Have you ever stopped to think about what it actually means for an event to be accessible?
We don’t mean a venue with wheelchair ramps or lifts, which should be a standard today, but we’re looking further at the kinds of barriers that people face which aren’t always obvious to the naked eye. These are challenges that prevent people from participating or attending events whether in person or online, regardless of their access requirements.
Here’s a stat that really made us pause when we first heard it: 1 in 6 people lives with some form of disability or difficulty in learning.
That’s a huge number. And yet, accessibility is often an afterthought for many event planners and tech providers. Maybe it’s because of cost? Maybe its due to knowledge? Whatever the reason, it’s important to address these challenges and make events more inclusive for everyone and to talk AND act on it, to help improve experiences for more.
Imagine travelling to an exciting event, only to find you can’t fully participate because the technology isn’t built with you in mind. It’s isolating. You can’t reach your badge. And for an industry that thrives on connection, that doesn’t sit right.
At CrowdComms, we genuinely believe in taking those barriers away. We’re not perfect, but accessibility is in our core.
For us, it’s not just a tick-box exercise or something to talk about when a big law changes (such as the European Accessibility Act that we covered in our recent spotlight session – view that here). It’s about creating events that absolutely anyone can access, regardless of ability, and empowering organisers to do the same.
Event Accessibility Starts with Four Pillars
When we think about accessibility in event technology, it’s easy to focus on the physical stuff. But digital platforms and tools come with their own challenges. To help our team (and yours) think about accessibility holistically, we work from four core pillars:
Perceivability
This is about helping users see and interpret what’s happening on a platform. For example, when we add alt tags to every image, we make sure screen readers can describe those visuals to attendees with low vision. Responsive designs ensure content looks and works great across any device or screen size. It’s small changes like this that can make a big difference. For CrowdComms, we have one codebase for every device – which means you can create your event and deploy it in any style of event (virtual, hybrid, app) literally in seconds. Speeding up deliverability but also enhancing accessibility.
Operability
If you’ve never tried navigating a website with a keyboard instead of a mouse, I’d highly recommend giving it a go. You’ll quickly realise how frustrating an inaccessible design can be! Operability is all about making sure platforms are easy to move through, whether users are tabbing with a keyboard or relying on assistive technologies like voice navigation.
Understandability
Cluttered pages, unclear instructions, or complex language can make navigating a site a nightmare, even for someone without neurodivergence. For us, understandability means ensuring pages have a logical structure, instructions are straightforward, and content is easy to read (no paragraph essays on a sign-up form, promise!).
Robustness
This one’s a little technical, but stick with me. Robustness ensures our platforms work seamlessly with assistive technologies like screen readers. For example, if you’re submitting a chat message in one of our event apps, there’s an invisible ARIA label in the code that tells the screen reader, “This button submits the message.” For someone relying on this tech, that simple addition is an absolute game-changer.
Why it matters to get event accessibility right
If you’re wondering why you’ve been hearing more about accessibility recently, that would probably be the European Accessibility Act (EAA). This week, the Act officially comes into effect, and it’s set to raise the bar for how organisations approach accessibility.
Any company providing goods or services to the EU market is now required to comply with tighter accessibility standards. It’s no longer optional.
But truthfully? It never should have been optional. Whether it’s ensuring your registration forms are screen-reader friendly or offering closed captions on live streams, making events accessible should always have been part of the plan.
Why? Because when you isolate members of your audience, it’s not just them who lose. You lose, too. Reduced attendance, missed engagement, and potentially a tarnished reputation for inclusivity are just the start.
How CrowdComms Makes Accessibility a Standard
With the EAA coming into place, many of our client event organizers are working out what they need to do to align with these new guidelines.
At CrowdComms, accessibility has long been baked into what we do. Every system we build adheres to the WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines) standards. But beyond meeting regulations, we focus on making sure our event organizers and their attendees have the tools they need to succeed.
Here are just a few practical ways we help organisers create more accessible events:
- Alt Tags and Descriptions: Alt Tags and Descriptions: While not every image needs an alt-tag—screen readers often skip irrelevant ones—we help clients upload images to rich text editors, ensuring inline visuals are accessible and readable with various tools.
- Contrast Tools: Our platform checks your brand colours to ensure text remains readable against any background. No squinting here!
- Customisable Registration Forms: Our forms can be displayed as a single page or broken into digestible sections, helping organisers tailor experiences for everyone.
And yes, we’re always striving to do better. Accessibility is a moving target, and that’s okay. The key is being open to learning and evolving with each event.
Ask, Listen, Evolve
Here’s an “aha” moment that struck a chord with guests on our recent webinar discussion.
Just as you might ask for dietary requirements on a registration form, why not ask if there are any accessibility needs, too? Not every barrier is visible, and by simply starting the conversation, we can discover ways to enhance the experience for everyone.
Ultimately, this work isn’t about box-ticking or meeting quotas. It’s about human connection. And when your attendees feel seen, valued, and supported, your event thrives.
An event industry challenge
We wanted to wrap up with a challenge for you. Next time you’re planning an event or talking to your event tech provider, ask this question:
“Is the code behind my platform accessible? How are we supporting diverse abilities?”
If the answers aren’t clear, it’s time to dig deeper. Accessibility isn’t a “set it and forget it” process. It’s an ongoing commitment that benefits everyone—from the attendee using a wheelchair to the organiser who finds joy in welcoming a fuller, more vibrant community.
At CrowdComms, accessibility is more than a standard. It’s how we show up for every client, every event, every time. And we’d love to help you take this step toward connection, inclusivity, and success.
What’s one thing you can do today to make your events more accessible? We’d love to hear your thoughts below.
Interested in learning more? Contact us today or speak to your tech provider about better accessibility. Together, we can make events for everyone.
