Access Bristol launched in 2025 with the purpose of progressing assistive technology for disabled creative users. A collaboration between technologists, disability advocates, industry partners and students at University of Bristol.

We were approached to make a gentle film that documents the community coming together, leaving space for each individual to give only as much as comes naturally to them.

Filmed over two days, we met a group of approximately 100 people. Highly diverse in age, gender, disability and ethnicity. There were a range of visible disabilities represented at the event, including wheelchair users, AAC users, visually impaired people, alongside other disabilities that are harder to recognise such as autism, PTSD, chronic pain and anxiety.

It was important that the film was as accessible as possible, so we took an audio-first approach. We wanted to ensure the film would work as a podcast. The gentle and reassuring atmosphere of the event comes through as we are hosted by Kyle Keane, Senior Lecturer at University of Bristol and visually-impaired himself. We hear Kyle’s passion for disability advocacy, kind and considerate facilitation and technology as a tool for amplifying human ability.

“there is a lot of complex emotional and psychological navigation. We all have different expertises, we all have different things that we can offer”
– KYLE KEANE, UNIVERSITY OF BRISTOL

"There are approximately 1.3 billion people with disabilities in the world... And technology can be a tremendous force for inclusion."
– ED SUMMERS, GITHUB

"accessibility is at its heart a very humanitarian kind of approach. Events like this are how we’re able, I think, to advance as a society."
– FREYA SHAW, HODR ENGINE