Everyone deserves a seat: How Humanitix is working to improve event accessibility

In the world of ticketing and events, it's all too easy to overlook the fact that not everyone can join in on the fun. For 1.3 billion people – or 16% of the global population living with disabilities, attending events often feels like trying to crack a secret code just to get through the door.

From the very beginning of Humanitix, it’s been a core part of our mission to change that. We believe that events should be where everyone feels welcome and has the chance to come together, connect and fully enjoy themselves. In fact, we aim to be the most accessible ticketing platform in the world.

Of course, this is an ongoing journey and we’re always working to improve, but we’ve implemented a whole bunch of features that have helped make events, the event hosting experience, and the tools we offer on Humanitix accessible for everyone.

Implementing key innovations for inclusive, accessible events

Here are some of the key actions and features we have implemented to keep us innovating and evolving to maintain our goal of being the most accessible ticketing platform in the world:

Event accessibility

Accessibility education for event hosts:

We've created an easy-to-follow guide for event hosts, showing them how to make their events more accessible. We believe that by giving hosts the tools they need, we can make a real difference in how inclusive events can be.

Filter by accessibility on our Events Marketplace:

The Humanitix platform encourages event hosts to add accessibility information to their event listings, like whether there is wheelchair access at the venue, whether audio description will be included, or if a sign language interpreter will be attending. Then, when searching for events to attend on humanitix.com, fans and attendees can search by their accessibility requirements.

Accessibility information included in event calendar invites:

We make sure all our event invites and reminders include accessibility information. That way, people with disabilities can get the details they need, exactly when they need it.

Check-in app accessibility for hosts:

Our check-in app is designed with accessibility in mind, so visually impaired hosts can run their events smoothly and independently. No barriers here – just inclusive event management for everyone.

“The Humanitix check-in app is amazing. I am vision impaired and use the screen reader on my iPhone. We ran an in-person event this week and I tried it. I can’t tell you how rare it is to download an app that is fully accessible. I usually need a sighted person to assist at registration to tick people off the list. I did it totally independently and I just wanted to thank you and know the impact you have made for inclusion. Great work.”

- Natasha Brake, Administration Officer at Disability Advocacy Resource Unit (DARU)

Web accessibility

Standard and training:

Every time we roll out a new feature, we make sure it adheres to accessibility standards, like Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). Testing is continuous and Humanitix has worked with Atlassian, Vision Australia, Google, and Intopia to audit and fix issues on our platform.

The Humanitix development team completes regular training to stay on top of the latest accessibility standards. We’re big fans of Sara Soueidan for following updates and trends in accessibility, and some staff have undertaken The Practical Accessibility Course.

We’ve worked with partner organisations like Vision Australia, the Disability Advocacy Resource Unit, the Australian Network on Disability, and Guide Dogs NSW/ACT to ensure that accessibility requirements have been catered for throughout all touchpoints of event hosts’ and attendees’ journeys with Humanitix. All elements and pages across the front and back ends of the Humanitix platform can be read easily by screenreaders and our mobile check-in app is fully compatible with mobile screen readers.

The Humanitix team with Rocco "The Blind Guy" at the Google Impact Challenge. Read more about Rocco's story here.

Audience feedback: Our impact on accessibility for events

The impact of Humanitix's accessibility initiatives is clear from the positive feedback we’ve received from individuals and organisations within the accessibility community, including leading accessibility organisations like Knowbility who have endorsed us and even moved over all their events to our platform. From enabling independent event participation for the visually impaired to offering comprehensive accessibility features, our efforts have been commended for their effectiveness and inclusivity.

“We at Disability Policy Consortium are impressed with Humanitix’s comprehensive and well-designed accessibility features - a rarity in the ticketing and event management platform space, and yet an important component of equitable and inclusive event planning.”

- Noel Martin Rubio, Development and Communications Manager at Disability Policy Consortium Inc (US)

Mark, one of the supporters of Elysium Gathering, a festival hosted on Humanitix on a specialised wheelchair that allowed him to attend and work at this year’s festival. You can read more about his story here.

Working towards an even more inclusive future

At Humanitix, we hope the actions we’ve shared here, and what we’ve shown is possible when accessibility is placed at the core of the products we build, are the beginning of a much larger movement. But we know our work is far from over.

While we’re working towards becoming the most accessible ticketing platform in the world, we invite event hosts, attendees, and stakeholders across the industry to join us in our commitment to making events truly accessible to all.