Our accessibility experts worked in partnership with official Eurovision partner Baileys to make the magic of Eurovision more inclusive for its blind and visually impaired fans.  

We held focus groups with people with lived experience of learning disabilities, autism and visual impairments, including broadcaster Amar Latif and disability campaigner Scott Watkin BEM. Many of the people involved in the focus groups were keen Eurovision fans, and provided direction on how Baileys can improve the accessibility offering. 

Through these insights, SeeAbility provided step by step recommendations for 2024 and beyond, particularly focusing on audio description. Baileys took many of these recommendations on board and introduced audio descriptions of each act. These have been released in a Spotify playlist and are available for anyone to listen to alongside the live broadcast.

Paul Carton, Global Marketing Director at Baileys commented:  

“Baileys is delighted to be sponsoring Eurovision 2024 and excited once again to drive accessibility and bring to life more than ever before the spectacular of the song contest. We want to share the pageantry, sparkle and jaw dropping showmanship that brings the music of Eurovision to life for millions around the world to those fans who are visually impaired.

"At Baileys we believe every adult has a seat at the treat table, no matter your age, sexuality, ethnicity, ability or gender and through Delicious Descriptions, we will deliver image descriptions that are as delicious as the image themselves. Working collaboratively with SeeAbility, we are delighted to make our treat content that bit more accessible and engaging.”

Desiree D’Souza, Executive Director of Innovation and Social Impact at SeeAbility also commented:  

“The Eurovision Song Contest brings people together not just on the night but for weeks after, as families, friends and colleagues discuss the show-stopping performances. SeeAbility is delighted to have this opportunity to work with Baileys and Eurovision to ensure that invaluable insight from disabled people shapes audio description summaries on Spotify, ensuring everyone can feel a part of this spectacular event. 

“We believe passionately that improvements to accessibility play a vital role in building an inclusive society, where everyone can live as equal citizens. We're indebted to our advisors, who shared their lived experiences of sight loss, learning disabilities and autism to inform this partnership.” 

SeeAbility is looking forward to continuing to work with Baileys and Eurovision to provide even better audio description, as well as other improved accessibility practices, to make Eurovision as inclusive and accessible as possible.

Listen to the Eurovision 2024 audio description playlist on Spotify.

How we can help

We've helped businesses become more accessible with training, focus groups and customer journey reviews. Find out how we can help. 

If you’d like a call about your requirements, contact Kat Akass, SeeAbility’s Head of Marketing, Digital and Communications, by emailing k.akass@seeability.org. 

Photo credits:
Alma-Bengtsson / EBU 
Sarah Louise Bennett / EBU