02/12/2021
As we observe International Day of Persons with Disabilities, Friday 3 December, I ask you, are your events promoting accessibility for all?
Liz Clark from Liz Clark Events is leading the call to make virtual events more accessible for people with disability. Clark says that factoring in accessibility requirements should follow the way that the events industry adapted to catering for dietary requirements. “Offering gluten-free and vegan dishes is mandatory at catered events. My hope is that making online and in-person events much more accessible will become mandatory too,” says Clark.
While disabilities that are disclosed during the registration process of an event can be catered for with the right planning and tools, some disabilities are not disclosed or even openly acknowledged by the people who have them. “Many disabilities are not only invisible - they are undisclosed - so organising an event that doesn’t take deafness, vision impairment, learning disabilities and/or sensory, physical, hidden or mental health conditions into account is automatically going to exclude some people."
Clark recommends that the process begins with registration, asking each attendee to ‘please detail your accessibility requirements’.
Additionally, she says that a code of conduct and best practices should be considered when speaking and facilitating the online event. Clark’s tips for presenters include using inclusive language of saying, “Can you please unmute,” say, “Can you please turn your mic on/off”.
Clark says that while there’s still a way to go, the main thing to consider when planning an accessible event is to co-design the event alongside people with disability.
Liz Clark’s top accessibility tools for event planners
● co-design your inaugural accessible and inclusive event with people with disability
● Use accessible virtual platforms that are compatible with screen readers and have navigating keyboard commands.
● Use a third party captioning service like Streamer
● Use sign language visual form of communication interpreters
● Work with inclusive suppliers