AbilityNet and Mova reveal hidden human cost of inaccessible services
Annie Mannion | 02 Sep 2026
A new report published today shows that poorly designed services and a lack of choice make it hard for people with vulnerabilities to access essential support. In an increasingly digital world inaccessible services can cause deep, but preventable harm.
‘Inclusive by Design: How service providers can reduce avoidable harm through inclusive design, accessible channels and human support’, published by Mova in partnership with AbilityNet, is based on in-depth interviews with people experiencing a broad range of vulnerabilities.
It explores their lived experience of navigating banking, healthcare, utilities, benefits and telecoms services, and documents the human cost when those service journeys fail: shame, stress, anxiety, exhaustion, reduced independence, financial loss and increased reliance on informal carers.
Mova, which drives and delivers communications infrastructure projects to ensure nobody is left behind, commissioned the research from Versiti.
Report recommendations
The report sets out five recommendations underpinned by evidence that services work best when they are designed around the reality of people’s lives from the outset, rather than adapted later as a specialist exercise. The recommendations are:
- Agree a cross-industry minimum service standard between service providers, regulators, industry bodies and civil society, setting out what vulnerable people and carers can expect across all essential services.
- Provide genuine channel choice, so people can access connected services digitally, by phone, on paper, in person, or through community-based routes that work for them.
- Make digital services accessible, usable and completable by removing avoidable barriers and making it easy to reach a human when digital routes fail.
- Communicate clearly, humanely and with authority to resolve issues, using plain language, fewer handovers and frontline colleagues that are empowered to exercise discretion.
- Design for continuous inclusion, embedding inclusive design into governance, procurement, product development and frontline training, rather than treating it as a one-off fix.
The report argues that these five recommendations would benefit organisations as well as customers by improving completion rates and reducing repeat contact, escalation, complaints and failure demand.
This new report also compliments and broadens existing AbilityNet work on how to make accessibility changes to support vulnerable customers.
Foreseeable and preventable harm
Designed to go beyond existing statistics, the report examines the lived experiences of people facing physical and mental ill-health, bereavement, financial hardship, caring responsibilities and digital exclusion. Most research participants faced several of these at once.
It finds that psychological harm is cumulative, and that repeated failed interactions generate frustration and anger, then shame and self-doubt, then anxiety, dread and avoidance. This chain can end in learned helplessness, a belief that there is no point in trying.
Participants also reported deepening social isolation as offline services closed and financial losses from missed entitlements, mounting penalty charges and misunderstood contracts.
The research also found that poor service design transfers pressures onto family members, friends and carers. Almost every participant either relied on support from someone else to manage key aspects of their life, or was themselves acting as a carer for someone more vulnerable while managing their own vulnerabilities.
Many were anxious about what would happen to the people they support if they could no longer help. Carolyn, 55-64, said, “I lie awake at night thinking about what would happen to him if something happened to me."
Providing genuine choice
Digital transformation of services is changing how support is accessed and how people manage their lives. The report is clear that participants are not opposed to digital services. Many valued banking apps, NHS services, biometric authentication, video support and AI-powered tools, and described well-designed apps as life-changing. Channel choices were driven by the complexity of the task, its emotional weight, and whether the service had worked for them before.
Problems arose when digital journeys were difficult to complete and no effective alternative existed. Common barriers included authentication failures, timeouts that lost progress, and processes requiring multiple devices. Telephone support remained essential for emotionally significant issues, and in-person and community-based services a vital access point for the most vulnerable.
Notably, participants, including some with very limited digital capability, described turning to AI tools for immediate and plain language answers when traditional service channels had failed them. The report flags this as both a signal of unmet need and a risk, particularly for people without the confidence or resilience to cross-check what they’re told.
Ben Roome, CEO of Mova, said:
"Too often, vulnerability is treated as a niche issue rather than something that can affect any of us at different points in our lives. This research shows the consequences when services are designed around an ‘average’ customer. What might seem like a minor inconvenience can mean financial loss, reduced independence or missed access to essential support for someone facing vulnerability.
Inclusive service design cannot be an afterthought. Service providers, regulators, industry bodies, civil society and government need to work together to make inclusive service the norm, not the exception. Designing around all our needs is the right thing to do and delivers better outcomes for customers, businesses and society as a whole."
Amy Low, CEO, AbilityNet, added:
"AbilityNet is extremely proud to champion the recommendations made in ‘Inclusive by Design’. We know first hand that not only is poor design a barrier to many, but causes real harm. Many of the 20,000 people we supported with tech in 2025 contacted us to be able to access a key service like their council, bank, or GP.
This report makes clear that badly designed services are frustrating for most, but harmful for many. The stories at the heart of this report demonstrate the need for choice in accessing services. One size does not fit all. AbilityNet has advocated for accessible design for more than 25 years, and this report has come at a key time where services are narrowing and increasingly digital first.
We urge policymakers, service providers and designers to act on these recommendations so that digital transformation improves access rather than creating new barriers. As services continue to evolve, the findings of this report must be a catalyst for designing systems that are accessible, inclusive and flexible enough to meet people's real-world needs."
Ell Martin, Research and Evaluation Manager, AbilityNet, noted:
"Service providers are not yet doing enough to support their vulnerable customers. ‘Inclusive By Design’ encourages them to reflect on how they understand vulnerability, and consequentially, how they design their services with this in mind.
This research, and the real-life experiences that it contains, highlight the widespread frustrations and harms that inaccessible services cause. It also presents a crucial opportunity: for service providers to recognise their role in preventing this same harm, especially in this ever-increasing digital world. We’re excited to see these report recommendations made reality."
Expert analysis of report findings
In this extract from the new Mova report, Ell Martin, Research and Evaluation Manager at AbilityNet, evaluates the key findings of the research:
"The level of someone’s digital skill is an increasing driver of potential vulnerability. As more key services become ‘digital first’, an individual’s confidence, ability and access to the digital world becomes more important.
Key services, such as local and national government, water, broadband, banking, electric and gas, insurance, and health, are increasingly using digital avenues to communicate with users. We also know that, currently, there is inconsistency across services, and a lack of choice. This report highlights the importance of choice for inclusive design.
This is consistent with The Connection Project’s Misconnected report, which found that many people can engage digitally in some situations but struggle when tasks become complex or high stakes. It argues that barriers are often created by the design of services and systems. This research builds on that insight by examining the impact those barriers can have on people experiencing vulnerability.
Reframing vulnerability
Vulnerability is, of course, nuanced, and more complex than categories allow... Although it is important that the drivers for vulnerability are recognised, they cannot be fully supported without inclusive and flexible services.
When considering the drivers of vulnerability, it becomes clear that anyone can become vulnerable at any time. However, research shows that “many wouldn’t self-identify as vulnerable, let alone discuss their circumstances with a customer service advisor”.3
Rather than individuals needing to self-identify, and therefore recognise themselves as vulnerable, this report suggests that services should provide inclusive design and choice for everyone.
To avoid the stigmatisation of vulnerability, and recognise the influence and power that services hold, this report applies the social model of disability to the concept of vulnerability. Developed by disabled people, the social model of disability describes people as being disabled by barriers in society, not by their impairments.4
This report recognises the drivers for vulnerability, and those individuals who are high risk, and brings their stories to the forefront, whilst also recognising that it is inaccessible services that make people vulnerable."
Further resources linked to vulnerable customers
Free AbilityNet Vulnerable Customers Insight Report- Get your ticket for TechShare Pro 2026: stay informed about accessibility, digital inclusion and customer experience
- Explore AbilityNet's Digital Accessibility in the Financial Sector hub for guides, reports and practical resources
- Check out our AI blog series for our Head of Digital Inclusion’s perspective on AI and accessibility
- Get in touch with AbilityNet to discuss accessibility audits, training, testing and consultancy services
References:
1. Financial Conduct Authority, 2024: Financial Lives Survey
2. YouGov, July 2025: Consumer Duty
3. NICA and FOCALDATA, The Changing Face of Vulnerability, 2025
4. Disability Rights UK, Social Model of Disability: Language