In 2026 accessibility isn't an add-on; it's an expectation from audiences, procurement teams and, for public-sector and many corporate clients, a requirement. The good news is that most of it is a production decision made early and delivered routinely — and it improves the event for everyone.
Captions: live human, live automated, or both
Automated live captions (from the platform or an AI service) are now good enough for a clear single speaker in a quiet studio, and free or cheap. They struggle with panels, accents, jargon and product names. Human live captioners (stenographers or respeakers) deliver 98%+ accuracy and handle names and terminology from a glossary you supply, at a cost of a few hundred pounds per hour. Our recommendation: human captions for anything public-facing or legally sensitive; automated for internal events with a clear speaker — and always burn corrected captions into the on-demand version afterwards.
BSL interpretation on the stream
A British Sign Language interpreter needs to be visible on screen throughout, not just when "important" things happen. In production terms that means a dedicated camera or remote feed for the interpreter, composited as a picture-in-picture that the vision mixer never removes, in a position that doesn't collide with lower thirds. Book interpreters in pairs for anything over an hour — they work in 20-minute rotations. Send them the run order and scripts in advance.
Audio description and visual content
Every visual element needs to be understandable by ear. Presenters describe what's on their slides ("this chart shows revenue doubling between 2023 and 2025"). Videos with on-screen text get a voiceover or a described version. Polls are read out. This is a briefing note to presenters, not a technical cost — and it makes the audio-only listener, the person on a bad connection and the person on a treadmill all better served.
The platform and the player
Check that the platform is keyboard-navigable, works with screen readers, lets viewers turn captions on and resize them, and has adequate colour contrast. Ask vendors for their accessibility statement or VPAT. If they don't have one, that's an answer.
Slides and graphics
Minimum 24pt text on slides that will be streamed; high contrast; no information carried by colour alone; lower thirds on screen long enough to be read twice. A slide that's fine in a boardroom is unreadable on a phone stream.
Timing, breaks and content warnings
Breaks every 60–90 minutes; agendas published with times; content warnings for flashing imagery (and avoid it — strobe effects in stings are a real risk on screen). Provide transcripts and slide decks afterwards.
The legal context (briefly)
In the UK the Equality Act 2010 requires reasonable adjustments for disabled people, and public-sector bodies must meet the Public Sector Bodies Accessibility Regulations, which reference WCAG 2.1 AA. Whether or not a particular event is strictly caught, procurement increasingly asks the question. This is general information, not legal advice — but building captions and accessible platforms in by default means you never have to work out the answer under pressure.
Ask for captions, BSL and an accessible platform in the brief. If a supplier hesitates, they haven't done it before.