RNIB Media Accessibility Symposium 2025: what we heard and what happens next
In September 2025, RNIB brought together blind and partially sighted people, broadcasters, streaming services, platforms, academics, audio description (AD) providers and accessibility professionals to focus on one question: what will it take to make media consistently accessible, not just in the content, but in how people find and use it?
Blind and partially sighted audiences told us clearly what they need most: AD that’s easy to find, stays switched on, and arrives at the same time as everyone else gets the programme plus better handling of on-screen text and foreign language content, especially in news and live TV.
What the symposium covered
We held six breakout sessions and two roundtables, spanning: the evolving role of human narration (including live AD and enhanced commentary); defining and measuring AD quality; making short-form content accessible (trailers, ads and social); AI and automation; “Shift Left” approaches that build accessibility into production; and platform-level accessibility and discoverability.
Key themes we heard across the day
Across every session, the same priorities came up again and again:
- Build accessibility in early, not as a retrofit. Commissioning and production workflows need to plan for access from the start.
- Co-create with blind and partially sighted audiences. Quality and usability improve fastest when user feedback is structured and continuous.
- Fix platform and device barriers. Often pain points now sit in menus, settings, profiles, and inconsistent design, not the programme itself.
- Make AD and accessibility files travel with content. When programmes move between services, accessibility elements are too often lost.
- Using technology. AI may help in hybrid workflows, but human oversight, ethics and clear labelling matter.
- Work from shared standards. The sector needs common approaches to quality, metadata, and delivery to reduce fragmentation.
What blind and partially sighted audiences told us
In our user roundtable, people were clear: AD is not a “nice to have”, it’s part of the story. But the experience remains inconsistent across services and devices.
Top priorities included:
- Findability and consistency: AD is often buried, and AD settings don’t always “stick” across episodes or devices.
- Parity at release: box sets, and full series should launch with complete AD, not weeks later.
- Human narration and tone matter: users want culturally appropriate, well-performed description.
- Transparency about AI: if AI is used, label it clearly and quality-control it properly.
- Add voiceover to on-screen text/graphics
- Dub foreign language soundbites especially in news and live content.
Broadcasters shared a strong appetite for collaboration and a consistent message that lasting change happens when accessibility is integrated early, supported by clearer standards and better user engagement.
Key points included:
- Embed accessibility at commissioning so it becomes routine in planning, talent, workflows and budgets.
- Tackle cross-platform delivery so AD and subtitles don’t get lost when content moves between services.
- Live AD is growing but needs investment, scalable workflows, and often sponsorship/co-funding models.
- Communications and feedback loops are underused: audiences need clearer visibility of what’s available and how to report issues.
Based on the Symposium discussions, RNIB will focus on the priorities below over the next 12 months and will work with stakeholders across the sector to explore what’s feasible and scalable:
1. Embed accessibility from commissioning: encourage for AD and access planning to be built into commissioning specs and production planning.
2. Improve AD continuity across platforms: support work that helps AD “travel” with content and reduces gaps for audiences.
3. Strengthen user engagement and feedback: develop more structured ways to gather, aggregate and act on audience feedback.
4. Quality and co-creation frameworks: develop shared ways to think about AD quality (including where metrics help and where creative judgement matters).
5. Shift Left toolkit for producers and creators: practical guidance and examples (including voicing on-screen text and handling foreign language content).
6. Metadata and discoverability: support more consistent labelling and navigation so people can reliably find described content.
7. AI-assisted workflows: explore hybrid approaches and benchmarking, with transparency and user testing.
8. Platform-level consistency: encourage best practice for accessible navigation, controls and profiles across devices.
If you’re blind or partially sighted:
We want to keep testing what works (and what doesn’t) across players, devices and services, and make sure user priorities continue to shape this work. Contact us by emailing [email protected]
If you work in broadcasting, streaming, tech or production:
If you’re working on commissioning, delivery, metadata, product design or AD workflows, we’d like to stay in touch and explore practical ways to improve accessibility across the viewer journey. Contact us by emailing [email protected]
Note: “What good looks like” examples in the roundtable report were referenced by participants and are not endorsements.
