Summary: Accessibility in Audio Tech – Audio Developer Conference 2025

We are happy to share that the recording from the Accessibility in Audio Tech workshop at Audio Developer Conference 2025 is now available.

The session brought together audio developers, accessibility specialists, musicians, and disabled creators to discuss how the audio industry can build more inclusive tools and workflows. The central message was that accessibility should not be treated as an afterthought or a niche feature—it should be integrated into product design from the beginning and developed in partnership with the people who will use it.

Workshop sections

1. Welcome and introductions

Host Jay Pocknell opened with a practical accessibility exercise: participants closed their eyes and attempted to unlock their phones and navigate to the dial pad. The exercise illustrated how modern touch interfaces often remove tactile cues that previously made technology easier to use non-visually.

He reflected on the experience of blind BBC editor and accessibility advocate Sile O’Modhrain, whose work became inaccessible as audio production moved from analogue to digital systems. Jay connected this to his own experience as a partially sighted producer and engineer, noting that technological progress does not automatically translate into accessibility.

He introduced his work at RNIB and with Sound Without Sight, outlining the workshop’s goals:

• Bring developers and disabled users into the same conversation.
• Highlight practical accessibility successes and challenges.
• Explore opportunities for collaboration.
• Focus on solutions rather than simply identifying problems.
• Encourage accessibility as a normal part of audio product development rather than a specialist afterthought.

2. The Social Model of Disability

Liza Bec & Tim Yates

This section introduced the Social Model of Disability, a framework developed by disability rights activists.

Key ideas included:

• Disability arises primarily from barriers in society rather than deficiencies in individuals.
• The responsibility for accessibility lies with designers, organisations, and communities, not solely with disabled people.
• Accessibility should be embedded into systems from the outset.

Liza contrasted this with the Medical Model of Disability, which focuses on diagnosis, impairment, and “fixing” people.

Using her experience of music-triggered epilepsy, she explained how the medical model framed her condition as a problem to eliminate, whereas the social model allowed her to see neurological differences as part of her creative practice.

Tim introduced the principle:

“Nothing about us without us.”

The speakers argued that disabled people must be involved throughout development and design processes because lived experience is a form of expertise that cannot be substituted by assumptions or external observation.

3. Structural access barriers within the audio industry, and opportunities to be part of the solution

Tim Yates, Liza Bec, Jay Pocknell & Mxshi Mo

This discussion focused on systemic barriers that still prevent disabled musicians and producers from fully participating in audio technology.

Major barriers identified

• Visually complex interfaces.
• Poor screen reader support.
• Lack of keyboard navigation.
• Insufficient documentation.
• Accessibility features breaking after updates.
• Difficulty discovering accessible products.
• Overreliance on mouse-driven workflows.
• Lack of interoperability between hardware and software.

Liza Bec: The Roborecorder

Liza described creating the Roborecorder alongside Leafcutter John.

The instrument emerged through a collaborative design process and transformed involuntary movements associated with epilepsy into expressive performance controls. It became a case study in how accessibility-driven design can create genuinely new forms of musical expression rather than simply compensating for impairment. 

Mxshi Mo: Accessible Production Workflows

Mxshi Mo discussed his experience as a visually impaired electronic music producer from South Africa.

He highlighted:

• The importance of Ableton Live’s accessibility improvements.
• The value of tactile workflows using Ableton Push.
• The challenge of researching accessible technology before accessibility information was widely documented.
• The importance of hardware-software integration.

Key opportunities identified

• Better documentation of accessibility features.
• More community consultation, with Sound Without Sight’s community-led user feedback initiatives suggested as one solution.
• MIDI mapping and customisation.
• Maintaining accessibility features through software updates.
• More openness from developers about how products can be adapted in unexpected ways.
• AI-assisted workflows and intelligent hardware interfaces.

The section concluded with a presentation of Drake Music’s vision for an Accessible Musical Instrument Collection, intended to preserve, document, and showcase accessible instruments and technologies that are often lost after research projects conclude.

4. Making software talk: screen reader implementation principles

Tim Burgess & Jay Pocknell

This section shifted from accessibility theory to implementation.

The presenters explained how blind users interact with software through:

• Screen readers.
• Keyboard navigation.
• Braille displays.
• Other assistive technologies.

Key concepts included:

Focus

Software should always indicate which control currently has keyboard focus. Without focus management, screen readers struggle to determine what information should be presented.

Tab order

Interfaces should have a logical navigation sequence. Users should be able to move consistently forward and backward through controls.

Keyboard access

All functionality should be reachable without a mouse.

Native controls

Developers were encouraged to use operating-system-native interface controls where possible because accessibility support is often already built in.

Accessibility APIs

The session introduced:

• Microsoft’s UI Automation framework.
• Apple’s NSAccessibility framework.

Developers were encouraged to integrate with these systems rather than attempting to build custom accessibility layers from scratch.

A plugin demonstration from Solid State Logic (SSL) showed how controls can announce:

• Their function.
• Current value.
• Available actions.

This allowed blind users to navigate plugins efficiently and independently.

The session also showcased accessible Max for Live devices developed by Iftah Gabbai, as well as Maxess, a free set of externals that developers can use to make Max for Live devices accessible.

6. Usability, not just accessibility

Scott Chesworth & Jay Pocknell

This section argued that technical accessibility alone is insufficient.

A product may technically work with a screen reader but still create a significantly slower or more frustrating workflow than the experience available to sighted users. 

Using the REAPER accessibility extension OSARA, Scott Chesworth demonstrated how accessibility can be optimised for efficiency.

Key concepts included:

Glanceability

Sighted users gain information instantly by looking at:

• Tempo.
• Transport position.
• Solo states.
• Project status.

Blind users need equivalent methods to retrieve this information quickly.

Contextual feedback

OSARA provides spoken information that changes depending on context, reducing unnecessary navigation.

Custom actions

Users can assign shortcuts that instantly report key information without moving focus around the interface.

Productivity

The goal is not merely access but parity of workflow efficiency.

The broader message was that accessibility should support professional-level productivity, not simply allow basic operation.

7. First half wrap-up and Q&A

The first-half discussion brought together themes from the earlier presentations.

Topics included:

• The importance of involving disabled users throughout development.
• The distinction between accessibility and usability.
• Maintaining accessibility during updates.
• Documentation and discoverability.
• The need for industry-wide collaboration.

Jay also introduced a new Sound Without Sight survey designed to connect developers with disabled users who can provide feedback during development and testing. 

8. Spotlight session: defining a framework for universal design

Sam Prouse & David Shervill

This session broadened the conversation from disability-specific accommodations toward Universal Design. 

David Shervill focused on:

• Inclusive music education.
• Supporting beginners and returning musicians.
• Reducing barriers to entry.
• Creating pathways into creative industries.

Sam Prouse introduced a framework for applying accessibility principles across audio software and hardware.

The presentation explored:

• Universal Design principles.
• Accessibility standards.
• Adaptation of W3C accessibility guidance beyond web environments.
• Creating design frameworks that work for diverse users from the outset.

Together they argued that inclusive design benefits all users and should become a foundational design principle rather than a specialist discipline.

9. Spotlight session: accessibility at Native Instruments – Kontrol and the NI Accessibility Helper app

Tim Adnitt

Tim Adnitt presented Native Instruments’ work on improving accessibility within the Kontrol ecosystem. 

Key topics included:

Accessibility Helper

A software layer designed to make Native Instruments hardware more accessible to blind and visually impaired musicians.

Hardware navigation

The system enables users to access controls, parameters, and workflows without relying on visual interfaces.

Third-Party Integration

The helper allows Kontrol MK3 keyboards to work not only with NKS-compatible products but also with:

• Non-NKS plug-ins.
• External hardware synthesizers.

Community templates

The presentation highlighted the importance of community-created MIDI templates that extend accessibility beyond officially supported products.

The overall message was that accessibility can be significantly improved through thoughtful hardware-software integration rather than relying solely on screen-based solutions.

10. Second half wrap-up and Q&A

The final panel brought together all workshop panellists from throughout the workshop. Discussion centred on:

• How developers can begin implementing accessibility immediately.
• Collaboration between industry and disabled creators.
• Balancing commercial realities with accessibility goals.
• Community testing and feedback.
• The importance of preserving accessibility across future product updates.
• Building sustainable pathways for disabled musicians entering the audio industry.

The session concluded with a call for ongoing collaboration between developers, educators, accessibility specialists, and musicians, with accessibility framed not as a compliance exercise but as an opportunity to create better and more innovative audio technology for everyone.