RNIB 2025 Media Accessibility Symposium
RNIB’s Accessible Media Symposium brings together broadcasters, streamers, technology companies, creatives, researchers and people with lived experience to explore the future of accessible media. As storytelling, platforms and technologies evolve, so too must the ways we think about access. This two-day event is a chance to share ideas, highlight innovation, and shape what accessible media looks like in the years ahead.
When: Tuesday, 16 September – Wednesday, 17 September
Where: RNIB London HQ, The Grimaldi Building, London
Agenda
Day 1: Tuesday, 16 September 2025
Symposium Check-in, Light Lunch & Networking
12:30 PM
Opening Plenary Session
1:30 PM – 1:40 PM
Keynote: Matt Stringer, CEO, RNIB
1:40 PM – 1:55 PM
Lightning Talk
RNIB and the Future of Accessible Media Tech
1:55 PM – 2:15 PM
John Paton, Manager, Media, Culture and Immersive Technologies
Jonny Marshall, Research Officer, Media, Culture and Immersive Technologies
Round Table: The Future of Accessible Media – User Needs and Expectations
2:15 PM – 3 PM
Chair: Allan Russell, Presenter – Daily Connect on Connect Radio
Panellists:
Elliot Stonehill
Ashrafia Choudury
Jonathan Abro
Claire North
Short break
3 PM – 3:15
Breakout Sessions Track
3:15 PM – 4 PM
- Track 1: The evolving role of human narration: enhanced audio commentary, live AD and what else?
What will content accessibility look like in the years ahead? Will traditional audio description (AD) stay the same, or evolve into something new? This session explores the shifting role of human narration – from enhanced commentary to live description, dialogue enhancement, immersive sound design, and object-based audio – and considers what might come next.
Chair: Dr. Ben Shirley, Associate Professor in Audio Technology at the Acoustics Research Centre, University of Salford.
- Track 2: Steering AD quality through co-creation and quality metrics
As we look to the future of AD, how do we measure what good looks like? Can quality metrics reflect both technical precision and creative intent? And as some content is made inherently more accessible through thoughtful design, how should that be acknowledged?
Chair: Cathy Taylor, Principal, Content Policy, Ofcom.
- Track 3: Making Short-Form Content Accessible – Ads, Social Media and Micro Shorts
As micro dramas, trailers and user-generated content grow in popularity, how do we make sure accessibility keeps up? What are the practical, creative and platform-level solutions that can ensure short-form content is accessible by design?
Chair: Christopher Patnoe, Head of Accessibility and Disability Inclusion, Google
Coffee Break
4:00 PM – 4:15 PM
Presentations from breakout sessions and discussion (15 minutes for each breakout session and 15 mins for Q&A at the end)
4:15 PM – 5:15 PM
Round-up of Day 1: Abi Fitzgibbon, Director of International Development and Cultural Affairs, RNIB
5:15 PM – 5:30 PM
Drinks and networking
5:30 PM – 7PM
Day 2: Wednesday, 17 September 2025
Symposium Check-in, Light Lunch & Networking
12:30 PM
Opening Plenary Session
1:30 PM – 1:40 PM
Keynote: Vivienne Francis, Chief Strategy and Public Affairs Officer, RNIB
1:40 PM – 1:55 PM
Presentation: AI Generated AD Project
1:55 PM – 2:25 PM
Professor Sabine Braun, University of Surrey
This project explored how AI could be used to generate AD for factual content, and what that meant for quality, creativity and viewer experience. It engaged blind and partially sighted audiences and highlighted where human input remains essential.
Round Table: Industry challenges and opportunities for making TV accessible in the next 10 years
2:25 PM – 3:10 PM
Chair: Sonali Rai, Media, Culture and Immersive Technologies Lead, RNIB
Panellists:
David Padmore, Director of Accessibility, ITV
Steve Scorer, Head of Broadcast and Publication, BBC
Meta confirmed (invited)
Sky confirmed (invited)
Spotlight: Mosaic Media – Innovation in European Accessibility Research
3:10 PM – 3:20 PM
Professor Pilar Orero, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona
A brief session introducing Mosaic Media, a European research initiative focused on accessible media and digital inclusion. The project explores how innovation, co-creation, and inclusive technology can transform media access across Europe.
Short break
3:20 PM – 3:35
Breakout Sessions Track
3:35 PM – 4:20 PM
- Track 4: Automation of AD - synthetic voices, AI written scripts
What happens when machines take on the writing and/ or the voicing of AD? This session explores the promise and limitations of AI-generated scripts and synthetic speech – where automation works well, where it still falls short, and what it means for quality, creativity, and cost.
Chair: Professor Sabine Braun, University of Surrey
- Track 5: Shift it left: Building accessibility and representation in from the start
Designing for inclusion from day one can improve the accessibility of content and remove or reduce the need to retrofit accessibility. This session explores how early decisions in writing, casting and production can reduce the need for retrofitting and asks how it could work in the current broadcasting ecosystem.
Chair: Jonathan Penny, Access Services Manager, Channel 4
- Track 6: Platform level accessibility: Accessibility at the point of use
As more content moves to connected platforms, how do we ensure accessibility isn’t lost at the point of use? Can platforms support meaningful access through design? And what does a truly accessible viewing experience look like when discovery, playback and navigation all work as they should?
Chair: Nigel Meggitt, Executive Product Manager, BBC
Coffee Break
4:20 PM – 4:35 PM
Presentations from breakout sessions and discussion (15 minutes for each breakout session and 15 mins for Q&A at the end)
4:35 PM – 5:35 PM
Round-up of Day 2: Robin Spinks, Head of Inclusive Design, RNIB
5:35 PM – 5:50 PM
End of the day
