Apple Ambassadors ‘26 Barcelona
Accessibility Through a Business Lens: Creating Independence, Opportunity and Inclusive Experiences.
Rory travelled to Barcelona to take part in Apple Ambassadors ’26, joining approximately 270 representatives from across Apple’s global partner network for an event focused on business, technology, customer experience and the opportunities created when innovation is designed with people in mind.
The event represented a slightly different conversation from many of Rory’s previous engagements. While much of his earlier work had explored accessibility through the lens of education, Barcelona provided the opportunity to take that discussion directly into the business environment - considering what accessibility means not only for individuals, but also for employees, customers, organisations and workplace culture.
On stage alongside Jason Langridge, Rory shared his story and explored how accessible technology has helped him maintain independence following his sight loss. However, the conversation extended beyond individual accessibility features. Instead, it focused on what those features ultimately enable people to achieve.
A central theme of the discussion was the importance of moving the accessibility conversation beyond features and towards outcomes. For Rory, the technology itself is only part of the story. The more meaningful question is what that technology allows somebody to do - whether that means continuing their education, succeeding within the workplace, communicating independently, travelling, creating content or simply carrying out everyday tasks with greater confidence.
This led naturally into a wider discussion about inclusive workplace culture. Rory and Jason explored the importance of businesses creating environments in which people feel comfortable discussing what they need to perform at their best. Rather than making assumptions about somebody based on a disability, Rory believes organisations should create cultures built around a simple principle: ask, don’t assume.
Accessibility can therefore be considered through two important business lenses. The first is the employee experience - ensuring that people have the tools, environment and support required to contribute their skills fully within an organisation. The second is the customer experience - recognising that products, services and experiences should be designed so that as many people as possible can access and benefit from them.
For Rory, this is why accessibility should not be viewed as something added at the end of a process. When inclusion is considered from the beginning, organisations have the opportunity to remove barriers before they arise and create better experiences for everyone.
Sharing this message with an audience made up of representatives from Apple’s global partners made the event particularly significant. The room brought together people with different roles, organisations, markets and experiences, creating an opportunity for accessibility to be considered as part of a much broader business conversation.
One of the most memorable moments came at the conclusion of Rory and Jason’s discussion, when the audience responded with a standing ovation. For Rory, it was a powerful reminder that conversations around accessibility, independence and inclusion can resonate far beyond any one individual experience.
Barcelona also provided an opportunity to continue building relationships with people from across Apple and its wider partner ecosystem. Rory was pleased to reconnect with Mike Benza, having previously met him at Apple Park and to meet Stephane Thirion during the event.
Behind the stage, the experience was supported by a wider team who helped shape and prepare the session. Rory worked with Jason Langridge, Claudia Gordon, Coral Tweed, Olivier Corcos and Richard Jack, alongside others involved in bringing the event together. That preparation helped ensure the conversation remained authentic while also connecting Rory’s personal experiences to the realities facing businesses and their customers.
For Rory, Apple Ambassadors ’26 reinforced an idea that continues to shape his work: accessibility is not simply about what a feature does - it is about what that feature makes possible for the individual using it.
The trip to Barcelona marked another step in Rory’s journey from discussing accessibility primarily within education to contributing to a much wider conversation about business, employment, customer experience and inclusive culture.
Ultimately, the message Rory took to Barcelona was simple. When organisations design with inclusion in mind, listen to the people they serve and focus on enabling independence rather than simply providing accommodation, accessibility becomes more than a technical conversation- it becomes a conversation about people and possibility.
