INTERACT 2027 Accessibility FAQ

INTERACT 2027 is committed to creating an inclusive and welcoming conference. This page describes the accessibility information currently available so that attendees can plan their participation. We will update it as venue arrangements and conference services are confirmed.

If the information below does not address your needs, or if a listed arrangement would not enable you to participate, please contact the Accessibility Chairs at accessibility@interact2027.org. We encourage you to contact us as early as possible so we have enough time to explore suitable arrangements.

Conference dates: 23–27 August 2027
Venue: Tallinn University, Astra building, Narva mnt 29, and Mare building, Uus-Sadama 5, 10120 Tallinn, Estonia.5

Last updated: 29th September 2026

• How do I communicate my accessibility requirements?

• Who should I contact if my question is not answered?

• What is the conference venue like?

• Is the venue accessible to wheelchair and mobility-device users?

• What accessible restroom facilities are available?

• How much walking or standing will be required?

• How can I travel to the venue?

• What accessible taxi services are available?

• Is accessible parking available?

• Where can I find accessibility information about Tallinn?

• Will microphones be used?

• What arrangements are available for presenters?

• Can a volunteer or personal assistant support me?

• Can I attend with an assistance animal?

• What sensory conditions should I expect?

• Will a quiet space be available?

• Can dietary requirements be accommodated?

• Can I attend the conference by robot?
• Will the conference be a smoke-free environment?

• How should authors prepare accessible submissions?

• What should I do in an emergency?

Please describe your requirements in the accessibility section of the registration form when registration opens. You may also contact the Accessibility Chairs at accessibility@interact2027.org at any time.

Please contact us as early as possible if you may require captioning, sign-language interpretation, step-free routes, reserved seating, assistance with navigation, access for a mobility device, dietary arrangements or another adjustment. A priority request date will be published when conference registration opens. Requests received later will still be considered, but some services may require advance booking and may depend on provider availability.

You do not need to disclose a diagnosis. Please explain the barrier you expect to encounter and the arrangement that would support your participation. Information submitted for accessibility planning will be shared only with the people who need it to organise the requested support.

Please email the INTERACT 2027 Accessibility Chairs at accessibility@interact2027.org. You can contact us if information is missing, if you encounter an accessibility barrier on the website, or if the arrangements described on this page would not enable you to participate.

For general conference matters, contact contact@interact2027.org.

INTERACT 2027 will be held at multiple locations across Tallinn University’s campus.

The following areas on the university campus provide facilities for independent wheelchair use:

Terra building (Narva Road 25) – first-floor rooms (marked with the prefix ‘T’) and, through the Astra building, the third- and fourth-floor rooms. The second floor is accessible via the stair climber on the first floor of the Terra building.

Astra building (Narva Road 29) – rooms on all floors (marked with the prefix ‘A’). The building has toilet facilities designed for people with special needs.

Silva building (Narva Road 29) – rooms on all floors (marked with the prefix ‘S’) are accessible through the Astra building. Additionally, the second floor is accessible from the second floor of the Mare building.

Mare building (Uus-Sadama Street 5) – rooms on all floors (marked with the prefix ‘M’). The building has toilet facilities designed for people with special needs.

Nova building (Narva Road 27) – rooms on all floors (marked with the prefix ‘N’). The building has toilet facilities designed for people with special needs.

Vita Building (Narva Road 27) – rooms on all floors (marked with the prefix ‘V’) are accessible through the Nova building. The building has toilet facilities designed for people with special needs.

To assist people with visual impairments, the first and last steps of staircases in Tallinn University buildings have contrasting markings. The markings are red and white in most buildings and black and yellow in the Silva building. A Tieman Reader Color reading device is available in the Study Centre on the second floor of the Astra building.

Coming soon:

The detailed conference map will identify entrances, step-free routes, lifts, stairs, registration, session rooms, accessible restrooms, seating and rest points once room allocation has been finalised.

A text description of the conference space and accessible routes will accompany the map so that the information is not available only visually.

If you have questions about navigating the campus or require a particular route or facility, please contact the Accessibility Chairs at accessibility@interact2027.org.

Tallinn University identifies all floors of Astra and Mare as accessible for independent wheelchair use. However, not every route around the wider campus is equivalent: Tallinn’s accessibility database records steep external ramps around Astra and notes that assistance may be needed on those slopes.

Before the conference, this page will be updated with the recommended step-free entrances and routes, lift dimensions, door widths, stage access and any restrictions affecting large power wheelchairs or mobility scooters. If you use a large or powered mobility device, please contact accessibility@interact2027.org with its approximate dimensions and turning requirements so that the route can be checked in advance.

Tallinn University Astra and Mare buildings contain restroom facilities designed for disabled users. Exact locations, routes and opening arrangements will be marked on the conference map after the programme rooms are assigned.

If you require a changing facility, transfer space, a hoist, a gender-neutral restroom or another specific feature, please contact the Accessibility Chairs at accessibility@interact2027.org .

Conference activities will be distributed between Astra and Mare. Measured step-free distances between the entrances, registration area, session rooms, catering areas, restrooms and any social-event transport point will be added after the final room allocation and an on-site accessibility audit.

If prolonged walking or standing creates a barrier, contact the Accessibility Chairs to discuss routes, seating, rest breaks or navigation assistance. The final venue map will identify places to sit and rest.

The closest public-transport stop is Tallinna Ülikool. Tallinn University is served by tram and bus, but routes and timetables may change before August 2027; use the official Tallinn journey planner shortly before travelling.

Tallinn’s buses, trolleybuses and trams include low-entry vehicles. Low-entry departures are underlined in timetables and can be selected with the journey planner’s filter. A passenger who needs boarding assistance can use the blue wheelchair button near the middle door; low-entry buses have ramps deployed by the driver. Most vehicles display upcoming stops and usually announce the next stop.

Tallinn Airport is approximately 4 km from the city centre and is connected to central Tallinn by public transport and taxi. Travellers who need airport assistance should notify their airline when booking. Tallinn Airport supports reduced-mobility travellers see more information on the Airport website. Tallinn Airport can also arrange for an assistant to meet a passenger at the car park or public-transport stop if contacted in advance.

Visit Tallinn lists two relevant services. Forus Takso operates adapted minibuses with ramps that allow passengers to remain in non-collapsible wheelchairs; the service should be booked at least 12 hours in advance. The Bolt app service provides the Bolt Assist category, which can accommodate a passenger travelling with a collapsible wheelchair but is not suitable for a passenger who needs to remain in a non-collapsible wheelchair.

Availability can change, so confirm the vehicle type, ramp or lift, internal dimensions, securement system and assistance required directly with the operator before travel. Contact the Accessibility Chairs if you need help identifying a suitable transfer to the campus.

Tallinn University currently lists two disabled parking spaces beside the Mare building at Uus-Sadama 5. 

Parking access and the recommended drop-off point will be rechecked before the conference. Please contact the Accessibility Chairs before travelling by car, particularly if you need a short, step-free route from the vehicle to registration.

The Accessible Tallinn guide covers transport, attractions, accommodation, accessible taxis and travelling with a guide dog. The LIPS accessibility information system provides filterable information for people with mobility, visual, hearing and intellectual disabilities and for older people.

Tallinn’s medieval Old Town can be difficult for people with reduced mobility because many streets are cobbled, kerbs can be high, and vehicle access is restricted. Harju and Viru streets are comparatively suitable routes with wider, smoother pavements.

The wheelchair-accessible Tallinn Tourist Information Centre can advise on attractions, accommodation, transport and accessible toilets. Its service area includes tactile guide paths and hearing-loop amplifiers at two desks.

INTERACT 2027 intends to use microphones for speakers and audience questions in rooms where sound systems are available. Session chairs will ask participants to use a microphone and will repeat questions into the microphone when necessary.

Room-specific audio arrangements will be confirmed after the programme and equipment plans are finalised.

Presenters who need step-free stage access, seated presentation, an adjusted lectern, additional setup time, a particular microphone, captioning, interpretation or another arrangement should contact accessibility@interact2027.org and the relevant programme chairs as early as possible.

If you may need assistance with orientation, finding a step-free route or carrying conference materials, describe the task when you register or contact the Accessibility Chairs. The conference will confirm what trained or volunteer assistance can be provided after the volunteer plan is finalised.

If you will attend with a personal assistant, contact the Accessibility Chairs before registering the assistant. Registration and access arrangements for personal assistants will be confirmed individually until a general conference policy is published. Personal care cannot be assumed to be part of the student-volunteer role.

Please notify the Accessibility Chairs at accessibility@interact2027.org if you plan to attend with a guide or assistance dog so that access routes, water and a suitable outdoor relief location can be identified. Visit Tallinn Accessibility guide states that guide dogs may travel free on domestic public transport, cannot be refused by taxi drivers and may accompany their handlers in public places such as restaurants, theatres, cinemas and museums.

Venue-specific arrangements will be checked with Tallinn University and published before the conference.

Loud music, strobe lighting, and spotlights are not expected to be part of the conference program. INTERACT 2027 aims to designate a low-stimulation space for attendees who need a break from the conference environment. Details will be published when available.

Please contact the Accessibility Chairs at accessibility@interact2027.org if a quiet space is essential to your participation.

We will provide the information about the quiet space soon. 

The registration form will ask attendees to describe dietary requirements and food allergies. Catering details, allergen-labelling arrangements and the request deadline will be published when the menu and suppliers are confirmed.

Please describe specific ingredients or cross-contact risks rather than using only a broad dietary label. If you require an accommodation related to eating, drinking, medication or bringing your own food, contact the Accessibility Chairs at accessibility@interact2027.org before the conference.

Unfortunately, we are unable to accommodate attendance by telepresence robots.

The entire conference building is a no-smoking area. Information about dedicated outdoor smoking areas around the conference venue will be available in due course.

Authors should follow the current INTERACT 2027 submission instructions and Springer Nature’s accessibility guidance. For proceedings papers, Springer Nature asks authors to provide alternative text for figures, illustrations and image-based tables, use sufficient colour contrast, avoid using colour as the only way to communicate information, create simple tables with the editor’s table function, and use meaningful link text.

Alternative text should briefly communicate the image’s purpose and the information needed in context, rather than listing every visual detail. AI-generated alternative text should be treated only as a starting point and checked by the author for accuracy and meaning.

Authors should also:

• Use built-in heading styles in a logical order.

• Give figures and tables clear captions and refer to them explicitly in the text.

• Use labels, shapes or patterns as well as colour in charts and diagrams.

• Avoid embedding essential text only inside images.

• Caption videos and provide transcripts for audio content.

• Use descriptive link text rather than “click here” or a pasted URL.

• Check reading order, document language, contrast and keyboard access before submission.

Contact accessibility@interact2027.org early if the submission system, template or required format creates an accessibility barrier.

For an immediate emergency in Estonia, call 112 for ambulance, police or rescue services. Calls are free, and 112 can be called without a SIM card or normal network coverage.

Estonia also provides an SMS 112 service primarily for people with hearing or speech impairments. Messages can be sent in Estonian, Russian or English; advance registration is recommended because messages from unregistered numbers may be delayed. Check the official SMS 112 information before travelling because emergency-access arrangements may change by August 2027.

For a non-urgent health or accessibility problem during the conference, contact the registration desk, a designated conference volunteer or the Accessibility Chairs. Information about the nearest appropriate medical facility and local pharmacies will be added after the on-site safety plan is confirmed.