Your company is planning a hybrid event, an all-hands meeting, or a public webcast — but have you considered how accessible your communication really is?
With the European Accessibility Act (EAA) coming into effect on 28 June 2025, many organisations are facing a new reality: accessibility is no longer optional — it’s now a legal obligation. And that includes how you deliver live audio, video, and spoken content across all channels.
From live captions to translated subtitles, ensuring your event or meeting complies with the EAA might sound complex — but it doesn’t have to be. Language technology companies such as Interprefy are already helping companies like yours meet these new standards with ease by offering full support and solutions that span from remote simultaneous interpretation (including sign language interpretation) to AI speech translation and live captions in real-time in over 6,000 language combinations.
Before we explore how to achieve compliance, let’s unpack what the EAA actually entails — and what it demands from your next event.
The European Accessibility Act (EAA) is a directive formally adopted by the European Union in 2019 to standardise and improve accessibility across all member states. By 28 June 2025 — just days away — EU countries must transpose the EAA into national law, and most of its provisions will become fully applicable. From that point forward, businesses will be legally required to comply. The Act is designed to eliminate inconsistencies caused by varying national regulations, making products and services more accessible for people with disabilities and older individuals.
By setting common accessibility requirements, the EAA also supports easier cross-border trade within the EU and ensures a more consistent user experience for everyone — regardless of ability.
The EAA has significant implications for event organisers and meeting planners across Europe:
Accessibility in Digital Spaces: Event websites, registration systems, mobile apps, and digital tools must be accessible to people with disabilities. This includes ensuring compatibility with screen readers, providing captions and sign language interpretation for live events, and offering real-time communication options for deaf and hard-of-hearing attendees.
As mentioned before, the European Accessibility Act (EAA) directly impacts the use of language technologies by requiring that digital products and services support accessible communication for people with disabilities. This includes the integration of technologies that offer sign language interpretation, AI-powered speech translation, and automated captions.
For sign language interpretation, the EAA encourages — and in some cases mandates — that audiovisual media services and interactive devices provide sign language support, especially for TV, streaming, and video-enabled customer support. Language technologies that embed sign language avatars or real-time sign language interpretation become essential for compliance, ensuring deaf and hard-of-hearing users can access information and services.
AI speech translation technologies are relevant because the EAA requires multimodal access to information — meaning content must be available in text, audio, and visual formats, and must be adaptable to user needs. AI-driven speech-to-text and speech translation tools help meet these requirements by enabling real-time transcription, translation, and spoken feedback, making digital platforms more inclusive.
Captions are explicitly required for video content under the EAA, ensuring that all audio information is available as text for users who are deaf or hard of hearing. Language technologies that automatically generate accurate, synchronized captions — including AI-based solutions — are therefore critical for compliance.
Related Article:
In summary, the EAA drives the adoption of advanced language technologies by mandating that digital platforms support sign language interpretation and live captions, making digital content accessible to a wider range of users with disabilities.
The European Accessibility Act (EAA) requires that communication be perceivable, operable, understandable, and robust — the POUR principles that underpin inclusive design. As mentioned before, these standards apply across the board, ensuring equal access for people with disabilities, older individuals, and anyone facing communication barriers.
In multilingual contexts, accessible communication means more than translation — it requires thoughtful delivery across languages, formats, and abilities.
Put simply: content and communication must be designed so that everyone can access, navigate, and understand them — regardless of ability, language, or context.
Multiple Sensory Channels: Information must be available through more than one sensory channel. For example, if information is presented visually (e.g., text or images), it should also be available in audio (e.g., text-to-speech) or tactile formats, and vice versa.
Readability and Clarity: Text should be easy to read and properly formatted, avoiding jargon and complex language. Instructions and labels must be clear and straightforward, supporting users with cognitive, language, or learning disabilities.
Sign language interpreting is now routinely included in public sector communications and live events, with interpretation provided in national or regional sign languages via video overlay. Many virtual conferences feature remote interpreters covering the sign languages relevant to their audiences, while universities and public institutions offer live sign language access during open days, briefings, and presentations to support deaf participants across different countries.
Live-streamed product launches now frequently include real-time subtitles in multiple languages, ensuring wider accessibility. On-demand training videos are published with captions to support deaf and hard-of-hearing viewers, while multilingual subtitles are embedded into conference recordings to extend reach across regions.
Internal town halls often use AI-generated captions in employees’ native languages, and webinars increasingly feature live speech-to-text and translated subtitles to support international audiences. Multilingual virtual events are now offering both voice and text output in thousands of language combinations, improving participation and comprehension in real time.
AI speech translation is increasingly used at live events to make spoken content accessible to participants in their preferred language. During global company updates or multilingual conferences, AI technology can detect and translate speech in real time, delivering audio output directly to attendees’ devices or headsets. This allows participants to follow along in their own language, supporting both understanding and inclusion across geographically and linguistically diverse audiences.
Relying solely on bilingual staff: Depending on in-house bilingual employees for interpretation or translation can result in inconsistent quality and limited coverage. Work with certified professional interpretation partners who offer professional, inclusive language support.
Using overly complex language: Jargon and technical terminology create barriers, especially for non-native speakers or individuals with cognitive impairments. Use plain, direct language wherever possible.
Overlooking multilingual accessibility: Supporting only major languages excludes speakers of less common ones. Make sure your accessibility solutions cover a wide range of languages and dialects.
Neglecting real-time accessibility: Omitting features like live captions, sign language interpretation, or audio descriptions can exclude entire segments of your audience. Plan for these from the outset.
Interprefy makes it simple for event organisers to meet the requirements of the European Accessibility Act (EAA) by embedding multilingual and accessibility features directly into the event experience. The platform enables full inclusion — onsite, online, and hybrid — through real-time interpretation, AI speech translation, and live captions in multiple languages.
Participants can join using a web browser, mobile app, or third-party platform integration, and select their preferred language and accessibility features. Interprefy ensures compatibility across devices while keeping security and data protection in place through encrypted links and protected access codes.
Beyond the basics, Interprefy supports features such as sign language interpretation, multi-language closed captioning, and integration with over 80 event platforms. This flexibility ensures that accessibility tools can be toggled on or off as needed, giving participants a personalised, inclusive experience. The platform also meets digital accessibility standards through screen reader compatibility and keyboard navigation.
By integrating these features directly into event workflows, Interprefy removes common accessibility barriers — helping organisations deliver inclusive, multilingual events that align with EAA standards.
While the European Accessibility Act defines the minimum legal standards, forward-looking organisations are going beyond compliance — treating accessibility as a strategic advantage.
By integrating tools like Interprefy to deliver multilingual content, live captions and sign language interpretation, companies are not just meeting legal obligations — they’re creating more inclusive and engaging experiences for all participants.
This proactive approach fosters deeper audience connection, improves comprehension, and enhances brand credibility. Making events accessible in multiple languages broadens reach, supports diversity and inclusion goals, and opens doors to new markets that may have previously been underserved.
Ultimately, viewing accessibility as a core pillar of your event and communications strategy — rather than a compliance checkbox — empowers your organisation to lead with purpose, innovate with empathy, and build lasting relationships across cultures and communities.
To meet the EAA — and to truly serve diverse audiences — inclusion must be built into your multilingual event strategy from the very beginning.
That means going beyond reactive fixes and embedding accessibility and language support into every step of the planning process. When accessibility is standard practice, you’re not just compliant — you’re creating events that work for everyone.
Here’s how to make it part of your operational playbook:
Choose platforms that support multilingual accessibility
Ensure your tools provide seamless access to interpretation, captions, and assistive technologies — across devices and formats.
Train your teams for accessible, multilingual delivery
From content creators to interpreters, everyone should understand how to communicate clearly and inclusively.
Test with accessibility in mind — and in multiple languages
Include accessibility and linguistic accuracy in your QA process, involving real users when possible.
Provide multilingual help and instructions
Support participants with clear, translated guides and offer help in multiple formats — from live chat to accessible PDFs.
Gather multilingual accessibility feedback
Make it easy for participants to share their experiences in their preferred language — and use this input to improve.
Be transparent about your accessibility approach
Publish an accessibility statement that includes details on language support, available formats, and how to request accommodations.
By standardising these practices, you create events that don’t just meet legal requirements — they reflect a culture of inclusion, clarity, and respect for all participants, regardless of language or ability.
Use this checklist during your event planning, delivery, and post-event review to ensure your multilingual event meets EAA accessibility standards:
Before the event
During the event
After the event
With just days to go before the European Accessibility Act becomes enforceable, organisations must ensure their events and communications are inclusive, multilingual, and legally compliant. This means moving beyond minimal captioning and considering every layer of accessibility — from sign language interpretation to AI speech translation and screen reader compatibility.
The good news: meeting these requirements doesn’t need to be complicated. With the right planning, tools, and partners, creating accessible experiences becomes a seamless part of your event workflow — not a last-minute add-on.
Interprefy helps organisations like yours meet EAA standards effortlessly, enabling live captions, real-time translation, and sign language support across any event format or platform. But compliance is just the beginning. Accessible events are better events — for everyone.
Make accessibility part of your strategy. Not because you have to — but because it works.