Events Webinar

Making Events Accessible by Default

A live panel on why accessibility can’t be an afterthought at the events that put your organisation on show.

How much of your audience is quietly struggling to participate fully at the events you run, and not just because of what’s being said?

Conferences, open days, awards evenings, graduations – these are the moments your organisation is most visible to the people whose opinion matters most. Recent industry research found that nearly one in three delegates identifies as having a visible or non-visible disability, and the vast majority say they’ve encountered barriers at events. Yet accessibility is so often treated as an afterthought, patched over with one-off fixes rather than designed in from the start.

This panel brings together voices from across the events and accessibility world to talk honestly about what “accessible by default” actually looks like in practice: physical access, sensory and neurodivergent needs, staff training, digital platforms, and clear communication, not any single fix.

Register now
A man in a wheelchair wearing a white shirt and jeans looks thoughtful whilst holding his chin, with a laptop resting on his lap—symbolising the importance of accessible events that ensure everyone can participate comfortably and confidently.
Events Webinar

Making Events Accessible by Default

  • Online
  • Wednesday, 16th September
  • 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM BST

Why This Matters Now

Most event organisers know the usual reflexes: book a human captioner, point attendees toward their own assistive tech, add a wheelchair-accessible entrance, or more often than anyone would like to admit, do nothing until someone asks. Each of these responds to one need in isolation. Genuine accessibility means looking at the whole experience, from booking the room itself to how information is communicated before, during and after the event.

This interactive panel discussion, hosted and facilitated by CareScribe, brings together people who’ve researched and built accessibility into events from the ground up, not as an add-on.

Through open discussion, audience interaction, myth-busting and live Q&A, we’ll tackle the assumptions that hold organisers back, the practical realities of making events accessible at scale, and what “by default, not by request” really means when you’re planning your next event.

What you’ll take away: A practical, honest picture of how to make accessibility a built-in part of event planning, across every part of the experience, not a favour extended to those who ask for it.

A person with glasses and a lanyard speaks on stage, gesturing with one hand near a microphone and a laptop, with black curtains in the background—emphasising the importance of inclusive events and event accessibility.
Ellen Forster
Access:Given
Ellen Forster is a content strategist, web designer and co-founder of Access:Given, a digital accessibility conference in Newcastle upon Tyne. With more than a decade of experience working in digital content, Ellen specialises in creating accessible, user-centred digital experiences. She co-founded Access:Given with Michelle O'Connor, bringing together people working across content, design and development to share practical approaches to digital accessibility. Through Access:Given, Ellen has developed an approach to accessible events that considers the whole attendee journey, from accessible event information and ticketing to live captions, sensory spaces and post-event recordings. She regularly shares what Access:Given has learned about making accessibility a priority from the beginning, including simple and practical changes that don't require huge budgets.
A woman with long brown hair smiles outdoors, wearing a yellow patterned top. Greenery and white flowers are blurred in the background, creating a welcoming setting that reflects the spirit of inclusive event planning.
Dr Shani Dhanda
The Accessible Events Show
Dr Shani Dhanda is a global authority on inclusion and accessibility, driving measurable impact across brands, events, media, and customer experiences. Recognised as the UK’s most influential disabled person and a BBC 100 Women Laureate, she has advised 400+ organisations on embedding accessibility into strategy and innovation. A global speaker and broadcaster, she’s shared stages with Michelle Obama and Hillary Clinton and sits on eight advisory boards, contributing to national disability policy. Shani co-founded the Accessible Events Show, Asian Woman Festival, and Asian Disability Network, championing systemic inclusion across industries. Featured in Forbes’ Accessibility 100 and winner of 30+ awards, she’s celebrated as a transformative leader redefining representation and creative impact.

Key Highlights:

Two overlapping speech bubbles, one outlined in blue and the other shaded light grey, symbolising conversation or communication and highlighting the overlap of experiences such as neurodiversity or chronic health conditions.

The accessibility gap

Dr Shani Dhanda shares findings from Access All Areas research with The Business of Events and ICC Wales, on the gap between what organisers believe they provide and what delegates actually experience.

Beyond the obvious fixes

Physical access, sensory overload, unclear communication and untrained staff all show up as barriers just as often as anything else. Our panel gets honest about where events fall short, and why.

Digital accessibility, in focus

Ellen Forster shares what Access:Given has learned building a conference around digital accessibility from day one, at a moment when the European Accessibility Act has made this a legal requirement, not just good practice.

Accessible by default, not by request

What it looks like to build accessibility into an event from the first planning meeting, across every part of the experience, rather than responding to it after the fact.

Who should attend?

This event is designed for:

  • Events, marketing, comms and people teams responsible for planning live events – conferences, open days, awards evenings or customer events
  • Higher education teams running open days, applicant days, and graduations
  • Anyone who’s ever wondered whether their events are genuinely accessible, or just technically compliant