Welcome to Hart of the Midlands – Home of Mike Hartley

// Microsoft Technology


// Accessibility


// Mental Health


Picture of a smiling Mike Hartley - a white male with dark short hair and facial hair.

Whilst I am no Samuel Pepys or Anne Frank, I am determined to start blogging rather more regularly here! The proof will be seen below so keep your eyes peeled for the latest musings, comments, and more.

  • The A to Z of Accessibility – Power Platform [A to Z a11y]

    Welcome to the A to Z of Accessibility – Power Platform. Covering all areas of the Power Platform plus wider areas of Microsoft 365 and more.

  • Creating a More Inclusive workplace

    It’s easy to talk about what a more inclusive workplace should be, but how do we go about creating such a place? At Scottish Summit 2021 Zoe Wilson delivered a great session on this very subject! Zoe is a passionate advocate for Accessibility in the workplace, and in everyday life. Having her speak about this…

  • Programming for Accessibility

    The Accessibility track at Scottish Summit 2021 covered so many topics throughout the day. The session “Programming for Accessibility” by Rory Preddy was an amazing look at both living with accessibility requirements, and how to include accessibility in our thinking when programming applications. Rory was introduced to me via Hector Minto when we were having…

  • Power Apps – Instant Accessibility using a Theming Template

    Continuing my look at the Scottish Summit 2021 Accessibility track. One of the standout sessions was the “Instant Accessibility using a Theming Template” in Power Apps talk by Sancho Harker. I first came across Sancho when he delivered a talk at Microsoft Ignite The Tour London in 2020 (just before lockdown). Like this one from…

  • Windows 11 and Power Apps

    What does the Windows 11 Preview mean for Power App design? There are some interesting possibilities in the new UX/UI. Allow me to explain 😁

  • Mental Health Check

    How are you doing? Take a minute and think about that question before answering and be honest with yourself. Recent times have been, to reuse an overused word, unprecedented. We’ve been faced with a global health crisis, and that has in turn led to mass changes in our way of lives and our ways of…

  • Accessibility as a Deliverable?

    For Microsoft, a core part of how accessibility is being managed throughout their DNA is by treating Accessibility as an actual project goal and requirement. Watch Microsoft Accessibility Evangelist Hector Minto from Scottish Summit 2021 as he talks about Digital Inclusion and Accessibility as a Deliverable.