Community Stack Labs
Three campaigns. One underlying problem.
Digital exclusion, broken SEND infrastructure, and the communication access gap are separate manifestations of the same failure — public and civic systems that were not designed with the most excluded people in mind, and have not been fixed since. These campaigns exist to change that.
#NoCommunityLeftOffline
Ensuring rural, isolated, and digitally excluded communities can access support regardless of connectivity
#DigitalSENDInfrastructure
Joined-up digital infrastructure for SEND families navigating fragmented systems
#CommunicationForAll
Universal access to communication tools and support for non-speaking and AAC-dependent individuals
#NoCommunityLeftOffline
Ensuring rural, isolated, and digitally excluded communities can access support regardless of connectivity
Millions of people in the UK live in communities where digital access is not a given — rural areas with poor connectivity, older populations with low digital confidence, and households that simply cannot afford the tools. The services and support they need have moved online. They have not.
1 in 5
UK adults have very low digital skills
2.4M
households without home internet access
£20B+
estimated annual cost of digital exclusion to the UK economy
What we are doing
- A framework for hybrid and offline-first community service delivery
- Research into the specific barriers facing rural and isolated communities
- A resource library for organisations working with digitally excluded groups
- Policy advocacy targeting connectivity investment and device access programmes
What success looks like
No community should lose access to support because it cannot get online reliably. The infrastructure for community services should work for everyone, not just those in well-connected urban areas.
Get involved with this campaign#DigitalSENDInfrastructure
Joined-up digital infrastructure for SEND families navigating fragmented systems
Families with children who have special educational needs and disabilities navigate an extraordinarily complex system — across education, health, and social care — with no single joined-up digital infrastructure to support them. The information is fragmented, the services are siloed, and families are left to piece it together themselves at exactly the point when they have the least capacity to do so.
1.6M
children in England with identified SEND
700,000+
families with EHCPs navigating fragmented provision
0
national joined-up digital infrastructure for SEND families
What we are doing
- A mapping of the current digital infrastructure gaps in SEND provision
- A set of design standards for SEND-facing digital services
- Advocacy for a statutory joined-up digital record for SEND families
- A public guide to navigating SEND services built with and for families
What success looks like
SEND families should be able to find, access, and navigate the support available to them without spending months learning a system that was not designed with them in mind.
Get involved with this campaign#CommunicationForAll
Universal access to communication tools and support for non-speaking and AAC-dependent individuals
For non-speaking individuals and those who rely on augmentative and alternative communication (AAC), the infrastructure is broken at almost every level. Devices are underfunded. Training for professionals and families is inadequate. Attitudes from institutions are often dismissive. The result is that people who have something to say cannot say it — not because of their disability, but because of failures in the surrounding systems.
0.5%
of the UK population relies on AAC to communicate
Years
average wait for an AAC assessment in many NHS areas
1 in 3
AAC users report their device was not funded on first application
What we are doing
- An evidence base on the current state of AAC provision in the UK
- A campaign for AAC to be treated as statutory provision in all relevant settings
- A resource hub for AAC users, families, and professionals
- Engagement with manufacturers, commissioners, and policymakers on systemic change
What success looks like
Every person who needs an alternative means of communication should have access to the tools, training, and institutional support required to use them. Communication is not optional infrastructure.
Get involved with this campaignProgress
Where the campaigns stand
All three campaigns are active and progressing. The timeline below is updated as milestones are reached — the work happens in public by design.
#NoCommunityLeftOffline framework published for community organisations
#DigitalSENDInfrastructure gap mapping completed and published
#CommunicationForAll evidence base submitted to NHS England and DfE
#NoCommunityLeftOffline resource library launched
#DigitalSENDInfrastructure design standards released for consultation
#CommunicationForAll statutory provision campaign launched publicly