Fact Sheet 9. Making your events and meetings accessible
Many groups and organisations that run events, meetings, seminars and workshops do so with the best intentions of being inclusive to all groups. However, without a planned approach to organising these events, some key areas of accessibility can be overlooked.
Events and meetings put an important public face on the work that you do. Making sure they are accessible to everyone will help connect with groups you target. This makes good business sense for public agencies that want to increase their customer base and profile.
How can I make my events and meetings accessible to everyone? Ask the following questions.
- Is event literature available in different formats?
- If you can provide interpretation, say in the publicity for the event that this is available on request.
- Is there a loop system available in the meeting room?
- Have you taken into account any special dietary, childcare, transport or other needs?
- Check the physical accessibility of the building or room you plan to hold your event in.
- Is the building accessible for wheelchair users?
- Are there lifts and accessible toilets in the building?
- Is the event accessible to the local community, for example on bus routes and in an easy-to-find location?
- Are conference programmes, papers and agendas available in different formats such as Braille, large print or electronic formats?
- Have you asked people who plan to attend the meeting or event what format they would prefer and have you made this available to them before the meeting?
- Are travel and other expenses covered? If so, make sure you have a system in place to pay expenses.
- Have staff at the event received disability awareness training, for example how to guide a blind person safely?
- Is there a 'buddy' who can offer sighted guide help to a participant with vision impairment on the day of the event? The buddy can find out what the participant needs and help him or her on the day of the event.
When planning a meeting or event, it is always good practice to consult with individuals and organisations from the groups that you want to target.
It is also important that the publicity for your event gives clear information about the accessibility of the event. If you cannot provide certain services, such as sign language interpretation, or if the building you are holding the event in is not fully accessible, it is important to say this in your event publicity. Representative groups and organisations can tell the people they represent about your event.
Further resources
Canadian National Institute for the Blind, Guidelines on making events accessible to participants with vision loss
The HSE National Intercultural Strategy Consultation Report has guidance on good practice in organising consultations with minority ethnic groups in Ireland.
