Monthly seminars
Once every two months we meet online to present and discuss our research projects. Each meeting consists of one or two presentations (15-20 mins) followed by questions and suggestions (10-15 mins). Any member of the network can volunteer to present their project and you do not need to have any results yet. The idea is more to spread the word about the type of research you are doing and to receive feedback from peers who might be working on something similar. Therefore, you are welcome to talk about issues that you have encountered so far in your project.
Upcoming activities
OPEN Research Network Forum, May 5, 2026
We are organizing the OPEN Research Network Forum, which will take place on 5 May at the University of Antwerp, with the possibility to join both in person and remotely. The Forum is conceived as an initial meeting point for researchers in media accessibility and as an opportunity to shape the future of the network together. Its focus is practical: doing better media accessibility research together. Rather than promoting a single theoretical approach, the Forum aims to create space to present ongoing projects, exchange methods and experiences, and identify opportunities for collaboration. Information OPEN Forum (the same from the newsletter)
The OPEN Expertise Centre for Accessible Media and Culture (University of Antwerp) is organising the OPEN Forum, a full-day symposium on accessibility research and practice, which will take place on 6 May at the University of Antwerp (City Campus, Building D), with the possibility to participate online via livestream. For the fourth edition of the OPEN Forum, OPEN is teaming up with the European Master's in Translation (EMT) network and the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Translation (DGT) to host a full day of talks and workshops dedicated to accessibility. The event is organised as a Translating Europe Workshop, part of the European Commission’s Translating Europe initiative, which aims to bring together stakeholders from academia, the translation profession, and industry to exchange knowledge and discuss developments in translation and related fields. Translating Europe Workshops are smaller, specialised events organised across EU member states in collaboration with universities and professional organisations. The event brings together researchers, practitioners, and policymakers to discuss collaborative and participatory approaches to accessibility. The programme includes presentations, interactive workshops, discussions, and networking opportunities.Date: 6 May. Location: University of Antwerp (Belgium) and online. Participation: Free of charge (registration required). Further information and registration can be found on the OPEN website.
Past activities
Research seminar 1 - 28 November 2022
Eva Verebová, Constantine the Philosopher University in Nitra
Researching Accessibility of Theatrical Performances in Slovakia: A Focus on the D/deaf and Hard of Hearing
Kulnaree Sueroj | University of York | The implementation of existing Thai audio description guidelines from the perspective of Thai audio describers. |
Sarah McDonagh | Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona | The project and how accessibility is integrated into its mobile apps and web platforms. |
Research seminar 2 - 16 January 2023
Irene Hermosa Ramirez Universitat | Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona | Audio introductions for the scenic arts from a product and a user-centred approach |
Kim Steyaert | University of Antwerp | Towards a greater accessibility of audiovisual media: exploring machine translation for audio description from English into Dutch |
Research seminar 3 - 20 March 2023
Michał Górnik | University of Warsaw | Interlingual respeaking. Exploring the potential of a new interpreting model in the context of accessibility. |
Research seminar 4 - 19 June 2023
María Eugenia Larreina Morales & Marta Brescia Zapata | Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona | Accessibility in live music events: challenges and opportunities |
Research seminar 5 - 18 September 2023
Andreea Deleanu | University of Surrey | Why so difficult? Breaking down cognitive barriers in audiovisual narrative. |
Research seminar 6 - 22 November 2023
Senne Van Hoecke | University of Antwerp | Subtitling in an educational context |
Research seminar 7 - 22 January 2024
Alejandro Romero Muñoz, | Universitat Jaume I | The accessibility creative continuum in VOD platforms. A multimodal analysis in audio description. |
Research seminar 8
Research seminar 9 - May 20, 2024
Rongyu Wang, Dublin City University
"Promoting subtitling for the d/Deaf and Hard of Hearing in China: Insights from both SDH subtitlers and SDH users"
Research seminar 10 - June 17, 2024
Marina Pujadas Farreras, Universitat Autónoma de Barcelona
“Easy audios for better comprehension: Speech rate and pause duration”