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2 minThe invisible audience: who really benefits from accessible events
When we think of accessible events, many have a specific image in mind: a wheelchair user or a deaf person. But reality is more nuanced, and the audience that benefits from accessibility measures is much larger than most assume.
Take hearing aid users. In Switzerland, over 300,000 people use a hearing aid or cochlear implant. At larger events, with background noise, reverb, and distance from the stage, even modern hearing aids reach their limits. A direct audio stream from the mixing desk to the hearing aid makes the difference between participation and exclusion.
Then there is the group that is often statistically forgotten: people with situational impairments. Standing in the last row at an open-air festival in the wind, you can barely hear a word. Attending an international conference without fluently speaking the presentation language, you lose the thread. Sitting in a loud stadium, you wish for subtitles.
A study by Verizon Media showed that 80 percent of people who use subtitles are not hearing impaired. They use captions because they are in a loud environment, because they are hearing a second language, or because they absorb content better when they can read and listen simultaneously.
For event organizers, this means: accessibility features are not a niche solution for a few, but added value for many. Streaming live audio directly to smartphones and hearing aids, providing real-time transcripts, and offering AI-powered translations improves the experience for a significant portion of the audience.
The invisible audience is there. It is larger than you think. The question is: do you design the event for 100 percent of those present, or only for those who happen not to need support?
Take hearing aid users. In Switzerland, over 300,000 people use a hearing aid or cochlear implant. At larger events, with background noise, reverb, and distance from the stage, even modern hearing aids reach their limits. A direct audio stream from the mixing desk to the hearing aid makes the difference between participation and exclusion.
Then there is the group that is often statistically forgotten: people with situational impairments. Standing in the last row at an open-air festival in the wind, you can barely hear a word. Attending an international conference without fluently speaking the presentation language, you lose the thread. Sitting in a loud stadium, you wish for subtitles.
A study by Verizon Media showed that 80 percent of people who use subtitles are not hearing impaired. They use captions because they are in a loud environment, because they are hearing a second language, or because they absorb content better when they can read and listen simultaneously.
For event organizers, this means: accessibility features are not a niche solution for a few, but added value for many. Streaming live audio directly to smartphones and hearing aids, providing real-time transcripts, and offering AI-powered translations improves the experience for a significant portion of the audience.
The invisible audience is there. It is larger than you think. The question is: do you design the event for 100 percent of those present, or only for those who happen not to need support?