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Making music technology more accessible: takeaways from ADCx Gather 2026

Athan Billias

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Jay Pocknell from Sound Without Sight posted an article on Sound Without Sight about the the Accessibility meetup at ADC-X.

From accessible instruments and screen reader friendly plug-ins to AI-assisted development and MIDI standards, the Accessibility in Audio Meet-up brought together musicians, developers and accessibility advocates to explore how collaboration can make music technology work for everyone.

How do we make music technology more accessible to blind and partially sighted musicians? And how can the audio industry share knowledge, improve existing products and develop new tools that give more people the freedom to make music?

These questions were at the heart of the Accessibility in Audio Meet-up at ADCx Gather 2026. Bringing together people working across accessible music-making, audio software, hardware design and technical standards, the session explored both the challenges musicians face today and the opportunities to make things better.

A recurring message emerged throughout the discussion: accessibility cannot be an afterthought. It needs to be considered across the entire musical experience, from the physical controls on an instrument to the software running on a computer, the documentation explaining how to use it, and the assistive technology that makes information available in different ways.

Just as importantly, the people who use these tools need to be involved in developing and testing them.


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