Innovative, disability focused, creative agency launched by partially sighted Shaun Cheesman

Welcome to

www.milkandjam.com

Innovative, disability focused, creative agency launched by partially sighted Shaun Cheesman

Hi, I’m Shaun, 30 years old and founder of Milk & Jam, a small but multi-faceted creative advertising agency focusing on disabilities.

I am a partially sighted, creative web developer & designer.

The best way to describe a partially sighted disability is someone with a visual impairment that affects their day to day life. When I give one of my talks with Milk & Jam, I have a fun exercise around showing you how a visually impaired and blind person sees the world, using visual aid glasses. It helps give an idea of what it is like to be partially sighted.

Milk & Jam came out of a Kickstarter campaign (for much needed disability equipment) and because I want to make a real change through the work that we do.

You can find out all about my Kickstarter journey on this link.

Why is Milk & Jam different?

Milk & Jam is different because we help clients reach a bigger audience, help their brands & organisations engage, communicate and market themselves. .We help educate them about the estimated 14 billion pound disability market and how their brand & organisation can market to this clientele, making their business & assets better for everyone.

We also build our own innovative pieces of technology and we have several disability products and an app currently in development for which we are looking for funding so that we can finish building them.

Accessibility Functionality

Please take a look at our newly launched website milkandjam.com where we have built the latest accessibility technology into our own website to showcase how everyone no matter of ability can use it.

Access keys

By implementing access keys into our website this will help everyone, not just blind and partially sighted people, navigate around it quickly.

Colour change functionality

By building in relatively new innovative colour change functionality into our website this will help those with every kind of disability read and view our website in the way that helps them the most.

Text size functionality

To allow everyone viewing the website to switch to a large font.

Most of us have some kind of eye disability or will in years to come.

Every company and brand should now be an accessible one. Your brand or organisation should be embracing new technology, new ways of thinking, innovating and marketing in new ways and to new markets. That is why I setup Milk & Jam. Being partially sighted from birth I and my small team have personal as well as over 10 years work experience of being in the media, communications and advertising sector. We are still to this day really passionate about helping clients better their companies and we would really like to help you too.

Here are just some ways that we can help your business:

Disability & accessibility consultancy

Marketing & advertising campaigns

Web design, apps and software

Disability & accessibility key note speaking

User testing

Business & website audits

Disability & accessibility functionality

Freelance disability director services

Braille & Brand

Braille is not used enough on products, and companies are not implementing it enough or simplifying it enough.

Everyone has a right to be able to go into a shop and unaided buy the products they love, to be able to know about the product they are buying, no matter of ability or disability. But this is not generally possible and needs to change. With a simple braille change and a little educating this could become a reality and would make such a difference to partially sighted and blind people.

I am lucky to have relatively strong sight after so many years of having my partially sighted disability but as a brand you need to look at the bigger picture and keep thinking 'what market could we look at?' and 'how could we sell more product?' One answer is to be more accessible and this can actually be very simple and easy to implement. Milk & Jam can consult on effective marketing and technology to achieve this.

I have focused on brands for enjoyment as these are the brands we see every day, even making the dinner - would you know that is a baked bean can without someone telling you? The answer would surely be no and that is what needs to change.

I have an exciting exercise in my disability talks around this aspect. It's fun and educational for your team

Take this away with you: If your brand isn't getting noticed by everyone why is the brand there? Isn't a brand about letting everyone know about you, allowing everyone the chance to use and enjoy the product? Many brands are not achieving this.

What is accessible design?

That is easy, accessible design should be something everyone can see and enjoy at first glance, sitting back in their chair. If it is not doing that then it is not accessible. It may be design but it is surely not accessible.

Subtle changes can make a big difference to design and that is how we help. We look at the bigger picture and point out where it may not be quite right or totally overhaul the design for you letting you concentrate on more important things in your business.

Accessible design is so much more than just design though. It could be a product or even a service with a subtle change to the way it is being built. A bit like a house, the way you lay out the design is really important and is all about making it accessible to everyone.

Why is the Milk & Jam website different?

We hope you like it. It took a long time and a lot of concentration to build our milkandjam.com website.

Because we are a different kind of agency and a disability one I wanted to make it clear to everyone viewing our website that we know what we are talking about. I am all about letting everyone use a website no matter of ability and that is what we do - every website should have at least a function so people can see the text and images bigger and better and if you do not then we can help and it will be a pleasure to do so.

The colour formats are to help people with different forms of disabilities no matter whether they have:

Dyslexia

Partially sighted

Any other disability

They should be able to enjoy the web and a website in all formats that help them to read and view it and the different colour background variations on our website help them do just that.

The passion behind Milk & Jam

My passion is about helping others not about helping myself. It comes from my struggles up to now, trying to help others combat what I went through as a child.

I am a passionate guy because I care and with Milk & Jam this will never change. I hope to show this through my experience, struggles through life and helping agencies and companies make a big change.

Whether helping a company or helping someone that truly needs our support to improve their life by just having access or getting that piece of equipment they truly need, that is where the hunger, fight, determination and passion comes from inside.

Current projects

We are currently working on 2 very exciting things

An accessibility tool for websites so every website can be accessible and not cost a fortune to make it accessible. This is a work in progress and more money needs to be found for it to be finished as I have to work on other things to help pay the bills. But it will get there in the end.

This is an exciting little app project and it will help guide people around a shop and if you're visually impaired or blind and point it at a shelf or product, the product will display on the app and in turn tell you in audio what that product is so you know exactly what you are buying.

Copyright Milk & Jam

Now is the time for Milk & Jam

Isn’t advertising all about exactly that, time! It is about engaging with an audience, getting the product or service known again or launching a new product. Advertising is so much more than that though and I totally get it but I wanted to do this as if it helps one person in the future in my position then it is all worth while. I’m also canny, a really nice guy but very clever and that goes a long way in business as people buy from people but in the end it is all about advertising yourself as well.