I’m Tania, a disabled founder, TEDx speaker, ADHD UK Ambassador, and the creator of one of the UK’s first consultancies dedicated solely to accessible marketing and neurodiversity inclusion.

For just under a decade, I worked in digital marketing, climbing from digital assistant to Head of Digital. But throughout that time, I masked my ADHD and autism just to survive in environments that weren’t built for minds like mine. While I delivered results, led teams, and built campaigns, organised discovery calls, I was silently burning out. I saw how accessibility was often reduced to compliance checklists, rarely thinking about the human behind the screen. I watched brilliant neurodivergent people fall through the cracks not due to lack of talent, but due to lack of understanding both about myself and others.

That personal experience, that past Tania, is what drove me to launch Tania Gerard Digital, a consultancy designed to help companies go beyond performative inclusion. My mission is to create workplaces, content, and customer experiences that are accessible in every sense, legally, practically, emotionally, you name it. I work with clients across the UK including the NHS, Greene King, Swim England, and creative agencies, offering accessibility audits, neurodiversity training, inclusive content strategies, and recruitment reviews that lead to real-world improvements.

I created Accessibility in Design, a flagship service supporting teams to meet WCAG 2.2 and European Accessibility Act standards while also improving communication, UX, and inclusive design. Accessibility should never be a technical checkbox, it should be part of a company’s voice, values, and every touchpoint throughout that company.

My work is not a one-size-fits-all solution. Every training session is bespoke, interactive, and shaped by real lived experience. I’ve lived both sides as someone trying to navigate inaccessible systems, and now as someone changing them.

Some of the things I have done since launching are:

– Delivered bespoke workshops for NHS Trusts, restaurant groups, and public sector networks

– Spoken at TEDx, Social Day, East Midlands Chamber, and Create Leicester

– Launched ADHD Founders Unfiltered, a podcast spotlighting disabled business owners

– Created digital tools like “10 Ways to Make Your Job Ads More Accessible” and Tania’s WCAG Toolkit for Neurodivergent Founders

– Featured in BBC, Facilitate Magazine, Business Network Magazine, and Freelancer Magazine

– Contributed as an ADHD UK Ambassador, leading national campaigns and panels

At the heart of my work is one mission: to make accessibility part of the everyday not an exception, but the normal everyday life and I think we are heading in the right direction but more work needs to be done. One client told me after a session, “That’s the first time I’ve ever felt seen at work.” That, for me, is the true impact, the real gift.

Building this consultancy has been tough. I’ve done it solo, while managing burnout, self-doubt, and the financial ups and downs that come with running a purpose-led business. But I’m proud of what I’ve built. I’ve created something that didn’t exist before and something that’s helping others feel like they finally belong.

Winning this award would recognise not just the business I’ve built, but the people it’s built for. It would mean a hell of a lot to me truly.