Making events truly accessible for all

As event organisers, production teams, and venues, you hold the power to create experiences that unite, inspire, and engage people from all walks of life. However, a challenge that many of us face is ensuring that these experiences are truly accessible for everyone, including individuals with disabilities. Accessibility should not just be a box to tick—it must be an essential part of your event planning from the very start. Your budget for accessibility should be set at the planning stages.

Inaccessible events create barriers that prevent people with physical, sensory, or cognitive disabilities from attending, engaging, and participating. In the UK, the Equality Act 2010 requires public events to be accessible, but it’s not just about compliance—it’s about ensuring equal opportunities for all. With over 15% of the world’s population living with some form of disability, the importance of accessible events cannot be overstated. Ask yourself: Are you doing enough to make your event open to everyone? Are you missing out on a new and diverse audience for your clients and your events?

Consider the venues you select for your events. Are they truly accessible for attendees with mobility requirements? It’s not just about ramps and lifts; it’s about thoughtful design. Accessible toilets, a variety of seating options to accommodate different needs, and designated spaces for wheelchair users are crucial. Think about how people will navigate the space—clear signage, wide doorways, clutter-free walkways, and designated parking spaces are just the beginning. Your event venue must be welcoming and functional for people of all abilities. This should be at the forefront of your mind when selecting venues. I would suggest that you do not book an inaccessible venue and communicate this feedback to the venue. It may be that only when venues lose business due to inaccessibility will they invest in the changes required to make their spaces accessible.

What about attendees with sensory diversity? Can individuals with hearing or visual impairments fully engage with your event? Providing live captioning, sign language interpreters, or assistive listening devices should be standard practice for every event. You must also consider how to support those with visual impairments—audio descriptions and tactile maps can make a huge difference. Furthermore, creating quiet spaces for people with sensory processing disorders offers a respite from overwhelming noise and crowds. How are you ensuring these needs are met at your event? All of these adjustments will improve the experience for all attendees.

Cognitive disabilities and neurodiversity must also be a priority. People with autism, ADHD, or other cognitive differences may struggle with overwhelming schedules or complex information. Are your event instructions simple and clear? Can people easily follow the event flow without confusion? Scheduled breaks, visual aids, and flexibility in how information is delivered can help ensure that everyone can stay engaged and feel included. Again, all attendees will benefit from regular breaks, simple schedules, and clear instructions. Why not make the experience better for everyone by ensuring it is inclusive and accessible?

With the rise of virtual and hybrid events, accessibility extends beyond physical spaces. Virtual platforms must be designed with accessibility in mind. This includes offering live captioning—ensuring you use a platform that provides both human and AI-generated captioning, as AI captioning alone is neither sufficient nor accessible for those who rely on it. Other considerations include screen reader compatibility and customisable options such as font size adjustments or high-contrast modes. Look at your registration process—can someone using a screen reader register easily for your event, or will they need to seek assistance? The same applies to people with limited mobility or cognitive function limitations.

This is just food for thought on making events accessible—there is so much more we can do to create better events for everyone.

Here’s the challenge:

• Make accessibility a central part of your event planning. Whether you are organising a live conference, concert, or virtual gathering, it is your responsibility to ensure that no one is excluded.
• Ensure you have a dedicated accessibility budget from the outset. While many accessibility features are free to implement and make a huge difference, some require investment to provide the high-quality accessibility that some people need to engage and be included.
• Don’t treat accessibility as a tick-box exercise. Accessible events are not just a legal requirement—they present an opportunity to create a more inclusive, diverse, and welcoming environment. By embracing accessibility, you’ll open your event to a wider audience and create an experience that everyone can enjoy and participate in.
• Consider inviting disabled speakers to your conference to share their experiences and unique perspectives, ensuring their needs are met and they are paid on par with any other expert.
• Use welcoming language. Instead of asking, “Please let us know if you need any adjustments”, reframe it as “How can we make your experience at our event more engaging and inclusive? We will be providing live captioning and sign language on request as standard. Do let us know if there is anything else you need.”

Let’s rise to the challenge and ensure that every event is accessible, inclusive, and welcoming for all. Let’s make accessible events mainstream, not the exception.

About MyClearText

MyClearText provides live human and AI captioning for all types of live events. We also offer training to production and event companies on making events accessible. Our technology company, AccessLOOP, allows you to add captions and multi-language captions to your livestreams and hybrid events with ease.

We are sponsoring the live human captioning across all stages at International Confex 2025. Visit us at Stand ETL1 to learn more about captioning and accessible event solutions.

Our founder, Orla Pearson, will be speaking across multiple stages in three talks and panel discussions on event accessibility over both days.