All Together Now!

What? 

Presentations, debates and workshops on accessibility across sectors and domains. Participation is free, registration is required.

When?

May 6, 2026, from 9.00 to 18.00

Where?

City Campus of the University of Antwerp, Grote Kauwenberg 18, Building D, and online via a livestream.

The OPEN Forum is a symposium organised by the OPEN Expertise Centre for Accessible Media and Culture of the University of Antwerp, that embodies the intersection of research, (artistic) practice, policy and experiential expertise. The first OPEN Forum took place in February 2019, with more than 90 participants from six different countries. The focus was on the opportunities and challenges of technological innovation. The 2022 edition was an online event entitled 'Innovation for Accessibility: Best Practices' with over 80 participants. The third edition coincided with the international Media for All 10 conference that OPEN co-organised with the research group TricS in Antwerp. At Media for All it became clear that accessibility is no longer a niche topic in the field of media and translation, but a growing domain with many perspectives and applications.

For the fourth edition of the OPEN Forum, OPEN is teaming up with the EMT network and the EU's Directorate-General for Translation to host a full day of accessibility talks and workshops.  In the morning, you can join a DGT multilingualism workshop, organised as part of the EMT "train the trainer" summer school series. This summer school is co-organised every year by a consortium of six EMT universities (UA, UV, KUT, ISCAP, UNINT and CPU) and is aimed specifically at trainers in audiovisual translation and media accessibility with a view to enhancing their knowledge and teaching resources on the topic of media accessibility practices. This year, OPEN hosts the summer school in Antwerp. In the afternoon, you can join the fourth edition of the OPEN Forum, which will bring together researchers from various disciplines around the theme of accessibility.

Both events are organised under a common theme: All Together Now! Collaborative approaches in Accessibility. The DGT workshop will start with DGT's AI-tool for clear language and then focus on participatory approaches in training, from co-creation in easy language and audio description, to co-teaching for access and co-creation in industry. The OPEN Forum will focus on collaborative and participatory approaches in research. Together with experts from various disciplines, we will reflect on the emergence of the new field of study called "Accessibility Studies". Through a series of presentations and discussions, we will explore the challenges and benefits of interdisciplinary and intersectoral collaboration for access research.

*Presentations can be in English, Spanish or (Flemish) Sign Language. Translation to English will be provided.*

• *A full programme with summaries and speaker biographies will follow soon*

9.00 - 9.15: Registration

Part 1: DGT Multilingualism Workshops: Collaborative approaches in access and training

9.15 - 9.30: Welcome by Sakis Maraslis, Director of Resources of the Directorate-General for Translation (English)

9.30 - 10.00: Artificial Intelligence & clear language (English, Helen Dobby, DGT)

10.00 - 10.30: Co-creation & easy language (English, Sara Vecchiato, EMT member, IT)

10.30 - 11.00: Co-creation & Audio Description (English, Hannah Thompson, Royal Holloway University, UK)

Coffee Break

11.30 - 12.30: participants can choose between two workshops:

• Workshop 1 (for those joining online, English & Spanish): Co-creation and collaboration in accessible/accessibility training, by Pablo Romero Fresco and Saskia Alba. This workshop will be in Spanish and English. Translation to English will be provided.
• Workshop 2 (for those attending on site only, Flemish Sign Language): Rethinking collaborative practices in sign language projects (Hannes De Durpel, Belgium)

Lunch Break

Part 2: OPEN Forum: Collaborative approaches in research

14.00 - 14.30: The name and nature of Accessibility Studies (English, Nina Reviers, Anna Jankowska & Gert Vercauteren, University of Antwerp, BE)

14.30 - 15.00: Towards design justice: A critical reflection on current design practices (English, Kaat Kenis, University of Antwerp, BE)

15.00 - 15.45.: Mapping Accessible Experiences: an interdisciplinary research network in the making (speaker(s) to be confirmed) ​ ​

Coffee Break

16.15 - 17.15: Building access research across disciplines and sectors: experiences from UAntwerp’s Accessibility Hub (English, with Karolien Poels, Annelies Colliers, Pieter Cools and Michael G. Marcondes Smith). 

17.15: Reception & Networking

Are you joining us on-site?

• The conference will take place in building D of the City Campus of the University of Antwerp, Grote Kauwenberg 18. 
• The building can be accessed through a set of stairs, a wheelchair accessible ramp or a side door that leads directly to the venue without the need for a ramp.
• The conference will be on the ground floor, and accessible toilets are nearby. A picture to recognise the entrance is provided below.
• If you need a break or a quiet place to sit or work, there is a silent room available on the third floor, accessible by stairs and elevators. Just ask one of the organisers.

Are you joining online?

• If you cannot make it to Antwerp, you can follow the presentations online. A link to access the meeting will be shared on this website and via email after registration, a day in advance. 
• Unfamiliar with online conference tools and not sure it will work? Let us know via email, and we can help you set up and test the software before the conference. 

• The working language of the conference is English, but presentations can be in English, Spanish or (Flemish) Sign Language.
• All presentations will be accompanied by live subtitling into English. More information of how this will be displayed will follow soon.
• If you would like to receive the speakers' slides in advance via mail, this is possible upon request.
• Do you have other language needs or preferences? Let us know via e-mail so we can discuss the possibilities.
  

How to get there?

• The city campus is located near the central train station (called Antwerpen-Centraal). From there, you can walk 10 to 15 minutes to the venue. 
• If you are travelling to Antwerp from abroad, you can find more information about (international) transport on this university travel webpage.
  
• If you are travelling from another city, you can find more information about public transport and parking on this university travel page.
• Are you not sure you will find it, or would you like assistance to get there from a nearby location? Let us know via email, and we can make arrangements. 

Where to stay in Antwerp?

There are plenty of hotels nearby. Past participants of previous conferences have happily stayed in the Amory Hotel, the City Box or the Prize by Radisson.​

• The OPEN Forum and the EMT Multilingualism Workshop are both free of charge for all participants. But registration is required.
• Coffee, tea and water are offered during the coffee breaks, as well as a reception with drinks and appetisers. 
• Lunch is not included in the conference. You can have lunch in the University's Agora café, which is right next to the conference room, or you can try one of the many restaurants around the campus, such as the Wolf Food market. 

Feel free to contact us if you have any questions or concerns. We try to answer within 2 to 3 working days: open@uantwerpen.be