room was buzzing - speed meet was a resounding success! We’re looking forward to attendee feedback so we can refine this format for future events.

A group of people engaged in conversation at tables in a meeting or conference setting. Two separate groups are visible; one on the left side appears to have a mix of men and women, while the group on the right side is primarily men. The atmosphere is interactive, with attendees discussing whatever is on the printed sheets in front of them. Beverages are present on the tables, and the setting is well-lit with modern furnishings.

^{Speed Meet taking place}

Finally, Sean Doran and Denis Nolan from Vision Ireland deserve special appreciation for demoing a range of bespoke and mainstream assistive technology (AT) devices at our AT booth. Sean’s passion for his work was clear in the wide range of initiatives and services that he leads at the charity – he’s a genuine leader for disability and innovation in Ireland. While AI may not solve all our accessibility needs, it is already making significant strides in assistive technology support, particularly in scene description, AI powered glasses and transcription support. The AT booth provided the opportunity for attendees to experience these cutting edge developments in a very tangible way.

A group of four individuals is engaged in a hands-on discussion at a table laden with various electronic devices and tools. One person, wearing a black sweater with a name tag, is using a device while another, in a beige jacket, is pointing toward a camera mounted on a tripod. A third individual observes over the table, and a fourth is taking notes or using a tablet. Behind them, there's a doorway with blue panels and metal folding chairs stacked against the wall.

^{Our Assistive Technology Booth}

Our event proves that what is possible when committed, passionate people come together with a shared purpose. Thank you to Workhuman for making it possible, and to every attendee and advocate who continues to tirelessly advocate for accessibility and inclusion – now with a little more support around you.

2026 plans are already underway - we can’t wait to continue shaping the future of inclusion in Ireland.

Life at Workhuman

About the author

Anne-Marie McCullagh

Anne-Marie McCullagh is a Principal Accessibility Engineer at Workhuman and is Co-Founder of Irish Accessibility Networking GroupOpens in a new tab

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