Tactus Wins Best Disability Innovation at the 2025/2026 Blue Badge Access Awards

London, May 2026 — Tactus, the Cambridge-based music-tech startup developing wearable haptic technology for Deaf and hard of hearing audiences, has been named the winner of the Best Disability Guest Innovation category at the 2025/2026 Blue Badge Access Awards — one of the UK’s most prestigious annual recognitions of excellence in accessibility and inclusive design. The awards ceremony was held at South Place Hotel in London.

white man with blond hair and red jacket, next to Asian man in grey jacket& brown trousers — L-R; Mik Scarlet, Presenter at 2026 BBAAs With Sean Chow from Tactus Who Won Best Innovation For Concert Goers & Their Vibewear Jacket. It Allows Deaf People to Feel Music Unobtrusively in a Very Lightweight jacket

The Blue Badge Access Awards, founded by accessibility advocate Fiona Jarvis and hospitality leader Robin Sheppard, celebrate venues, organisations, and innovators pushing the boundaries of what accessible and inclusive public life can look like. Now in its ninth year, the awards have grown to recognise outstanding accessibility across hospitality, culture, tourism, and — increasingly — technology. This year’s ceremony drew nominees spanning restaurants, hotels, historic venues, and workplace environments, alongside the technology innovation category in which Tactus emerged as a winner.

Tactus produces a wearable haptic vest that translates live music into physical vibrations, allowing Deaf and hard of hearing concertgoers to experience performances in a fully immersive, embodied way. The company has previously been recognised at CES 2026 with the CTA Innovation For All Award, and served as an accessibility partner at the Tokyo 2025 Deaflympics.

blue grey jacket on a black background — The Vibewear jacket is lightweight and easy to wear with unobtrusive sensors that help you feel the music at concerts & festivals

Sean Chow, Operations Lead of Tactus, who received the award at the ceremony said:

“At Tactus, we are dedicated to ensuring the Deaf and hard of hearing community can be immersed in music and integrated to public life and events with their families and loved ones… The absence of disabled people in public isn’t a lack of presence; it’s a lack of access.”

Fiona Jarvis, CEO of Blue Badge Access Awards, said:

“we loved this development as it’s inclusive, unobtrusive and looks like a gilet that anyone would wear. Hopefully by next year there will be a version that’s even more fashion focussed”.

The award comes at a pivotal moment for Tactus, which is currently scaling its venue deployments and growing its community of Deaf music fans. The company’s technology is deployed at live events, placing haptic vests in the hands of concertgoers at no added cost to Deaf attendees — a deliberate design choice rooted in the team’s commitment to equitable access.

The Blue Badge Access Awards ceremony also featured its customary “Ludicrous Loo” and “Ridiculous Ramp” awards, calling out businesses that continue to fall short of basic accessibility standards — a reminder, as Chow noted, that meaningful inclusion remains far from universal.