Three NCW students recently had the exciting opportunity to visit Ecrubox, a leading ecommerce strategy, marketing and development agency specialising in premium lifestyle brands. Ecrubox is already championing accessibility in the digital space, consistently going above and beyond to create inclusive online experiences for all users.
Keen to continue improving and to deepen their understanding of lived‑experience accessibility, the Ecrubox team invited our students to their Worcester offices for a hands‑on digital accessibility workshop. Andy Radford, NCW Careers Lead, was delighted to attend alongside the students, supporting them as they shared their insights and representing NCW’s strong commitment to preparing young people for future careers.
Why Ecrubox?
Ecrubox has built a reputation for delivering high-quality ecommerce websites with a strong focus on user experience. Their commitment to accessibility made them eager to learn directly from people who navigate the web with screen readers, magnification tools or alternative input devices every day.
This workshop was a valuable step in their mission to ensure their digital products work seamlessly for every user.
Workshop Overview
The workshop began with a warm welcome and an outline of the day before Axelle introduced the core principles of digital accessibility, explaining why it matters and how organisations can meet recognised standards such as WCAG. Students then heard from Andy and SJ about career pathways in digital accessibility, design and User Experience, highlighting lived experience as a powerful professional asset. The group then moved into an “expert audit”, where students carried out real website tasks—such as finding as finding details of a GP on the NHS website—while thinking out loud so the Ecrubox team could observe how they navigated, where barriers appeared and what worked well. Ecrubox’s remote team, based both in the UK and abroad, also joined the session virtually, further enriching the discussion and ensuring the whole organisation could learn from the students’ insights. The session closed with a Q&A, giving students the opportunity to share their day‑to‑day online experiences and discuss how inclusive design can better meet the needs of visually impaired users.
A Meaningful Partnership
The workshop gave the Ecrubox team fresh, practical insight into the lived experiences of vision impaired users. At the same time, it empowered NCW students to recognise the value of their voices and expertise in shaping the future of digital accessibility. With Andy Radford attending to support and celebrate their involvement, this event highlighted NCW’s strong commitment to preparing students for the world beyond college — where their skills, insights and confidence truly matter.
NCW is proud to collaborate with organisations that champion accessibility and recognise the expertise of our young people.
