Artificial Intelligence and Digital Accessibility at the Heart of the Accessible Future Conference

Alongside a series of engaging lectures on accessibility, the conference will also feature a panel discussion bringing together representatives of various associations for persons with disabilities to explore the impact of artificial intelligence on accessibility and everyday life.

Zagreb, 20 May 2026 - Artificial intelligence is increasingly becoming an integral part of daily life, transforming the ways in which we communicate, learn, work and access digital services. At the same time, an increasingly important question is being raised: To what extent are these technological advances genuinely accessible to everyone? This important issue will be at the centre of the fifth international conference, Accessible Future, taking place in Zagreb on 2 June 2026, organised by the Croatian Regulatory Authority for Network Industries (HAKOM) and Poslovni dnevnik. This year’s conference places particular emphasis on artificial intelligence and its role both in advancing and re-evaluating digital accessibility for persons with disabilities.

A key part of the programme will be the panel discussion entitled “How Much Is Artificial Intelligence Changing the Lives of Persons with Disabilities?”, organised within a session dedicated to new technologies and their contribution to a more inclusive society. What distinguishes this panel is its concept as an open and user-centred dialogue, in which the primary voices are those of persons with disabilities themselves. Rather than focusing solely on abstract or technological perspectives, the discussion will be grounded in everyday experiences, real-life needs and users’ expectations of technology.

The panel will address a range of practical and highly relevant questions: how artificial intelligence-based tools can facilitate access to information, public and commercial services, education and employment; where the limitations of existing solutions lie; and how new technologies can be prevented from unintentionally deepening existing forms of exclusion. Special emphasis will also be placed on the responsible development of artificial intelligence, where accessibility should not be regarded as an optional addition, but rather as a fundamental value embedded from the outset.

The discussion will be moderated by Prof. Dr Željka Car from the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computing, University of Zagreb, an expert with extensive experience in assistive communication, inclusive technologies, and the application of modern ICT solutions in education and society. The panel discussion will feature Alma Zulim (Association of Deaf and Hard of Hearing People of Istria County - UGNIŽ), Marija Livajušić (UP2DATE Centre), Goran Gojković (UPIT Osijek), and Andrija Tabak (Croatian Union of Youth and Students with Disabilities - SUMSI). The participants come from a range of organisations and represent diverse user perspectives, enabling a more comprehensive and realistic insight into the impact of artificial intelligence on accessibility in practice.

In addition to the panel discussion, the conference programme will include a series of expert presentations offering a broader regulatory, technological and international perspective on digital accessibility.
 
The opening part of the programme will focus on experiences in implementing the regulatory framework for digital accessibility, including examples from Hungary, which will be presented by Dominika Belendesi from the Hungarian regulatory authority NMHH. Kateřina Skalová from Deafcom Solutions will discuss the preparedness of electronic communications services for the requirements of the European Accessibility Act, while Becca Hume from Inclutech will address the importance of accessibility in emergency communications and the role of technology in situations where timely and understandable information can be critical to safety and the protection of lives.

Jan Lundin from Accessibility Cloud AB will present the application of artificial intelligence in digital accessibility testing, while Mario Salai from AISight will showcase the development of an application designed for blind and partially sighted persons which, with the support of advanced technologies, enables improved spatial orientation and easier access to information in real-world environments.

The final part of the programme will be dedicated to the award ceremony of the Experience Is Worth Its Weight in Gold Project, which promotes employment opportunities, professional placements and the equal inclusion of young persons with disabilities in the labour market. In this way, the conference further broadens the discussion on accessibility beyond the digital sphere, while emphasising the importance of long-term cooperation between institutions, employers and civil society organisations in building a more inclusive society.

Once again this year, the Accessible Future conference will bring together regulators, experts, industry representatives and users themselves, continuing to foster dialogue, exchange knowledge and encourage the development of solutions that place accessibility at the centre of technological progress.

The conference programme is available at the following link.

The international conference will be streamed live on HAKOM’s Facebook page and the HAKOM YouTube channel.