---
title: "ICSC 2026 Accessibility Statement"
lang: en-GB
date: 3 August 2026
---

# ICSC 2026 Accessibility Statement

**International Conference on Social Computing (ICSC 2026)**  
**Nuffield College, University of Oxford**  
**2–4 September 2026 · In person**  
**Statement published: 3 August 2026**

## Our commitment

We want ICSC 2026 to be welcoming and usable for disabled, Deaf, neurodivergent, blind and visually impaired participants, and for everyone with access requirements. We are planning accessibility across registration, presentations, digital materials, the venue, networking and on-the-day support.

Access needs differ. Please tell us what would make the conference accessible for you. You only need to share information you are comfortable sharing. We will use it to arrange support and share it only with the people who need it to make those arrangements.

## Request accessibility support

**Accessibility phone: [+44 7471 654889](tel:+447471654889)**

You can call or text this number before or during the conference to request assistance or ask an accessibility question.

**Accessibility email: [jan.meyerhoff1@gmail.com](mailto:jan.meyerhoff1@gmail.com)**

**General conference email: [icsc26@demography.ox.ac.uk](mailto:icsc26@demography.ox.ac.uk)**

When contacting us, you may wish to tell us:

- what arrangements you require;
- what information or materials you need in advance;
- which document or presentation formats work best for you;
- whether you require step-free access, wheelchair access or reserved seating; and
- whether you require hearing, visual, communication, sensory or other support.

Please contact us as early as possible. We will make reasonable efforts to meet requests received at any time, but advance notice gives us the best chance to put arrangements in place.

## Conference and programme links

### Conference website

[https://icsc-conf.github.io](https://icsc-conf.github.io)

### Conference programme

[https://icsc-conf.github.io/2026/index.html#programme](https://icsc-conf.github.io/2026/index.html#programme)

## Presentations and communication

- We will provide automated closed captions for presentations where the conference technology supports them. The technical team will rehearse captions and presentation equipment before the event. Automated captions may contain errors, particularly for names and technical terms.
- Speakers and session chairs will be briefed that blind and visually impaired people may be in the room. Speakers will be asked to explain images, plots, graphs, diagrams, tables, demonstrations and other important visual information in enough detail for the content to be understood without sight.
- Chairs will remind speakers to identify themselves, use microphones, repeat audience questions when necessary and avoid communicating important information only visually.
- Speakers will be encouraged to submit slides and supporting materials in advance so that accessible versions can be shared and checked.
- We intend to brief organisers, chairs and, where staffing permits, volunteers on including disabled participants actively in questions, discussions and networking rather than relying on visual cues.

## Digital and session materials

- We aim to provide presentation materials, papers, abstracts, programmes and supplementary materials digitally when authors make them available in time.
- We will ask authors for accessible, structured files with selectable text, meaningful headings and links, a logical reading order, descriptions of informative images, adequate colour contrast, and information that does not depend on colour alone.
- The conference website, registration form and digital documents are being reviewed with keyboard and screen-reader access in mind.
- Where possible, and where needed to support access, we will try to make most conference content available through the conference website. Availability will depend on speakers supplying materials in sufficient time and granting permission for them to be published.
- If a supplied file does not work with your assistive technology, contact the accessibility phone number or conference email and request another format.
- If resources and preparation time permit, we may provide QR codes for some main sessions linking to accessible session webpages. These webpages could include session information and materials supplied by speakers. We cannot promise that QR codes or session webpages will be available for every session, or that they will contain final versions of all presentations, particularly where materials are supplied or changed at short notice.
- If a session QR code is provided, we will also aim to provide a written web address and, where staffing permits, assistance from a volunteer or organiser. Participants will not be required to use a QR code.

## Venue access and seating

- We are checking step-free routes to the rooms used for the conference, including entrances, lifts, corridors, ramps, dining areas and routes between spaces.
- Accessible entrances, lifts, toilets and step-free routes will be identified in on-site information. Where volunteers are available, we intend to brief them on accessible routes.
- Accessibility-priority seating will be reserved without requiring anyone to explain a disability publicly. This will include seating near the front for people who need to be closer to speakers, screens, captions or hearing support, and seating near exits for people who need to leave easily.
- The locations of accessible toilets will be provided at registration and in on-site information once the final room allocation and routes have been checked.

## Hearing access

- We are confirming which conference spaces have hearing loops or other hearing-support systems and will test available systems before the conference.
- Closed captions will be provided where the conference technology supports them.
- Speakers and audience members will be asked to use microphones so that amplified sound, captions and hearing-support systems can work effectively.

Please contact us before the conference if you require a hearing loop, captions or another communication arrangement. We will confirm what can be provided for your sessions.

## Quiet space and accessibility support

- We intend to provide a quiet, accessible **Access Zone** where participants can rest, move away from noise or crowds, ask for assistance, obtain accessible materials, or charge and adjust assistive technology.
- Its confirmed location and opening times will be announced before the conference and available from the registration desk.
- Subject to staff or student availability, we intend to designate an accessibility volunteer and provide basic accessibility guidance to other volunteers.
- Where volunteers are available, we intend for them to offer practical assistance, such as helping participants find lifts and accessible toilets, follow step-free routes, use digital materials, locate reserved seating, understand the layout of networking and dining spaces, and enter group conversations. We cannot yet guarantee the number or availability of volunteers.

## Workshop on non-visual data science

The pre-conference programme includes a session titled **“Non-visual data science and accessibility of scientific research outputs.”**

**Date:** 2 September 2026  
**Time:** 2:00–3:00 pm (one hour)  
**Location:** Lecture Theatre, Nuffield College, University of Oxford

The workshop will take place in collaboration with:

- **Silta GmbH**, an accessibility-focused software and consulting firm. Website: [https://www.silta.ai](https://www.silta.ai)
- **MyVision Oxfordshire**, a charity supporting blind and visually impaired people across Oxfordshire. Website: [https://www.myvision.org.uk](https://www.myvision.org.uk)

This practical workshop/tutorial will introduce ways to make data visualisation and research materials usable without relying on vision. MAIDR was developed by **Professor Jooyoung Seo of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign**. Participants will learn how to:

- use the **MAIDR module (Multi-Modal Accessible Interactive Data Representation)** to represent plots through sound and, where suitable equipment is available, potentially Braille;
- use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to help transform PDFs into accessible formats, while checking the resulting structure, reading order and accuracy; and
- create accessible research outputs from the beginning, rather than attempting to repair inaccessible material only after publication.

See the [conference programme](https://icsc-conf.github.io/2026/index.html#programme) for the current schedule.

## Arrangements still being finalised

As of 3 August 2026, the organising team is still completing physical access checks and technical rehearsals. We are therefore not yet able to guarantee:

- hearing-loop availability or coverage in every room;
- closed captions in every session or their complete accuracy;
- the exact locations of accessible toilets and all step-free routes;
- the location and opening times of the Access Zone;
- the number or availability of staff or student volunteers;
- that a QR code and accessible webpage will be available for every main session; or
- that every author-supplied presentation or paper—including last-minute revisions—will be available in a fully accessible format.

We will update the conference website and on-site information as arrangements are confirmed. If any of these points affects whether you can attend or participate, please contact us using the accessibility phone number or conference email. We will discuss the available arrangements and reasonable alternatives with you.

## During the conference

The accessibility statement and practical access information will be available at the registration desk. If something creates a barrier during the event, please call or text **[+44 7471 654889](tel:+447471654889)** or speak to an organiser or, where available, a conference volunteer. We welcome feedback and will respond as quickly as practicable.