Talks and workshops

Talking to organisations, design agencies, and students about all things accessibility, arthritis, being colourblind, and inclusive design.

List includes independent speaker engagements as well as representing BIMA and Sightsavers.

Previous talks and workshops

  • Form field with the error message shown 'last name is required'

    Improving digital experiences for colour-blind users

    In this talk, Matt will talk through both his personal and professional experience of being colour-blind. He will share answers to the common questions he gets asked such as, "What colour is grass?", before focusing the session on practical tips on how you can improve digital experiences for colour-blind users.

    Accessibility champions network, BBC (2026)

  • Close-up of an eye

    Being a colourblind designer

    Matt is a designer. Matt is also colour-blind.

    In this talk he will share both his personal and professional experience of being colourblind, whilst also taking the conversation from the common questions he gets asked, such as "What colour is grass?", to more serious topics of potential health implications.

    Wordpress Accessibility Day, Wordpress (2025)

  • Four people sitting on a stage during a panel discussion at a conference, with a backdrop displaying logos and event information.

    Our path to inclusive design: Stories & tips

    Four leading voices in accessibility - Catrina Baker-Bassett (DabApps),  Louise Bloom (Gain), William Bunch (Zoonou) and Matt Roberts (Sightsavers) - share the personal journeys that brought them into the world of web accessibility and inclusive design. 

    Digifest, Eastbourne (2025)

  • Person’s face obscured by a cloud of white powder against a black background.

    Being a colourblind designer

    Matt is a designer. Matt is also colour-blind.

    In this talk he will share both his personal and professional experience of being colourblind, whilst also taking the conversation from the common questions he gets asked, such as "What colour is grass?", to more serious topics of potential health implications.

    Accessibility Champions Network, Ministry of Justice (2025)

  • Black and white photo of a large audience sitting in rows of chairs, attending a presentation or lecture in a dark room.

    How to design more inclusive event experiences

    A 30-minute Linkedin Live conversation talking about effective ways to promote your event, Improvements you can make to boost your sign-up processes, and how to get the best from your attendees and speakers with the right on-the-day support.

    Available to watch: Linkedin - Autumn Live (2025)

  • Man giving a presentation on accessibility and inclusive design in a modern conference room, with a large screen displaying the presentation title and speaker's name.

    Accessibility and inclusive design: Back to basics

    Without understanding the basics, how are we able to move forward and innovate? This 20-minute talk is split into two sections. The first part will state the facts about the many, not the few, and challenge the assumptions we may have about the topic of accessibility. This will be followed by a short story highlighting that disability can and will affect us all at any point in our lives.

    Chalk Connect, Eastbourne (2024)

  • People sitting around a table engaged in discussion, with documents and coffee mugs visible.

    The importance of accessibility

    A 1-hour session on the importance of accessibility, how to embed best practice inclusive design into your processes, and ways to start being more accessible today.

    KAPLAN international pathways (2024), UNICEF UK (2023), LLoyds Banking group (2023), International Rescue committee (2022), Active Sussex (2021)

  • Panel discussion with six speakers on stage, five women and one man, seated on chairs with small tables in front. A large screen behind them displays titled logos of speakers and discussion topic: "How can brands be more inclusive by design?" The setting appears to be a modern conference or event space at night.

    Inclusive Design for brands

    Accessibilty experts Vivian Wall, Ashley Peacock, Aleksandra Melnikova, and Matt Roberts share their thoughts and approaches to Neuro-Inclusive Design Practices, Importance of Accessibility, and universal design. Hosted by The Future is ND founder, Lucy Hobbs.

    The Future is ND, Havas London (2024)

  • A man in a dark sweater sitting on a chair pointing towards a large screen displaying a promotional image for the Zoteria app, which reports LGBTQ+ hate incidents. The screen shows text 'Flag it,' app download options for Apple App Store and Google Play, and a young man holding a phone in a park with trees in the background.

    How to win a BIMA inclusive design award

    BIMA inclusive design council co-chair, Matt Roberts, will talk through what it takes to win the BIMA inclusive design award.

    The Mill, London (2024)

  • A man speaking into a microphone and gesturing with his hand while a woman looks on during a presentation or discussion in a conference room.

    Creativity and Access: The Importance of Inclusive Design

    Challenge your assumptions and demystify inclusive and accessible content creation in this interactive workshop brought to you by Sightsavers. You’ll gain valuable tools and lessons to prioritise diversity and inclusion in your design and creative projects.

    D&AD Design Festival, London (2024)

  • A man giving a presentation to three women in a classroom or meeting room, with a table of pamphlets and a laptop in front of him. One woman is sitting in the background near a whiteboard, and the other two women are standing in the foreground.

    'That' inclusive design workshop

    A 2-hour workshop focused on inclusive design. From understanding customer diversity, to packaging and brands considerations, this workshop is for design students looking to broaden their knowledge when it comes to good design.

    Students will leave this session with facts, tips and resources to help assist them in understanding more about this important element of design.

    UAL: London College of Communication, London (2024)

  • A black-and-white photograph of three people seated on a stage, participating in a panel discussion. The person on the left is an older man with glasses and a patterned shirt, holding a microphone and a laptop on his lap. The middle person is a younger man with a beard, wearing a light-colored shirt, speaking into a microphone. The person on the right is a woman with long hair, wearing a patterned dress, holding a microphone and looking towards the man in the middle. There is a small table with glasses and water bottles in front of them, and audience members are visible in the foreground.

    Designing inclusive experiences: audience-centric approaches to drive better outcomes

    Molly Watt (usability and accessibility consultant, TEDx speaker, author and illustrator) and Matt Roberts (Lead UX Designer and Co-Chair of the BIMA Inclusive Design Council) will bring their unique perspectives to the conversation of assistive technologies, embedding inclusive thinking, and discussing both the challenges and the advantages of their personal circumstance. Hosted by Scott Ewings, Manifesto.   

    The Era of Engagement, Manifesto / The Royal Society of Arts (2024)

  • A man is giving a presentation on a stage in a conference room. There is a large screen behind him displaying slide content. Several audience members are seated, watching his talk.

    Accessibility, Inclusive design, and me

    Sightsavers’ lead user experience designer Matt Roberts reveals how his personal circumstances and experience of disability have shaped his professional approach, explaining how accessibility and inclusive design can provide low-effort, high-impact gains for your organisation and its customers.

    Econsultancy CX Live, London (2022)

  • A person standing on a beach at night with a starry sky overhead. The person appears to be drawing or writing in the air with a light, creating light trails in the shape of a letter 'A' around their head.

    Getting into the creative industry

    Matt has designed for household brands such as Pepsi, Bendick’s and Fortnum & Mason, edited a Madonna music video, and also worked on various animation and illustration projects over the years. He will be sharing how his love of art at school took him on a journey to Norwich School of Art and Design, and then into the creative industry.

    Limpsfield Grange School, Limpsfield (2019)

  • A man giving a presentation in front of a screen that says 'Like me!' with a small dog icon. Three people are seated behind him listening and looking at him. A laptop and remote are on a table.

    The Future of Content

    Is content still king? What is the age of the customer? What does the future hold for us as we plan, strategise and create content?

    Gina Roughan, Tom Hall, David Lockie and Matt Roberts share their take on what’s to come.

    BIMA Breakfast, Pragmatic Agency, Brighton (2019)

  • Being colourblind

    Matt is colourblind. Matt is also a designer. He will be giving an insight into his experiences of being colourblind and what impact that has when bank notes, that haven’t considered this perspective, can become inaccessible.

    De La Rue, Basingstoke (2018)

  • 'Accessible Design and Technology

    Accessibility experts and advocates from different organisations share how they have fostered accessible design and technology in their organisations - the challenges, changes and impact; thoughts on evolution of accessible technologies and ways of working and their focus for the future.

    Publicis Sapient, Online (2018)

  • Running across the UK after being diagnosed with arthritis

    In 2010, aged 24 Matt got diagnosed with Arthritis. As an avid runner and fitness enthusiast, the diagnosis was a curveball no-one expected. After 5 years of medication, and a lot of patience, he set himself an ambitious goal, run the breadth of the UK. He will be sharing the moment he received the diagnosis and the impact that had on him, through to the moment he finished a 500km run on the coast Wales.

    WiredEB, Eastbourne (2017)