UX Design

Access:Given 2026

This edition has ended

Access:Given 2026 ran on Jul 24, 2026 at Catalyst Building in Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom. It is a UX Design conference. ConferenceGrid lists 15 speakers, 5 sponsors, 4 exhibitors and 14 sessions. Dates for the next edition are not announced yet.

Lineup updated Jul 20, 2026 · dates verified Jul 11, 2026

Access:Given is a one-day digital accessibility conference dedicated to creating a space where accessibility is a given. Attendees will hear from industry and accessibility experts, thought leaders, and advocates on various aspects of accessibility, digital inclusion, and creating a more accessible world.

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15Speakers
5Sponsors
4Exhibitors
14Sessions
12Companies · in total

Speakers

Programmed at Access:Given, in alphabetical order.

Carrie-Ann Lightley
Carrie-Ann Lightly
Keynote Speaker
Ellen Forster
Co-founder
Elza Parisa
Assistive Technology Consultant at CareScribe · CareScribe
Jane McFadyen
Senior Content Designer at DWP Digital, Author · DWP Digital
Jo Larby
Accessibility Community Lead at Leighton · Leighton
Katie Taylor-Thompson
Panel Host, Content Writer and Strategist
Kim Anderson
Service Design Specialist and Educator at Service Design Academy · Service Design Academy
Lisa Riemers
Communications Consultant, Author, Accessibility Advocate
Martin Underhill
Accessibility Consultant
Matisse Hamel-Nelis
Communications and Digital Accessibility Consultant, PR Professor at Durham College · Durham College
Michelle O’Connor
Co-founder
Nathan Rowland
Digital Adoption Specialist at Sunderland Software City · Sunderland Software City
Samantha Merrett
Senior Accessibility Specialist at Ministry of Justice · Ministry of Justice
Simon Ellis
Accessibility Lead at Atos · Atos

Sponsors

The companies behind the program. Tiers as disclosed.

Affinity MediaMultimedia Partner
CareScribeCaptioning Partner
Eventua11ySensory Room Partner
LabradorPartner
Sunderland Software CityPartner

Agenda

Selected from 14 sessions.

  • 10:00–10:10

    Opening remarks

  • 10:00–10:10

    Opening remarks with co-founders Michelle O’Connor and Ellen Forster.

  • 10:10–10:30

    Lightning talk #1: How to create accessible documents

  • 10:10–10:30

    Lightning talk #2: Designing for people who have dyscalculia or low numeracy

  • 10:30–11:10

    Working better, together: accessibility, inclusion and internal communications

  • 11:30–12:10

    Building accessibility into the software development lifecycle

  • 13:10–13:20

    Lightning talk #3: Accessibility Without Asking: Why Live Captioning Helps Everyone Listen, Learn, and Remember.

  • 13:20–14:20

    Panel discussion: Making the case: How to communicate the importance of accessibility to decision makers

  • 14:40–15:20

    Going beyond components and building accessible experiences

Quick answers

When is Access:Given 2026?
Access:Given 2026 ran on Jul 24, 2026 at Catalyst Building in Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom.
Where is Access:Given 2026 held?
Access:Given 2026 was held at Catalyst Building in Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom.
Who is speaking at Access:Given 2026?
ConferenceGrid lists 15 speakers, including Carrie-Ann Lightley, Carrie-Ann Lightly (Keynote Speaker) and Ellen Forster (Co-founder).
Who sponsors Access:Given 2026?
ConferenceGrid lists 5 sponsors: Affinity Media, CareScribe, Eventua11y, Labrador and Sunderland Software City.
Company intelligence

What does it mean when 12 companies show up, and 4 bet on three roles at once?

Twelve companies. four are betting more than once.

The numbers below are derived from the speakers, sponsors, and exhibitors on this page, cross-referenced into one ledger. They are the only thing here that 10times.com cannot tell you.

Who's in the room
4All threespeak · spons · exh
2Sponsoringsponsor only
1Exhibitingexhibitor only
5Speakingspeaker only

In all three roles

CareScribe·Labrador·Sunderland Software City·Service Design Academy

Speakers by seniority

13% of the speakers carry senior titles: C-suite, Founder, VP, or Director-level.

  • Founder / Owner213%
  • Manager / Lead213%
  • Engineer · IC640%
  • Marketing / Brand213%
  • Other roles320%

Of 15 speakers · classified by free-text title

Most-represented companies
#CompanyRolesSpeakers
1CareScribeSponsor · Captioning PartnerExhibitor1
2LabradorSponsor · PartnerExhibitor-
3Sunderland Software CitySponsor · Partner1
4Affinity MediaSponsor · Multimedia Partner-
5Eventua11ySponsor · Sensory Room Partner-
6Service Design AcademyExhibitor1
7Slow ShoppingExhibitor-
8Atos1
9Durham College1
10DWP Digital1
11Leighton1
12Ministry of Justice1
Sponsors by tier
captioning partner1
20% of 5
multimedia partner1
20% of 5
partner2
40% of 5
sensory room partner1
20% of 5