Accessible Marketing for Help for Heroes: Reaching Every Veteran and Supporter
Empowering a National charity to make its marketing more accessible and inclusive
Tania Gerard looking at the Introduction slide for Help for Heroes workshop.
Client Overview
Help for Heroes is the UK’s leading Armed Forces charity, providing life-changing support for veterans and their families.
Their MarComms team wanted to deepen their understanding of accessibility in marketing, ensuring every supporter, donor, and veteran could engage with their message without barriers.
The Challenge
Help for Heroes already produces powerful, emotionally driven storytelling and campaigns. However, like many organisations, their marketing materials and website needed stronger alignment with WCAG 2.2 standards and the Equality Act 2010.
The challenge was to protect the brand’s emotional impact while embedding accessibility into every stage of campaign creation, from visuals and video to copy and donation journeys.
Tania Gerard Digital’s Approach
Tania Gerard Digital delivered a 2 hour interactive workshop for the MarComms team in London that focused on Accessible Marketing in Practice.
The session combined education, collaboration, and sensory learning to help participants understand what accessibility looks and feels like in real campaigns.
Interactive Elements
Group discussions encouraged every participant to share experiences, challenges, and insights from their own roles.
Live Q&A throughout gave attendees direct access to Tania’s expertise, turning theory into practical understanding.
Anonymous polls were used throughout the session to gather live reflections and gauge confidence levels. This encouraged honest participation, helping Tania tailor explanations in real time and highlight areas where the team wanted deeper understanding.
Sensory exercises: using The Veterans War campaign, the group analysed the video first without sight and then without sound, revealing how much meaning is lost when accessibility isn’t considered in visual or auditory design.
Collaborative analysis: teams reviewed Help for Heroes’ own website, social media campaigns, and email marketing content together, identifying accessibility barriers and proposing improvements.
Certificate of Participation: Help for Heroes received a certificate recognising their commitment to improving accessibility and inclusive communication.
Accountability Pinboard: To close the session, everyone wrote one thing they would do differently in their role on a sticky note and placed it on a shared pinboard, a visual reminder of collective learning and personal action that the team took with them.
By connecting accessibility directly to their mission, the team discovered how accessible marketing creates stronger impact, trust, and reach across every audience.
The Help for Heroes team proudly holding their TGD certificate.
Resources Provided
Every attendee received access to a shared Google Drive with follow-up materials to embed accessibility in day-to-day practice:
WCAG 2.2 Simplified for Marketers
Social Media Accessibility Checklist
Email Accessibility Checklist
Website Pre-Flight Accessibility Checklist
Impact vs Effort Prioritisation Grid
Accessibility Tools Directory (WAVE, Hemingway, Siteimprove)
“One Thing I’ll Do Differently” Reflection Template
The Impact
Following the session, participants reported increased confidence and awareness of accessibility across their channels. In their review they stated:
Overall rating: ⭐ 4.9 /5
Objectives met: 100% said “Yes”
Campaign examples improved understanding 100% said: “Yes, definitely”
Most useful areas identified:
Social media accessibility
Website and landing page review
Real campaign analysis (e.g. The Veterans War, Remembrance 2025, Big Battle Bike Ride)
WCAG breakdown and practical examples
Participant Feedback
“Really thoroughly enjoyed the session. So insightful.”
“Excellent session — no recommendations.”
“Loved the session, thank you so much. Great mix of practical and relevant examples.”
“It made accessibility feel achievable for everyone.”
Next Steps
Help for Heroes plans to with Tania Gerard Digital:
Review contrast and labelling on key website pages in line with WCAG 2.2.
Apply plain-language principles to donation and support content.
Integrate accessibility reviews into campaign sign-off processes.
Explore further education focused on content accessibility and user experience.
Tania’s Reflection
“Accessibility and empathy go hand in hand. Help for Heroes already tell powerful stories. This workshop helped them make sure every veteran, supporter, and family member can access and connect with those stories without barriers.”
— Tania
Ready to empower your team?
If your organisation wants to make its marketing more accessible, inclusive, and aligned with WCAG 2.2, Tania Gerard Digital can help.