Digital Inclusion – Shortlist
Meet the Shortlisted entries for the Digital Inclusion category in the 2025 Digital Culture Awards, which celebrates the innovative use of digital technology to improve access to creativity and culture for diverse and representative audiences.
The Winner will be announced in the middle of March.
The Shortlist
1. London Philharmonic Orchestra – OrchLab

London Philharmonic Orchestra – OrchLab – Touch Harp © Lucy Pope
London Philharmonic Orchestra ims to connect and inspire people from all walks of life through the wonder of music.
OrchLab, run in partnership with leading disability and technology music charity Drake Music, supports inclusive music-making with disabled adults in care settings. It is delivered through a combination of free, high-quality digital resources on its interactive website, assistive instrumental technology training and workshops.
Digital technology used in OrchLablive sessions includes iPads, soundbeams and specially adapted musical instruments. Participants also have free access to online LPO concerts.
OrchLab has been growing steadily since its launch in 2017, bringing music to 27 disability centres. In the last year alone 243 people took part
2. Medising – SignApp: Parkinson’s

Image © Medising
MediSing specialises in technology which helps people with long-term health conditions find creative and fun ways to manage their symptoms.
More than 95% of those living with Parkinson’s find that the condition affects their voice. MediSing set out on a journey to explore singing as a medium which can help with that. SingApp: Parkinson’s, the company’s first singing app, is an accessible and inclusive solution for people who are unable to attend group singing lessons, and for others who would like to practice between live sessions.
The app currently has almost 200 users. It was created in collaboration with over 75 people who live with Parkinson’s. The group was involved in devising the app’s functionality, design and look, including its diverse characters, as well as the musical content and vocal exercises.
3. Extant – Unseen

Anita & Georgie © Graeme Braidwood
Extant is a performing arts company that creates unique and innovative artistic experiences, placing visually impaired people at the heart of all its work.
Its audio drama Unseen, a response to the shocking 2022 report The Unseen by charity Fight for Sight, examines the insidious effect of domestic violence on blind and visually impaired people.
The drama was devised wholly by a blind and visually impaired team, which liaised with leading domestic violence charities to ensure a diverse range of visually impaired survivors had input into the creative process. Sound designer Ian Rattray worked closely with QLab – a software previously inaccessible to screen reader users – to pioneer the use of the platform for blind users. The drama was made available online with important groundwork done to ensure compatibility with screen readers.
4. Zoo Co Creative Ltd – Perfect Show for Rachel
Zoo Co is a theatre company based in Croydon who create playful, innovative and ambitious live theatre for audiences in the UK and across the globe.
The groundbreaking Perfect Show for Rachel, co-produced with Improbable, was designed for a theatre-loving learning-disabled artist – Rachel – allowing her to control all sound, lights, video and action from a custom-built tech desk on stage.
The production included a wide-ranging consultation around accessibility for other disabled creatives, cast members and for a diverse audience. This resulted in the show having a bespoke audio-visual design, alongside creative captioning that matched the show’s aesthetic, live transcription for improvised speech and BSL interpretation – all seamlessly incorporated into the world of performance.
5. Darlington Library – The Transformation of Darlington Library – Aspirational and inclusive

Photo © Darlington Libraries
Darlington Library has undergone a transformation to become a fantastic modern resource for the community. Now offering ambitious digital services, centred around The Hive, a hub packed with innovative technology for the public to explore. This includes Virtual Reality, 3D printers, digital sewing, and a busy and inspiring engagement programme for all ages. This is all alongside the library’s more traditional digital offering of free computer, tablet and internet usage.
Before embarking on this journey, the library ran two large public consultations to ensure true representation of its community needs. The consultations have led to the development of an accessible layout and a variety of spaces for different users and prompted the production of guidance materials in a range of formats including a virtual tour of the new look library.
The transformation has resulted in an increase in visitor numbers, with a staggering 160,260 visitors to the library between September 2023 and April 2024
6. Disability Arts Online – Disability Arts Online’s new website

Image © Disability Arts Online
Disability Arts Online, established in 2004 and led by disabled people, is an accessible digital hub for showcasing the work of disabled artists, and a gateway to accessible arts and culture.
As a remote organisation, Disability Arts Online’s website is its venue, meaning that any redesign needed to be sustainable, accessible and future-proofed. The innovative, future-facing new website, designed with support from an Arts Council Capital Grant and in partnership with digital accessibility experts Surface Impression, was informed by input from its diverse audiences at every stage.
The new website is leading the way for other cultural organisations with improved navigation and accessibility, enhanced UX, and a site-wide accessibility toolbar with high contrast and changeable text size. It provides information in more alternative formats to written text, features an online community space, a dedicated page for its talent development programme, and a new resources section sharing best practice from Disability Arts Online and the wider sector.
What next?
Head back to the main Awards page to learn about the Shortlisted organisations in other categories.