Some quick fixes

Accessibility? Whoops. We Forgot.

So you’re having an event. It’s probably happening Very Soon. And you just realized you should have thought of accessibility back when you started planning, not during the last few weeks!

It’s okay. Even if you only have a little time before your next event, here’s some fast, easy, and affordable things you can do.

Have an accessibility statement, if not a fully written policy. 

You probably don’t have time for a full Board meeting and a policy discussion. But it shouldn’t be too hard to add a sentence or two to your existing policies and statements that explicitly calls out that you are committed to meeting the needs of disabled persons, and working to improve your policies and proceedures. (If you can, add a place that attendees can offer feedback about this, like an email address, so you can use that feedback to plan for next time.) 

Mitigate any known obvious problems.

Ask your venue if it’s ADA compatible, and if not, what parts are not up to code. Any decent venue should be able to tell you that. Let’s say you have an area that’s easy to get to for people who can walk—there’s three stairs between the main concourse and the dealers room—but only one ramp at the far end and it’s hard to see. Put up a sign so your attendees can find that ramp, and try to squeeze that information into the program book, too. Likewise, if there’s an area that’s only accessible by stairs, a door that is too narrow for wheelchairs, a trip hazard, and so on—SIGNS are your friend. Warning your attendees about hazards shows you at least realized that there’s a hazard and you do care about its impact on them. 

Don’t make it worse. 

This part is easy, but does take a little know-how. The physical location is (hopefully) fairly ADA compliant. But you can easily screw that up with your furnishings, displays, and so on. Keep your aisles wide, don’t put furniture in areas that are needed for accessibility, and so on. Don’t block exits unless you absolutely have to, and make sure you are NOT blocking the exit that’s easiest for disabled people to use. And DON’T do things like put a table in front of a ramp of wheelchair lift! (Yes, it happens.) Tape down all your cords, eliminate trip hazards. Don’t use hi-top tables if you can help it; if you must, drape them and tuck the drape in well (drape can be a tripping hazard). Avoid strobe lights in public areas, and if your entertainment or stage area is going to be especially strobe-heavy and blinky, put up a sign. 

Long Lines

If you expect to have long lines in any area, offer some chairs nearby, let people with physical limitations cut in line, and be kind to folks. You’ll want to codify this into official policy later, but for now, you don’t want that nice attendee who’s using a walker to have a fainting fit or a fall while waiting in a long line. 

Chairs and Seating

If you fill the room with as many chairs as possible, there is no room for a wheelchair to “sit.” Or a walker, a service dog, or any other mobility aids. Don’t cram in as many chairs as possible; leave wide aisles, and pull some chairs out for folks who need extra room. Have a door attendant available to help with this, or pre-mark some reserved seats. 

Other folks may need to sit near the front in order to see or hear the presentation. Reserve some chairs in front for these people.

Large Print

If you haven’t hit your printing deadline, see if you can get large print versions of the  most essential items (events schedule, venue map, etc) made up in large print. Even having one or two copies at the help/info/registration desk for people to look at will help. 

Have Someone To Help

Designate a staffer to be the Accessibility coordinator. Even if the person has no experience in the field, having a specific person to handle the issues will help—good customer service skills is a must. Most of the time, a disabled person who needs assistance will know what they need and can ask for it. And most of the time, it isn’t a big deal—move some chairs, help me find a way to get to my panel, do I need to let someone know I have a service animal, etc. Other things to field may be complaints—you don’t offer X or Y accessibility services! Apologize, soothe them down, write down the issue, and say you’re working to be better and hope to improve your services next year. This feedback is invaluable.

Next time, you can (and should) have a policy and procedure and practices in place to do more for your disabled customers. But a few tweaks can make even a last-minute big difference.