As the Scottish Government developed the new National Care Service (NCS), the Office of the Chief Designer wanted to strengthen how accessibility was understood and applied across its teams.

CIVIC was asked to review existing processes, tools and approaches, and develop practical training to help staff design and deliver services for people with a wide range of accessibility needs.

We began by reviewing existing documents and ways of working to understand how accessibility featured in research and engagement. Interviews with staff and senior stakeholders then explored confidence in engaging with people with accessibility needs, understanding across teams, and the gaps between policy, training and everyday practice.

These findings informed a series of interactive workshops. Together, we explored challenges, concerns, tools and processes, and mapped out what accessible co-design should look like. We used Miro while explicitly highlighting its accessibility limitations, making the tools themselves part of the discussion.

We developed an accessibility training curriculum tailored to NCS workflows, covering accessible digital services, inclusive co-design, publishing and legal obligations. It also addressed accessible events, helplines, translation, audio and video, and usability testing with people using assistive technologies.

Delivered in small groups, online or in person, the training combined standards-based learning with practical activities. A train-the-trainer session helped staff prepare to share their knowledge with colleagues.

All learning materials were supplied in accessible formats through Moodle and packaged as reusable SCORM modules for the Scottish Government’s internal learning systems.

Alongside the training, we delivered an accessible strategy document covering content, publishing and inclusive research. We explained the importance of separating content structure from visual design and demonstrated simple checks teams could build into their daily work.

We also provided guidance on supporting people using a range of assistive technologies and involving people whose first language is not English.

Together, the research, training and guidance gave the NCS team greater confidence to make informed accessibility decisions. It also clarified the changes needed within existing governance to meaningfully involve disabled people in shaping future services.