One-day digital accessibility conference

Creating a space where accessibility is a given

Wednesday 13th May 2026

Catalyst Building, Newcastle Upon Tyne

£154 plus booking fee per person

Meet the speakers

Carrie-Ann Lightly (she/her)

Carrie-Ann is our keynote speaker. She is talking about Authentic Inclusive Storytelling: The Power of Diverse Voices to Drive Real Change.

Matisse Hamel-Nelis (she/her)

Matisse Hamel-Nelis is an award-winning communications and digital accessibility consultant, author and PR professor at Durham College

Martin Underhill (he/him)

Martin Underhill is an accessibility consultant with over a decade of experience working on accessible digital products.

Lisa Riemers (she/her)

Lisa Riemers is an independent communications consultant, author and accessibility advocate who helps clients connect their people and tell their stories.

Simon Ellis (he/him)

Simon is a Strategic Accessibility Project Manager at Appspace, dedicated to the ‘Accessible by Design’ philosophy.

Elza Parisa (she/her)

Elza is CareScribe’s Assistive Technology Consultant. She'll be talking about why live captioning helps everyone listen, learn, and remember

Samantha Merrett (she/her)

Samantha (she/her) is a Senior Accessibility Specialist at the Ministry of Justice, specialising in accessible documents and inclusive content design.

Meet our partners

Captioning Partner:

Multimedia Partner:

Affinity Media Logo

Partner:

Sunderland Software City
Two women, Helen and Holly, who both have brown hair. Holly has glasses. Helen, on the left, is speaking at a podium labeled “The Catalyst” in front of an audience, with stage lighting and curtains behind them.
Ettie, a white woman with blonde hair, stands at a podium on a stage, addressing a seated audience in a modern lecture theatre. Rows of attendees sit in tiered seating, some taking notes or looking toward the stage, with professional lighting and curved wooden wall panels framing the space.
People sitting around tables in a casual discussion setting inside a modern venue, with “Theatre” signage visible in the background.

Want to know what to expect at Access:Given?
Watch our highlights from 2025.

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