Leaders - Santander Bank
Accessibility Academy at Santander Bank Polska
In 2024, Santander Bank Polska brought to life a unique initiative in the Polish financial services market, creating a comprehensive educational platform. The Accessibility Academy was established in collaboration with the SGH Warsaw School of Economics. Its mission is to develop skills pertaining to equal treatment, communication, and designing inclusive customer experiences. The Academy brings together experts from the business, academic sector and public sectors, as well as social organizations, and offers them the opportunity to share knowledge and best practice in the field os accessibility.
Academy's Idea and Mission
The Accessibility Academy was created to raise awareness and popularise culture of accessibility, as well as to build market competencies in providing equal access to financial services and information. Its goal is to inspire systemic change, promote solutions based on universal design principles and support implementation of the European Accessibility Act (EAA).
Implementation and Themes
The first edition of the Academy took place on March 5, 2024 and focused on introducing key issues around accessibility - what exactly does it mean, what role do modern service standards play, and what benefits do they bring.
The second session, held on October 22, 2024, was dedicated to communication accessibility and provided to Deaf and hard of hearing individuals. Experts discussed solutions allowing to expand inclusion of such customers in the service, including through visual communication, translation into Polish Sign Language, and use of assistive technology.
The next meetings took place in 2025:
- March 19, 2025: the Academy addressed digital accessibility – the role of intuitive design, WCAG standards, user experience and solutions facilitating the use of banking solutions by persons with various needs.
- May 22, 2025: the Academy focused on inclusive language - participants debated on how to communicate in a way that considers (neuro)diversity and how to eliminate language barriers in marketing, documents and customer service without making customers feel overlooked or excluded.
Each Academy edition was organized in an accessible format – with PJM (Polish Sign Language) interpretation, live transcription and expanded support for people with various sensory and motor needs.
Strategic Importance of the Initiative
The Accessibility Academy is an element of Santander Bank Polska's broader strategy and confirms its consistent efforts toward ensuring equal access to services. This practical implementation of the mission is to create an institution friendly to all customers, regardless of their situation, capabilities, or means of communication.
More about the Academy on the website: Akademia Dostępności Santander Bank Polska - Santander