Event accessibility 101

So you want your event to be accessible? Awesome! But you don’t know where to start? That’s awesome too. Here is a basic outline of how you can create an Accessibility Services department to ensure that all attendees can enjoy your event equally. 

At a minimum, your event should have:

• An Accessibility statement or policy. This can be a part of your larger Code of Conduct, or its own document, similar to an anti-harassment policy. It outlines what services you will provide and to whom, and acts as a pledge to follow through with these promises.
• An Accessibility staff member to act as the point person for all access needs. This person needs to be onsite at the event as well as a senior part of the planning team. They should have relevant training or experience in the Accessibility world.
• An Accessibility playbook. This is the practical version of your policy. It explains what you’re going to do and how you are going to do it. It should include plans for staff and volunteer training, physical access plans, and reporting and resolving access issues.

How do I develop an Accessibility Policy?

Start by determining what you need. Your policy or statement to your attendees should be posted on your website, and address the following areas:

• Who is eligible to use Accessibility Services? Just like everyone’s body is unique, so is everyone’s disability. Make sure your statement is wide-reaching to all types of disabilities. At a minimum, use wording to cover both physical and mental needs, as well as invisible and temporary disabilities. Make sure your policy also covers service dogs and caregivers.
• How will attendees use Accessibility Services? Make it clear how attendees can contact the department with questions before the convention, as well as how to contact the department on site. As part of the RSVP and registration process, add an area on forms for attendees to request services. If you can’t do that, set up a separate process for attendees to request services, and publicize that process. This data will give you an idea of how many attendees with access needs to expect, as well as allow you to identify what services you will need to provide. 
• What information about Accessibility Services would you like attendees to have? Think about what information disabled attendees should have before they get to the convention. What are the most common questions you’ve received? Build these into a FAQ and add that to your website. It’ll reduce your email workload, as well as letting disabled attendees know that you are ready to welcome them at your event.

I have an Accessibility Policy. Now how do I find staff?

Finding staff for a specialized department can be difficult. Luckily, there are probably people already in your community who can help you. If you don’t already have someone in mind, a general outreach to your community is an excellent way to begin. Is there someone on your staff who’s expressed interest or who has relevant experience? What about among your membership?  Consider sending out a membership survey on accessibility issues to all your members or attendees to help gauge the demand as well as identify potential team members.

I hired an Accessibility staff member. What should they be doing?

Here is a list of tasks that your Accessibility staff member should be involved in. This will involve a lot of cross-department coordination, as Accessibility affects all departments.

• Ensuring compliance with the ADA and all relevant state, tribal, and local laws about disability access
• Surveying all potential event spaces to identify and mitigate barriers to access
• Providing an accessible registration process including requests for accessibility services
• Creating a way to identify attendees with disabilities onsite
• Ensuring accessibility at all panels, events, and parties
• Working with the Audio/Visual team to plan microphones, screens, and livestream usages
• Ensuring that all signage, programs, and printed material meets accessibility standards 
• Confirming that the event’s website and any related apps are accessible to all users
• Using social media to get the word out about Accessibility Services at the event
• Developing a budget for Accessibility Services supplies and vendors
• Creating food plans for those with food-based allergens or dietary restrictions
• Ensuring availability of ADA-compliant sleeping rooms, developing a process for attendees to reserve those rooms, and ensuring attendees’ room needs are met
• Developing function space layouts that meet accessibility guidelines
• Creating a plan for reporting and remedying access barriers or issues during the event
• Identifying local accessible transportation methods and making that information available
• Coordinating volunteer staffers for the department onsite at the event
• Ensuring that line management has a policy for managing access needs
• Using all of the above to write the Accessibility Playbook
• Training all staff and volunteers on ADA compliance, policy compliance, and on specific issues that their department will encounter during the event

This sounds like a lot of work. Do we really need to do all this? 

There are two reasons to have a solid accessibility policy and coordinator. One  you can think of as a stick, and the other you can think of as  a carrot. The stick is  avoiding the complaints, bad press, and   even potential lawsuits that can result from an accessibility failure. The carrot, however, is great press, increased diversity of your membership, and increased memberships overall.

As to that long list of tasks: it is a lot of work.  The good news is that most of it is coordinating with the staff and departments you already have  and asking them to make just a few changes to help make every area of your event as accessible as possible. Support your access coordinator and their team, and you’ll find it a worthwhile effort!