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Access Services Community Meeting

G. Jovic/RTS

This is a unique opportunity to connect with fellow Access Services and accessibility experts and gain insights into the latest trends and best practices in our field on 10-11 October at the France Télévisions headquarters in Paris.

The upcoming edition will include discussions and presentations on AI, standardising Audio Description, producing accessible sports coverage for major events like the Paris 2024 Games, audience outreach efforts, sign language interpretations, and innovative solutions to improve people's access to public service media content. Don't miss this excellent opportunity to learn from industry experts and make valuable connections!

Registration for the Access Services Community Meeting is now closed.

Venue information

France TV welcomes the participants to its headquarters in Paris.

Venue address: Esplanade Henri de France 7, 75015 Paris.

There are two entrances to the main hall, both with wheelchair accessibility but with necessary prior registration:

South entrance: Boulevard Martial Valin 13

North entrance: Rue Florian Delbarre 18

Nearest public transport stops to the France Télévisions premise:

  • Tramway (line T3a), stop at Pont du Garigliano
  • Regional train (line RER C), stop at Pont du Garigliano – hôpital européen Georges Pompidou
  • Metro (line 8), stop at Balard

Public transport accessibility for wheelchair users is not straightforward; checking each station on the following map before travelling is necessary. For example, the Balard metro station is not accessible to wheelchair users.

Everyone who has registered for the event is invited to a pre-meeting welcome drinks and networking dinner. More information is sent out via email and on the agenda. 

Hotel information

France TV recommends two hotels near the meeting venue:

  • Okko Hotels Paris Porte de Versailles (10 mins walk or 5 mins walk and one tram stop)
  • Mercure Hotel Porte de Versailles (Three tram stops away)

Speakers

Aixa Andreetta

Access Services Center Contact, RSI (Switzerland)

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Andreas Tai

Product Owner, Accessibility, SWR (Germany)

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Anna Nihlén

Product Owner, SVT (Sweden)

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Annika Bidner

Product Owner, SVT (Sweden)

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Benjamin Poor

Senior Project Manager, EBU

Daniela Rieger

Sound Engineer, Fraunhofer IIS (Germany)

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Diane Bessis

Project Manager - web content, france.tv studio (France)

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Jan-Willem van Hoof

Team lead, Audio Description and Programme Localisation, VRT (Belgium)

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Jurgen Lentz

Advisor, NPO (Netherlands)

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Kay Macquarrie

Project Manager, Research Projects, DW (Germany)

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Klaas Baert

Technical AI lead, VRT (Belgium)

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Laura Feyto Alvarez

Head of the Accessibility Unit, RTVE

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Lucía Martínez López

Head of Information and Awareness Campaigns, RTVE (Spain)

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Margherita Romano

Access Services Editor, Rai (Italy)

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Matthieu Parmentier

Director, france.tv access, France Télévisions (France)

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Maud Sudrie

Quality Manger - live content, france.tv studio (France)

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Mikaela Åstrand

AI/ML Engineer, SVT (Sweden)

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Nicola Foltys

Head of Access Services, ZDF (Germany)

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Nigel Megitt

Executive Product Manager, BBC (United Kingdom)

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Per Johansson

Senior Developer, SVT (Sweden)

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Philip Klenk

Head of Access Services, SWR (Germany)

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Theresa Graml

Project Manager, Communications for Diversity & Inclusion, Deutsche Welle (Germany)

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Thomas Piart

Quality Manager - SME content, france.tv studio (France)

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Valentina Gerardi

Coordinator of Audio Description activities, Rai (Italy)

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Volker Denkel

Head of Innovation, ZDF Digital (Germany)

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Presentations

  • Enhancing live accessibility services during the Paris 2024 Games - Matthieu Parmentier, France.tv AccessMembers Only
  • Live Audio Description - Nigel Megitt, BBCMembers Only
  • A Story of Inclusivity - sports acccessibilty - Margherita Romano and Valentina Gerardi, RaiMembers Only
  • Divulgation Campaign of Spanish Sign Language (LSE) - Laura Feyto Alvarez and Lucía Martínez López, RTVEMembers Only
  • Alter Ego - Switzerland's first accessible TV series - Aixa Andreetta, RSIMembers Only
  • Enhanced Speech at SVT - Annika Bidner, SVTMembers Only
  • Next Generation Accessibility- Dialogue Enhancement with MPEG-H Audio - Daniela Rieger, Fraunhofer IISMembers Only
  • "Stuff flashing in the lower third" - Diane Bessis, Thomas Piart and Maud Sudrie, France.tv AccessMembers Only
  • AI & Subtitling - Klaas Baert, VRTMembers Only
  • Automatic live captioning - Anna Nihlén, Mikaela Åstrand and Per Johansson, SVTMembers Only
  • Subtitle Toolbox @ SWR - Andreas Tai and Philip Klenk, SWRMembers Only
  • Pushing accessibility: DEI & plain X at Deutsche Welle - Kay Macquarrie and Theresa Graml, DWMembers Only
  • Access Services EuroVOX Update - Benjamin Poor, EBUMembers Only
  • EBU MAT Group Update - Nigel Megitt, BBC/EBU MAT GroupMembers Only
  • Synthetic Speech in Audio Description: From Test Case to Standard Case - Nicola Foltys, ZDF, and Volker Denkel, ZDF DigitalMembers Only
  • Audio description for EURO 2024 - Jan-Willem van Hoof, VRT, and Jurgen Lentz, NPOMembers Only
  • Enhancing Sign Language experience with WebAssembly (Wasm) - product demonstration - Rafael Bermudez Guijo and Jordi Mata Ferrate, 3CatMembers Only