SQR & SIGHT MATTERS WIN NATIONAL AWARD FOR DIGITAL ACCESSIBILITY

SQR, a leading innovator in digital identity, in partnership with Isle of Man sight loss charity, Sight Matters, has been named winner of the Digital Inclusion Prize for Ensuring Accessible Services - Innovation Award at the Digital Poverty Alliance Awards 2025.   

The award recognises a pioneering project that places accessibility at the very heart of digital development. The award was given for SQR’s collaboration with Sight Matters which has helped transform the way its digital products are tested, designed, and improved. By involving people with sight loss directly in the process, the project has redefined what inclusive design looks like.  

Shelley Langan-Newton, CEO at SQR said:
“Winning the Digital Inclusion Award for Ensuring Accessible Services is a powerful validation of our belief that technology must be built for, and with all people. The collaborative work with Sight Matters has been invaluable, allowing us to build a digital identity app that is not only secure and efficient but genuinely usable. This people-first model is now a core part of our design process. It proves that innovation can deliver genuine value to users from around the world, creating a real and far-reaching impact for good."  

At the centre of the initiative are accessibility testing sessions hosted at Sight Matters, where blind and visually impaired people take on the role of topic experts. Rather than being treated as passive users, participants are acknowledged for their lived experience and unique insights. They are invited to demonstrate how they use different digital tools and to highlight the barriers they face. Developers and designers then use this expert feedback to make changes that ensure services are not only technically compliant, but genuinely usable and inclusive.

This practical, people-first approach has already yielded results. Members of Sight Matters have played a critical role in shaping SQR’s digital identity app. By treating the community as collaborators rather than afterthoughts, the project is setting a new benchmark for digital inclusion that others across the UK can follow.


Peter Marshall, Fundraising and Marketing Lead at Sight Matters, said:
“We are absolutely delighted to have received this recognition. Digital accessibility is not just a technical challenge – it’s about ensuring fairness, independence, and opportunity for everyone. This award reflects the belief that no one should be excluded from the digital world, and we’re proud to be working with SQR to make that vision a reality.”

The Digital Poverty Alliance Awards celebrate organisations tackling digital inequality across the UK and beyond. Winning this award highlights how innovation led from the Isle of Man is having a far-reaching impact.

Looking ahead, Sight Matters are committed to expanding the initiative. More clients are already coming on board, keen to benefit from accessibility testing grounded in real-world experience. As the project grows, so too will the opportunities for blind and visually impaired people to share their expertise, ensuring digital spaces are built to be inclusive from the ground up.
 

About Sight Matters:
Sight Matters, a trading arm of Manx Blind Welfare Service, registered charity number 132, has looked after the interests of people with serious sight loss on the Isle of Man since 1936. Since then, the charity has changed and grown considerably to keep pace with the needs and aspirations of the people it supports. Today, it provides a wide range of services tailored to the blind and visually impaired community’s needs.


About SQR:
SQR is a leading provider of tokenised digital identity verification and AML/KYB solutions, designed to empower businesses with secure, efficient, and compliant customer onboarding and ongoing verification. By putting individuals in control of their digital identity, SQR helps mitigate fraud, streamline operations, and build trust in the digital economy. Headquartered in the Isle of Man, SQR is committed to driving innovation in RegTech and secure data exchange



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