We are very pleased to announce that Ashley Bale, our Digital Innovations Manager, has been appointed to the Digital Inclusion Action (DIAC) subcommittee.
The DIAC subcommittee is an expert advisory body chaired by Baroness Hilary Armstrong.
The DIAC is a UK external advisory body that works with the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) to reduce digital exclusion.
The aim of the DIAC is to steer, scrutinise, and support our government efforts to reduce digital exclusion and ensure equitable digital access for all.
Focusing on inclusive digital services
Ashley will serve on the Inclusive Digital Services sub-committee, co-chaired by Caroline Abrahams CBE from Age UK and Natalie Ceeney CBE from Cash Access UK.
Through this role, Ashley will draw on his experience working with people with disabilities to help shape UK digital services that better serve everyone’s needs.
The Digital Inclusion Action Committee supports the government’s vision of ensuring that everyone – regardless of age, income, location, or ability – can access and benefit from digital technologies.
The Inclusive Digital Services sub-committee will focus specifically on making digital services more accessible and inclusive.
The focus will be on supporting the development of digital services that are accessible to all, informed by feedback regarding common challenges and effective solutions.
It is also a testament to Ashley's dedication and his hard work on a multitude of digital solution and collaboration projects over many years.
This accolade has been achieved in no small part, through our work developing solutions like the Insight app and exploring digital technologies in Supported Living and the wider community.
We have seen firsthand how important it is that digital services are designed with everyone in mind to achieve and maintain inclusivity.
We know that Ashley's ongoing contribution will give us the best chance of ensuring that the people we support are represented and aren't left behind, as our society becomes increasingly digitally based.
I am sure many of you will join me in wishing Ashley every luck in his endeavours to promote the importance of the digital needs of the people we all support.
Our commitment to digital inclusion
This appointment reflects Innovate Trust’s ongoing commitment to ensuring that digital advances benefit the people we support.
Digital inclusion is not just about getting people online – it is about ensuring services are designed with accessibility at their core from the very beginning.
Through Ashley’s work on this subcommittee, we will continue pushing for meaningful change that puts the needs of disabled people at the heart of digital service design. Because in 2025, being locked out of the digital world means being locked out of opportunities, support services, and connections that many of us take for granted.
Ashley also serves on the Digital Inclusion Alliance Wales Steering Group. This group is a Welsh Government-led expert group, bringing additional insight from the Welsh digital inclusion landscape.
Through our Digital and Technology team’s work, including our Insight app and various initiatives, we continue to explore how digital tools can support greater independence and connection for people with learning disabilities whilst ensuring that no one is excluded from the digital world.
Learn more about our Digital and Technology team’s work and how we are working to support digital inclusion.
