Tips and Suggestions for how to Plan for a Welcoming and Inclusive Accessible Event or Gathering

By Mike Thompson, 12 December, 2022

Celebrate Diversity! - Plan Accessible Events - Diverse Planning Meeting Including People with Disabilities and People of Different Racial Backgrounds

Abdul-Baha, the perfect exemplar and extoller of all of the virtues of what it means to be what we are intended to be as humans, was the host of many gatherings and events. From the many stories of his travels and engagements, we know that his attention, care, and focus, was on Unity and Justice, and always on Inclusion of those who were considered to be historically marginalized populations, including those with disabilities.

For Baha'is, almost everything that happens in our communities can be considered an event. When organizing a community or other event, regardless of its size, it's essential to incorporate accessibility at all levels.

Do we even have people attending our events who need any of these Accessibility Services?

If you’re noticing a lack of People with Disabilities at your events, it’s time to rethink why that might be the case. Perhaps People with Disabilities know your events aren't accessible, and some attendees might have disabilities and are not provided with essential accessibility features. The tips and resources provided here can transform your events, removing barriers and enhancing inclusivity. Imagine the vibrant, diverse crowd you'll attract when everyone feels welcome and valued. By making these changes, you might find a growing number of enthusiastic participants eager to join your events more frequently.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1 in 4 Adults in the United States have some type of Disability.Neglecting accessibility can leave these people without access to parts or all of the event, making it less welcoming and inclusive. Unfortunately, many event planners forget about accessibility, resulting in People with Disabilities being left out.

What prevents People with Disabilities from participating?

It is extremely important to remember that it is not a person’s Disability that prevents them from being able to participate in your event. Instead, it is whether or not your event is made accessible that will determine their ability to participate.

Consider this: If an event is held in a building accessible only via stairs with no ramp or elevator, people who use wheelchairs are effectively excluded. This exclusion is not due to their disability but to inadequate planning by the event hosts. It is the lack of accessibility, not the disability, that prevents their participation. Therefore, always plan ahead to ensure your events are held in accessible locations and actively work to remove barriers to accessibility.

Friendly reminder: Not all Accessibility problems involve physical barriers. Can you think of other examples where Accessibility might be affected in ways beyond physical barriers?

How can we remove barriers to Accessibility that prevent us from having a Diverse, Accessible Community?

The point is to remove barriers that prevent us from building vibrant communities. In that process we must establish just relationships among individuals, communities, and institutions of society that will uplift all and will not designate anyone as “other”.

Here are some common strategies to help you plan an accessible community event or gathering from the outset. You might not need every item on this list for every event, but you should be ready to provide any of these options when necessary. By learning about these tips and resources, you'll be equipped to make informed decisions.

Understanding and using these strategies in your event planning and hosting, along with having these resources at your disposal, will assist you in creating a welcoming, inclusive, and accessible community event.

Invitation:

When inviting people to your event, ensure that the invitation format is accessible. For instance, paper invitations are not accessible to people who are blind or have low vision. If you send invitations via email or post them online, adhere to the international accessibility standards for electronic documents. When using PDF format, provide descriptive alt text for any images.

Not everyone drives. When planning events, ensure they are accessible and held in locations with access to public transportation, and provide clear directions accordingly. Include both public transit and driving directions. Many people with disabilities, older adults, children, and those who do not own cars rely on public transportation. Be sure to include information on the nearest bus stop or public transit location and how to get to your event location from there.

If this is going to be a No Smoking and Fragrance-Free Event, then be sure to clearly state this on the invitation.

Make your event welcoming and inclusive, and show value for your participants' attendance by providing a way for people to request specifics for a barrier-free experience right on your invitation! This proactive step ensures everyone can participate and helps you plan effectively to remove any barriers. Add a checklist similar to the one below to your invitation to ensure a barrier-free experience and demonstrate your commitment to inclusivity and accessibility.

As we strive to remove barriers to creating a vibrant community, I will need the following in order to be able to participate please:¹

Accessible Parking
Access to electrical outlets for assistive devices
Advance copy of slides and other materials in an accessible format
- Electronic
- Large Print
- Audio
- Braille
Assistive listening device
Captioning
Dietary Restrictions
Clearly indicate allergens and gluten-free, vegan, vegetarian, sugar-free, or other options.
List Below:
Gender-neutral bathroom
Guide Dog Relief area
Lactation room
Reserved front row seat
Fragrance-Free Environment
American Sign Language ASL Interpreter
Wheelchair access
Other:
Specify Below:
You may choose to add in selections for other services such as:
- Child Care
- Other Languages
- Food and Dessert options

Be sure to add any other options that you might offer. All of these things help you to plan ahead for available resources.

It is imperative to keep the information regarding Accessibility, confidential. This is not intended as public information. It is only intended for the host to be able to provide necessary Accessibility.

Once you offer an accessibility checklist, ensure that you have those items ready at the event. Clearly communicate with each individual who made a request and inform them in advance that their requested accessibility options will be available to them.

As a host, it's crucial to avoid promoting your event as accessible and then failing to follow through on that promise. This can cause attendees with disabilities to feel unwelcome and excluded, and worse, be unable to participate. This can send a message to everyone that they don't belong, leaving them in the cold and designating them as "other". This reputation can spread quickly and harm the reputation of your event. To avoid this, be a responsible, caring, and inclusive host who follows through on accessibility.

Registration:

Ensure the registration process for your event is accessible, especially if it requires online registration. Online registration forms should meet international accessibility standards if designed properly. To achieve this, ensure that forms and buttons are appropriately labeled, and that navigation, error messages, confirmation screens, and resulting emails all comply with the international accessibility standards.

See our resource page on Accessible Forms for more information.

Event Location:

If this is a Physical vs. Virtual event, then attention to several details of the actual event location are important.

If you will be hosting the event in your home, then be sure to read: Things to Remember When Inviting a Wheelchair User to Your Home

To ensure inclusivity, it's important for both the host and event committee members to have a basic understanding of accessibility problems and be sensitive to them. It's essential to communicate to volunteers and committee members that people with disabilities should receive the same welcoming and inclusive treatment as other event participants. The ADA National Network offers helpful tips in this regard. For example:

See a person as a complete individual, rather than just focusing on their disability.
Don't be too anxious or overprotective. People will communicate their needs.
Certain individuals may require additional time to move, speak, perform tasks, or participate in activities. The actions of people with cognitive or developmental disabilities might be unsettling to those who are not familiar with such disabilities. However, there is no need to be fearful, and like any other individual, respect and patience are expected. In short, provide excellent customer service to everyone.

Ensure that staff and volunteers are aware of accessible features, including accessible restrooms, TTYs, ramps, and accessible materials such as programs, handouts, and study materials.

Accessible Signage and Spoken directions. Make sure to have someone available to give clear spoken directions, provide guidance, and even assist people in locating facilities or activities.
Parking - Accessible parking near venue; proximity to bus stop; ramp and/or elevator access;
Accessible Bathrooms - Gender neutral bathroom with Wheelchair access
Barrier-free pathways; wide doorways and aisles to accommodate wheelchairs/scooters; no loose cables across walking areas.
Wheelchair access to Seating as well as access to working tables throughout room
Tips on being a great host to a Blind Person
Guide Dogs and Service Animals – Consider access and space for Guide dogs
Comfortable space for service animals to rest during event; accessible toileting and watering facilities nearby.
3 Steps to Organizing a Fragrance Free Event
Lactation room
Assistive Listening Devices - If you don't already own your own Portable Assistive Listening Devices or have a Loop system installed. You might want to consider Renting some Assistive Listening Devices just for the duration of your event. Rentals usually include headphones and neckloops that connect to a receiver for use with a hearing aid equipped with a T-coil switch or an induction earphone. With assisted listening system you can broadcast a speaker’s voice or audio program from the provided transmitter.
Food - Clearly mark, in Accessible Format, all gluten-free, vegan, vegetarian, sugar-free or other options available.

Virtual or On-Line Events:

If this is a Virtual or On-Line Event, then attention to several details up front regarding Accessibility will help.

Program:

Presentations

Make sure that your presenters know about your commitment to accessibility and ask them to prepare and deliver their presentations by following these accessibility guidelines.

Provide your presenters with a checklist and request that they:¹

Submit materials in advance so that they can be forwarded to individuals who may not be able to view various screens or other presentation materials;
Verbally describe visual materials such as Slides, Charts, Images, Diagrams, Videos etc. (If no Descriptive Audio is Included);
Make printed copies available (in larger font and other requested Accessible formats);
Avoid using small print on presentations that can’t be seen from a distance;
Make sure speakers (including those asking questions) always use a microphone;
Include and activate Captions and Audio Descriptions on any video used in the presentation. Always describe videos yourself in real time if no Descriptive Audio is available. Showing video without these features is both meaningless and discriminatory;
Be sure to Call on and Include People with Disabilities during any interactive portions of the presentation. Make sure they get an equal opportunity to participate in all activities;
Encourage regular or hourly breaks;

People who are Blind and Low Vision may need to be physically close to visually presented information, instructions, or activities such as maps, artwork, and photographs. For those who find this approach ineffective or are Blind, additional explanations may be necessary to convey essential themes and facts. As with exhibits, providing sample objects that participants can touch and feel may be necessary. ²

Deaf and Hard of Hearing. Ideally, American Sign Language ASL Interpreters would be provided for every public event where an attendee speaks ASL, as well as at smaller activities with Deaf participants. Interpreters charge a fee. This is an investment in “Building increasingly Vibrant, Diverse, Inclusive, Accessible Communities by removing barriers that prevent us from achieving these goals.” ³

Cognitive or Developmental Disabilities. Keep instructions simple and presented in short sentences. Instructions for people with cognitive disabilities are more effective if participants must act after each direction. Presenters need to be patient and willing to integrate everybody into the activities as much as possible.²

Have someone onsite who helps to ensure and follow-through on all of the things listed above.

Activities:

If you will be featuring games and other activities at your event, make sure they are Accessible! Here is an example of one place where you can find Accessible Games and Toys.

Here is a place that makes accessibility kits that make existing games Accessible.

Unity in Diversity:

The task before us is to remove barriers that prevent us from building vibrant communities. Lack of Accessibility for People with Disabilities certainly qualifies as a major barrier. Disability does not discriminate according to Age, Gender, Race, Social Class or Culture. Consequently, People with Disabilities make up the most Diverse group of humans on the Planet!

Achieving unity within a group of similar and like-minded people is easier than achieving unity within a diverse group. However, diversity alone is not enough. Our task is to achieve true Unity in Diversity, which is a much greater and more challenging goal.

Final Thoughts:

It's important to make events accessible and inclusive for everyone, including those with disabilities. People with disabilities are often excluded from events due to the lack of accessibility, which can make them feel unwelcome and left out and even unable to participate. As a host, you can remove barriers to accessibility by planning ahead and offering accessible services. This can include providing accessible invitations, including information on accessible parking and transportation, offering assistive devices and interpreters, accessible materials, and providing a fragrance-free environment. It's also important to keep accessibility information confidential and ensure that requested accessibility options are available at the event. Consistently ensuring equitable participation of People with Disabilities in community gatherings and events by planning ahead for Accessibility transforms exclusion and discrimination into a culture of inclusion, respect, belonging, and value.

Resources:

References:

This Article is a work in progress. It is currently being developed to help event planners with the best possible "Tips and Suggestions for how to Plan for a Welcoming and Inclusive Accessible Event or Gathering". It draws from multiple great resources from across the internet and includes important information from them. It enhances that information with additional resources and links to find them. It then looks at event planning from the perspective of the way both physical and on-line events are typically held within clusters and even Nationally in American Baha'i settings.

This article will be revised regularly. Please check back often to see any updates. If you have a Tip or Suggestion that belongs here please use our contact form below and let us know!

Striving to remove barriers that prevent us from building a Diverse, Vibrant, Inclusive, Accessible Community!

Removing Barriers for People with Disabilities