The Accessibility Apprenticeship Revolution

Dimple Khagram, founder and CEO of Purple Beard Training, talks about creating the UK"s first Accessibility Specialist Apprenticeship in an interview with Antonio Santos and Neil Milliken. What began as a passion project has expanded into a major educational programme, with seven graduates earning five distinctions and 40 additional apprentices still completing the course. The journey wasn"t straightforward. Dimple shares how her own experience with burnout inspired her to establish Purple Beard—a company whose quirky name deliberately challenges traditional educational norms. This recurring theme of professionals discovering accessibility after significant life changes emerges as a compelling undercurrent throughout the discussion. Developing an effective accessibility curriculum proved especially difficult. Purple Beard spent nearly two years designing a programme that combines technical expertise with practical application across various areas: legislation, content design, testing, web development tools, and ethics. Their experience highlights why accessibility is a specialised profession requiring dedicated training rather than just an extension of software development. What truly stands out are the motivations of accessibility apprentices. Regardless of their backgrounds, they all share a strong desire to create an equitable digital world, often driven by personal experiences with accessibility needs. This passion is vital as they face organisational resistance when advocating for accessibility in environments where it was not originally prioritised. The discussion takes a thought-provoking turn when examining how accessibility relates to wider societal shifts. Are we becoming overly individualistic? How might we channel the time saved through AI and technology into community building and inclusive design? As Dimple observes, "How do we step back from the individualistic approach and say we want to make this better for everybody?" Are you curious about how specialised accessibility training is transforming organisations and fostering digital experiences that are inclusive for all? This episode offers practical insights for both accessibility specialists and anyone eager to develop more inclusive digital environments. Support the show Follow axschat on social media. Bluesky: Antonio https://bsky.app/profile/akwyz.com Debra https://bsky.app/profile/debraruh.bsky.social Neil https://bsky.app/profile/neilmilliken.bsky.social axschat https://bsky.app/profile/axschat.bsky.social LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/antoniovieirasantos/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/axschat/ Vimeo https://vimeo.com/akwyz https://twitter.com/axschat https://twitter.com/AkwyZ https://twitter.com/neilmilliken https://twitter.com/debraruh