Mike Hartley
Hart of the Midlands - Microsoft Business Applications MVP, Accessibility Advocate, Mental Health Champion, Community Cheerleader
Rugby, United Kingdom
Passionate, Enthusiastic, Encouraging, Challenging... all those words have been applied to me along with a few I can't put here.
Mad about all things Microsoft - especially the Biz Apps space. A cheerleader for Community, and a loud Advocate for all things to do with Accessibility, Mental Health, Diversity, Inclusion and more... You're in for a ride and a half when you come and join one of my sessions.
An IT veteran (read: he's old and carries the battle scars) and awarded Microsoft MVP Business Applications in 2021. Keen to share with people the awesomeness of the Power Platform and Dynamics 365 but also educating people on how important it is to include Accessibility in everything we do - and to do so right at the beginning, not as an "optional extra"
Good humoured story-telling, sharp insights, and a call to action are guaranteed in every session!
Mad about Motorsports, Rugby, Cricket, geek tech, books/movies/music etc. Married to an amazingly patient and understanding superstar and with 3 kids (well, adults) and 1 granddaughter (told you I'm old 🤣)
Awards
Area of Expertise
Topics
The European Accessibility Act - What does it mean to YOUR projects?
July 28th 2025 - Meet the deadline for the European Accessibility Act. This is the point at which Accessibility in the digital world becomes a legal requirement for anybody doing business with EU companies.
It's not that far away when you think about it!
So, what does that mean for the Power Platform and for the projects we deliver? What does that look like in terms of design, build, and functionality that we need to include?
Join Mike (Hart of the Midlands) for a look at the key points that will impact your business, and for a tour of some of the practical changes and ways of working that you can incorporate today to get a head start in building Accessible projects and solutions.
Power BI Accessibility - The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly
Over 1.4 BILLION people in the world are registered disabled. 1 in 5 working age adults are registered disabled. Those numbers are going up.
Building Accessibility into what we do is not an optional extra but a fundamental requirement - even more so with the European Accessibility Act coming into force soon.
Join Laura Graham-Brown (Hat Full of Data) and Mike Hartley (Hart of the Midlands) as they combine to form the formidable Hart Full of Data. Leading you through what Accessibility means and taking a practical look at the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly of Power BI Accessibility.
Colourise my life! Power Apps that Pop!
Theming Power Apps can be painful. Applying consistency across company apps, delivering good looking apps to clients, and then the dreaded updates when there are new brand colours!
Here I'll show you a Data-Driven Theming engine that takes makes it easy to deal with all of those, and also ensures that your themes are accessible and meet with WCAG specifications. (Don't know what WCAG is? I'll reveal all)
Not only this but using this method will allow you to incorporate Dark-Mode, High-Contrast, Low-Contrast, and other colour schemes that users can select from.
This will be mainly demo-based with some build and technical details covered.
A to Z Accessibility - Power Platform Edition
Let's play Alphabetti Spaghetti with the Power Platform and Accessibility!
Join me as I take a look at key areas that will help you include accessibility and discover features, and limitations, within the Power Platform.
So that I can keep this dynamic and hands-on some letters will be skipped over but you will leave this session with a good grasp on core fundamentals of Accessibility in the Power Platform, and great resources to help continue your journey.
This is a session for anybody who uses the Power Platform, no matter your skill level!
Power Platform Accessibility 101
The Power Platform isn't just Power Apps! Shocking news for some I know.
In the same way, Accessibility doesn't just apply to Power Apps. It applies to Power Pages, Power BI and more.
Join me for a 101 session looking at Accessibility Fundamentals and then doing a tour of how these apply to what we build in the Power PLATFORM.
Why we need to put Accessibility FIRST
Accessibility is often the last-minute bolt-on that somebody might mention right at the end of a project. It's often greeted with cries of "No Budget", "Not Requested", "Out Of Scope".
Why don't customers request it? Is it that they have given up asking? Do they assume we'll include it? Or is it that they assume the costs will be too high for the benefits?
Unfortunately we often sweep the subject under the carpet and hope that nobody points it out...
This needs to change! Accessibility needs to be the FOUNDATION of what we build, not the afterthought. As websites are starting to be required, by law, to be accessible - how long will it be before we are mandated to be building accessibility into all we do?
Join me as I explain why this is such an important issue, discuss the massively positive impact it can have, and show that it doesn't cost the earth to include it.
Branding and Theming Power Apps - With Accessibility Included!
What if I told you that there was a way to theme and brand your Power Apps in a way the encouraged a consistent look and feel. One that meant you could change ALL your apps to reflect new branding with one quick set of changes?
And then what if I told you that this would also allow you to make your app more accessible to a further 15-20% of users, driving up your adoption rates?
Join me as I show you how you can build Accessible standard compliant apps, that incorporate compliant colour schemes (that you can create and check), and that don't require massive amounts of complexity.
The Things We don't Talk About
There are some things that we don't really talk about but are such important subjects. Whether it's because of stigma, fear, not wanting to put our foot in it, or not knowing what to say.
Join me to hear about
* What are we NOT talking about?
* Let's talk about "Issues" - how language and perception affects our responses
* Starting a Conversation - how to talk to people about these, and how to start a change
* Where do we go next?
Based upon the podcast series with me and Alison Mulligan this will touch upon areas such as Mental Health, Accessibility, Diversity & Inclusion and more
#AccessibleByDesign
The European Accessibility Act is just around the corner. UK Local Government sites and applications must be accessible. Section 508 and the Americans with Disabilities Act apply in the US.
Accessibility is not a luxury or an unnecessary project item, it's a key requirement and even becoming a legal one.
So what does that look like in our Business Applications projects? How do we make sure that we are making our solutions Accessible By Design?
Join me for a look at what the guidelines are, how they can be implemented, and how to make it an easy thing to include in our development lifecycle. There will be slides, there will be demos, there will be a passionate call to action... and there will be homework!